TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Opposite but popular
Philippine drinks
arrive in HawaiiTwo potables originating in the Philippines and new to Hawaii are at extremes of the beverage spectrum.
One is a hard liquor, the other, a soft drink.
A year-old Hawaii company has introduced a Philippine rum to Hawaii while a long time local soft-drink maker is producing a juice made from pureed Calamansi limes grown in the Philippines and found in many Hawaii backyards.
Both have been well-received by retailers and consumers.
Tanduay Distillers Inc. traces its roots back nearly 150 years, to a trading company that purchased a steamship company. It went through several iterations before producing its first batch of rum.
COURTESY DUAL TRADING INC.
Some of the happy participants in Saturday's Tanduay Rum tasting were, from left to right in the front row, Kristine Lim, president of Dual Trading Inc.; Ming Koshi, owner of the Liquor Collection; and in the back row, Liquor Collection staffers Jon LaRue, Art Koshi and Todd Allington.
More recently Kristine and Jonaugustine Lim and their company, Dual Trading Inc., acquired the distribution rights and introduced two of the distiller's blends to Hawaii last month -- Tanduay Premium Dark Rum and Tanduay Premium Light Rum.
The opportunity came about as Jonaugustine's parents have been involved in the Philippine spirits industry for some 30 years, Kristine said.
Before taking on the "hard" stuff, the couple's company had cut its teeth for a year on importing, wholesaling and distribution of gift baskets, crafts, wedding favors and other items from the Philippines.
Dual Trading now counts among its rum clients The Liquor Collection in Ward Warehouse, Daiei, Fujioka's Supermarket in Haleiwa and Tamura's in Wahiawa, as well as select neighborhood liquor stores mostly focused in heavily Filipino areas, Kristine said.
"It is export-quality for the international market," she said, and the goal is to make it available for mainstream local people.
The Liquor Collection was chosen for the debut ID-required Tanduay taste testing because it is known for having "all kinds of spirits from different countries," she said.
There will be taste-testings the next four Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. starting Nov. 16 at Tamura's on Waialae Ave., moving to Daiei Kailua, Daiei Waipahu and then Daiei Kaheka.
One obvious difference between the bottles sold in the Philippines and in the United States is the label. In the Philippines the labels say Tanduay Rhum, but such a spelling of the latter word here is not permissible according to government regulations, Kristine said, "So the labels were changed." R-u-m it is.
Not too sweet
The first incarnation of Aloha Maid Calamansi Sweet Lime Drink was formulated four years ago, but it only became a production item this year, according to Eric Nakasone, marketing and planning manager for ITOEN (USA) Inc.
COURTESY DUAL TRADING INC.
Aloha Maid Calamansi Sweet Lime Drink
The rapidly growing Filipino population in Hawaii got the company looking at producing something for their palate that might also appeal to the mass market, he said.
"We started with 10 percent juice but it was so sour we cut it down to about 3 percent," he said. The company added about the same amount of sugar found in other Aloha Maid drinks, but combined with the tartness "we came out with a really good balance," said Nakasone. It is not as sweet as many other soft-drinks, canned or bottled.
The company started making presentations to retail buyers in September and the stores started picking it up in October. The latest to place orders were Sam's Club and Costco. "I think everybody has it now," he said. Consumer response has been very good, he said, which is a bit of a double-edged sword because of world events.
Terrorist activity in the Philippines has caused stepped up inspections of cargo shipments on both sides of the Pacific, which has resulted in delays. ITOEN officials were sweating the next production run, with its supply of frozen puree running lower than they'd like.
The latest shipment was waiting for inspection yesterday, Nakasone said. It takes three days to defrost the drums of frozen Calamansi puree, but production of 9,000 cases can be completed in one day so the company should be able to meet increasing orders and demand on time, he said.
The fruit puree and the rum have traveled awfully far from home, but as for whether the twain shall meet now that they're here is up to a grown-up's individual creativity.
The sweet lime drink's potential as a mixer has occurred to some executives at ITOEN, "but we're not marketing it that way," Nakasone said.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com
