Cranberry growers in our area... are working with a Japanese company to promote the fruit overseas.

The Cranberry Marketing Committee hired the company to help them explain the benefits of cranberries to Japanese consumers.

The Executive Director of the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association, Tom Lochner says Wisconsin has hosted groups from overseas in the past but this is the first time they've hosted a group from Japan.

Lochner says they are marketing to Japan because consumers there eat a lot of fresh fruit, and are health conscious.

" With the health benefits that cranberries have we think there is a good opportunity in Japan as well as elsewhere to sell some more fruit and increase grower returns."

He says they hope to increase exports to that country by teaching consumers the health benefits of cranberries and how they're grown and harvested.

"Part of the process is an educational process is to teach consumers about cranberries cause they are only grown in North America. They have to know what the cranberry is and how they can use it in their diet," Says Lochner.

Izumi Amano, is one of the Japanese marketing professionals that toured a Wisconsin Rapids cranberry marsh on Tuesday to learn about the growing and harvesting process.

Amano says more than 200 Japanese products already contain cranberries, but very few consumers eat them on a regular basis.

"78% of Japanese consumers have tasted cranberry products in the past but they are not buying cranberry products at the moment so we'd like to increase the frequency they purchase cranberries," says Amano.

She says Japanese consumers are very interested in anti-aging products and cranberries fit the bill.

" Anti-aging is a booming industry in Japan and the cranberry has a lot of health benefits," says Amano.

Lochner says about 60 percent of cranberries in the US are grown in Wisconsin, making it our state's number one fruit.

He says exporting more fruit will mean more revenue and jobs for Wisconsin.