New Wooden Bakery Constructed with Canadian Wood: Baked Goods Will Taste Even Better!!
Continuing with the carbs and Canadian OSB theme (see March 2022; rice cakes), APA-The Engineered Wood Association and staff from Canada Wood member COFI recently visited a wooden (2×4) bakery job site in Nasu Shiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, 1 hour north of Tokyo by bullet train. Pan Akimoto has been in business for over 60 years and are famous for their fresh bakery goods enjoyed by locals and people staying at hotels in this resort area. Their other claim to fame is their canned bread, which was developed due to food shortages after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and was even transported to space for astronauts to eat on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery. Recently they have donated their canned bread to Poland to assist people feeling the war in Ukraine.
On the day of our visit, we were joined by member West Fraser (Tokyo Office), staff from Dairi FPC (lumber & OSB supplier) and 2 architects from SAP, the building designer. While there we also met with Di-Sanwa Corp, the general contractor for the project. Framing of the 2-storey 1,958 m² building began in the 3rd week of April and when we visited we could view the 9mm, 3×9 (wall), 12mm, 3×6 (roof) and 15mm, 3×6 (floor) OSB and SPF that had recently been installed. The old bakery in the concrete building next door will be demolished once the new building is complete. After our visit we were able to enjoy a lunch of their delicious bakery goods – produced with high quality wheat from Canada! – on the deck at the main shop. It was a great day to showcase the use of our member’s Canadian wood products and we are sure the baked goods created in the new wooden building will taste even better!