The State - News from Aug. 10, 1989

For the first time, California raisins are headed for store shelves in Japan, with the first shipment of about $1.5 million worth of the fruit leaving the Port of Oakland. The raisins are being exported by the California Dried Fruit Co., a consortium of 18 San Joaquin Valley companies. Nicholas Boghosian, president of the consortium, said the sale of bulk raisins to Japan culminates four years of negotiations. He said the company has also developed packaging and advertising to meet Japanese standards and has licensed Japanese importers and distributors to use the California dancing raisins logo on all packages and in television commercials in Japan. If raisins are a hit with Japanese consumers, Boghosian said he hopes that the consortium can increase shipments in future years.