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About Hirai
Farms Class A Properties (dba..Hirai Farms) is a family farming operation in Washington
State founded by Tom Hirai in 1954. Today, Hirai Farms is a highly progressive operation which utilizes the most advanced
techniques, ensuring the highest quality for our customers, while also minimizing impact on the environment. Hirai Farms
has over a half-century of experience growing, packing and shipping premium potatoes and onions all over the world. In addition,
Hirai Farms consistently produces high quality potatoes, sweet corn, peas and other vegetables for processing. The Hirai family has a long history in agriculture and a proud Asian heritage. The first members of Hirai
family came from Japan in the late 1800's. They worked in the agricultural fields of California harvesting and delivering
produce to local markets in the 1930's. In March of 1946, the Hirai family moved to South Dakota and began growing sugar beets
for the U&I Sugar Company. In 1954, the Hirai family began farming in the Pacific Northwest after purchasing a small
farm in Quincy, Washington. In 1962, the Hirai's founded "Quality Growers", which became a highly successful fresh
potato packing operation. In 1980, the Hirai family began growing and packing onions and played a major role in the
onion export trade to Asia for over 20 years. In 1997, Blaine Hirai became the CEO and Owner
of Hirai Farms, succeeding his father Tom Hirai who had been the CEO and Owner of Hirai Farms since 1954. Beginning in 2003,
Hirai Farms (i.e..Blaine Hirai) entered into several joint ventures and currently grows several thousand acres of potatoes,
carrots, onions, sweet corn, and peas. Blaine Hirai has continued the tradition of growing high quality produce at Hirai Farms.
More importantly, he is personally involved in managing and monitoring the crops on a daily basis, and he has successfully
transitioned Hirai Farms into an state-of-the-art 21st century agricultural business which uses modern sustainable practices
and advanced technologies that help to maximize water efficiency and minimize impact on the environment. Sustainability Every element of work in our fields is undertaken using state-of-the-art global positioning
satellite guided tractors and planters which ensure accurate planting and quality production. More importantly, our GPS systems
help to decrease fuel consumption and reduce carbon or greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere. Our modern and
efficient irrigation systems delivers the optimum amount of water and crop nutrients, which helps to conserve our precious
water resources while ensuring flavorful, nutritious produce. To help prevent and control pests and diseases, Hirai Farms utilizes an active "integrated pest management"
or IPM program, which is an environmentally sensitive approach to pest and disease management that relies on a combination
of practices that reduce impacts to people, property, and the environment. In particular, we monitor our crops for pests and
identify them accurately. This monitoring and identification removes the possibility that crop protection chemicals
will be used when they are not really needed. We also have sustainable pest and disease prevention programs in place such
as rotating between different crops, planting rotational crops that naturally repel harmful pests, selecting pest-resistant
varieties, and planting pest and disease free rootstock. And as a last resort, when we do need to control pests and
diseases, we use targeted and selective low impact crop protection chemicals that protect beneficial insects and have minimal
impact on the environment. Giving Back to the Community
Blaine Hirai and the Hirai
family also have a strong tradition of giving back to local communities in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in the United
States. In 2005, Blaine Hirai formed "Annie's Fun", a nonprofit, charitable 501(c)(3) organization, named after
Blaine's mother, to help those in need. Since 2008, Blaine Hirai and Annie's Fun have donated millions of pounds of potatoes,
sweet corn and onions to several food banks in the Pacific Northwest including Northwest Harvest, Second Harvest, Food Lifeline,
etc. The food donated has helped to provide millions of meals to feed those in need. Over the past few years, as
part of the Vertically Integrated Partnership, Annie's Fun and Hirai Farms worked with key partners such as Sodexo, McCain
Foods, National Frozen Foods, Yahoo!, Frito-Lay, Farmer Bean Company, Sysco, Darigold and Franz Bakery to help donate much
of the food. Additionally,
Blaine Hirai is an active member in several charitable groups and organizations. In 2008, Blaine Hirai was appointed to the
Board of Directors of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the nation's largest non-profit
organization devoted solely to providing scholarships to Asian and Pacific Islander American students. Blaine is the only
member of the Board of Directors who resides in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, Blaine Hirai and Annie's Fun launched a multi-year
initiative to provide direct support to APIASF. Furthermore, Annie's Fun supports other charitable organizations including
Sodexo Stop Hunger, Ronald McDonald House Charities, the United Negro College Fund, the American Indian College Fund, the
Japan America Society, and the Columbia Basin Foundation.
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Efficiency & QualityTo deliver the best produce to our customers, we use superior farming techniques and technology.
Our potatoes, onions, corn, peas and other vegetables are grown from the very best seed ensuring great flavor and the highest
quality. Our produce is stored
in sophisticated, automated warehouses until needed. The facilities are capable of holding nearly 80,000 tons of produce.
The warehouses control the temperature and humidity of the produce, and are managed around the clock by a team with over 30
years of storage experience. We
can effectively, efficiently and reliably meet your produce requirements. We'll gladly provide more information on request
and set up a tour of our farms and facilities. Call or e-mail us now to find out more about Hirai Farms (i.e..Class A Properties)
and why sourcing from us can give your business a competitive edge. |
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Supplier Diversity Minority Business Certification by the Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council (NWMSDC) and the State of
Washington is a source of pride for Class A Properties (dba..Hirai Farms). The NWMSDC is an affiliate of the National Minority
Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), which means Class A Properties is also certified with the NMSDC. A strong supplier diversity
program can help provide your organization or company with a competitive edge and is another way we add value for our customers.
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