Soybeans
The Dream: Improve Efficiency and Help the Local Economy by Exporting a Whole New Product
"There is a Honda way to make cars, and a Honda way to make beans."
--Kiyoaki Yamada, president of HAPI-Ohio (Honda's soybean division)
In 1988, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to export a vehicle built in America back to Japan. Over the past two decades, Honda has become one of America's leading exporters with more than 800,000 vehicles shipped to more than 100 markets.
Few people realize, however, that Honda is also a major exporter of premium U.S. soybeans to Japan. High-quality soybeans known as White Pearls are grown by local farmers in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Some of these soybeans are even harvested from Honda land that encompasses three of Honda's five auto plants in Ohio, an R&D vehicle engineering center and 7.5-mile test track and vehicle testing facility.
Chance Meeting
Decades ago, cargo container ships that arrived in the U.S. full of automobiles and parts were shipped back to Japan completely empty. Even as we began producing most of our products in America, Honda sought a more efficient use for the container return trips and began to fill them with soybeans and other goods bound for Japan.
Honda's premium soybean export business began with a chance airport meeting during the mid-1980s between Honda executive Hitochi Morimoto and a soybean supplier who wanted to expand the export of food-grade U.S. soybeans to Japan.
The exports are now handled by Honda Trading America Corp., a subsidiary founded in 1972.
Honda Quality
What began as a desire for efficiency soon became a quest for quality in true Honda fashion. White Pearls are highly sought after in Japan because of their high protein content, and Japanese consumers are wary of genetically modified beans. As a result, Honda farmers go to great lengths to meet rigorous standards for quality and purity, and Japanese consumers are willing to pay a premium for the high-quality beans. White Pearls are so highly regarded, in fact, that at one point, tofu made from these beans was served to the Emperor of Japan.
Once the beans are harvested, they are inspected for uniformity of size and shape. The approved beans are then shipped to eager consumers in Japan for use in tofu and soy milk.
Today's Dream: The Future of Farming
Ohio has proven to be an ideal place for Honda to build high quality automobiles and motorcycles. The state also happens to have an ideal climate for growing soybeans that are high in protein. And since Honda has operated there since 1979, investing in local farming was a natural way to contribute to the area's growth and economy.
Growers of these specialized soybeans are paid more than they would be on open market, and many farmers consider the crops to be a lucrative investment. Honda also carries our spirit of teamwork over to the farmers, who work together regularly. Don Smith, an Eaton farmer, summed it up this way: I think this is the future of farming.
So we accomplished more than our dream of improving the efficiency of our shipments. By striving for the highest quality in what we export, we created a premium crop of soybeans--and motor vehicles--that benefits the local community.