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Kiwis buy Wasabi Farm in Canada
The largest wasabi-growing operation in Nanoose Bay and North America has had a change of ownership that was concluded at the end of June 2014.
The Tuaropaki Trust company from New Zealand has taken over the site, located just north of Nanaimo which was formerly run by Pacific Coast Wasabi Ltd., and renamed it Kawai BC Ltd.
The previous owner has agreed to remain on site to manage the construction and growing for the Trust. It is not clear at this time if the Trust will be absentee owners or have an active hands-on involvement with the growing of wasabi. There are plans on the table to expand the present operation of 2000 sq metres of growing area to 20,000 square metres within the next three years.
The new owners are expected to focus on growing and sales of the Wasabi products. The emphasis will be on increasing the number of fresh wasabi customers within North America and exploring its ability to increase the culinary sales of wasabi from its site.
The demand for Wasabia japonica has been growing since the Wasabi Maestroes started their first Wasabi Farm in New Zealand in 1990, and is expected to increase at an increasing rate for the next 15 – 20 years. This is especially true with the growing interest from the pharmaceutical and medical industries in the unique health properties contained in this difficult to grow plant.
It will be interesting to see if this venture goes the same way as the Beaverton Foods purchase of the Pacific Farms operation back in 2010. See this article.
At the present time the current supply of high quality Wasabia japonica exceeds demand, and with the long growing period of Wasabia japonica, this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
However, for those who would like to get into this growing (no pun intended) market, now is the time to really investigate the opportunities.
See the information about the Wasabi Growers Club, and the information that they offer.
Michel Van Mellaerts (The Wasabi Maestro) is the recognized World authority and expert on the practical Growing, Processing and Marketing of Wasabia japonica. He and his wife have been commercially growing Wasabia japonica longer than anyone else outside Japan.
Trained as an Engineer he has invented and installed many improved growing systems into their farms. These enable high quality Wasabi to be grown anywhere in the World.
The Wasabi Maestroes have set up commercial Wasabi growing farms from the Arctic Circle to Southern New Zealand, including the Equator. They have worked with individual growers, national governments, and investment groups on four continents.
These growing systems have reduced growing times by nearly 67%, improved yield and quality of the Wasabi rhizome, and increased the levels of active ingredients by nearly 100%. It is these active ingredients that independent scientific studies show kills cancer cells and improves human health.
They pioneered the use of Wasabia japonica in the Nutraceutical and Medical industries. They are at the leading edge of research into the benefits of Wasabi on human and animal health.
The Wasabi Maestroes offer a Training and Consultancy service for potential and actual Wasabi growers who only want to learn from the best. Others spend their time floundering around trying to find out what information is useful and what isn’t.
The Training has been proven and improved over the last 20 years plus of personal commercial Wasabi growing. This has been hands on, getting wet and dirty work – not guesswork from behind a desk.
Join the Wasabi Growers Club now!
[…] Anyway, what is happening on the growing front. Well it appears that less Wasabia japonica was available on the market this last month. I am unsure if this is due to the weather or the season change, but I haven't heard about any large operation either opening or closing. One did change owners. […]