Article by kevin lopez

Mt. Eden Floral

Kevin Lopez Ruiz

flowers are simply pleasing to the eye, but not everyone appreciates the deeper meaning behind each flower.

Yoshimi, having come to the US, had no choice than to assimilate to the culture. Roses in Japanese culture represent innocence and devotion. In America, they are more commonly valued for their aesthetic appeal, without as much deep significance. People in the United States seem to primarily use flowers on holidays, for mourning, and for celebration; there is not much distinction between the types of flowers and their deeper meaning.

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he success of Mt. Eden Floral can be described as the growth of a flower. It first began with a single seed. That seed was Zenjuro Shibata and his son Yoshimi Shibata. The blooming and the growth of the flower reflects the struggles and sacrifices that Yoshimi endured to make the modern Mt. Eden. He had to overcome imprisonment as well as racial discrimination in America in order to make the company flourish.

These hardships are what make the success of Mt. Eden beautiful. People already underestimate the importance of the flower business; the dedication that Yoshimi had towards his passion for flowers is admirable and is part of what makes Mt. Eden unique.

The mentality of the American flower consumer is that

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Mt. Eden has endured many hardships in order to achieve the success it is at now. Some of these events were unfortunate but crucial to the way Mt. Eden was shaped to become what it is today. The company was close to being lost on many occasions. In 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed, leading to the eventual forced removal of Japanese Americans from certain areas on the West Coast. This caused troubled for Yoshimi when running the business. The day before being imprisoned, Yoshimi managed to lease the company to an Italian named Zappatini. From 1942 to 1945, the Shibata family was interned in Tule Lake War Relocation Center. After the war, Yoshimi returned to take back the land that was once rightfully his. Then Mt. Eden continued to expand their growing operations, greenhouse rose growing operations, and also started to get into wholesaling. They had expanded the company to branches in Southern California and Northern California, doing distribution of flowers to flower shops. At this point in time, Mt. Eden had become the largest rose grower in the United States with at least 160,000 cut everyday. As time went on the competition for flower production began to rise.

In 2001, Mt. Eden had to discontinue the production of their infamous roses and most flowers. From then on, the company had to adapt only distributing flowers rather than growing.

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A Modern Day Samurai

s a young boy, Yoshimi struggled with pleurisy, a severe lung disease, and was constantly ill, spending several months at a time in the hospital.

Even after being released from the hospital, Yoshimi continued to be very sickly and weak.

Zenjuro, Yoshimi’s father, didn’t want him to remain in that state and therefore have the mentality of not being able rise up again.

To toughen Yoshimi up, Zenjuro hired a Japanese sword fighting master to teach Shimi the art of swordsmanship, Kendo and the philosophy of the Samurai. The hallmark of the Japanese samurai is

“never give up and never fear, do or die” (Shibata). Yoshimi learned to fight his illness and fight through any obstacles that crossed his path.

Through this training, Yoshimi

always find a way to overcome the struggle. This philosophy reflects what the company is today.

From the early days up through the present day, the company exercises this philosophy. When it was impossible to run a business because the family was being imprisoned in relocation camps or when Mt. Eden was almost lost during the Great Depression due to dreadful economy, Yoshimi persevered.

Situations like these are very difficult to overcome as a human being, much less retain a business. embodied the samurai spirit, Yoshimi and his company as a applying it to everything he did whole never gave up and always during his lifetime. Regardless of strove towards excellence. how difficult the situation, he would

"Never Give Up and Never Fear, Do or Die"

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n 2017, Mt. Eden is celebrating their 111th year in business. Robert Shibata, Yoshimi’s son, and Alex Shibata, Robert’s son, are working at the company to continue Yoshimi’s legacy. Mt. Eden continues to strive for a higher level of excellence in the flower business. Although the company no longer runs operations for growing flowers, it continues to deliver the best quality of flowers. Logistically, Mt. Eden floral company is now a wholesale distributor of fresh flowers and floral supplies. They supply to shops and markets that are private clients, selling to any companies that are in the business of reselling product to consumers. Mt. Eden operations in San Jose, now provide components for flowers such as vases, ribbons, and decorations, showing that they have expanded beyond primarily selling flowers.

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s current owner and president of Mt. Eden Floral Company, Robert Shibata is responsible for most of the day-to-day operations that are necessary for the company to run smoothly and profitably. Mt. Eden has several branches, ranging from fresh flowers to floral supply. Each branch has a manager and each manager reports to Robert for the operations.

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Works Cited “Establishment of the Yoshimi & Grace Shibata Family Fund.” Mt. Eden Floral Co., Shibata Family, 29 Sept. 2015, mteden.com/establishment-of-the-yoshimigrace-shibata-family-fund-2. Accessed 28 Apr. 2017.

Tabuchi, Jamie. Personal Interview. 27 March, 2017.

Shibata, Robert. Personal Interview. 2 March, 2017.

“Yoshimi Shibata: A Floral Industry Pioneer” Youtube, uploaded by Mt Eden Floral Company, 9 September, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KrlUkXQ0Rt8 “Yoshimi Shibata: A Floral Industry Pioneer.” Mt. Eden Floral Co., Shibata Family, 9 Sept. 2015, mteden.com/yoshimi-shibata-a-floral-industry-pioneer. Accessed 28 Apr. 2017.

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Kevin Lopez is a student at Freestyle Academy of Communication Arts and Technology. Kevin is a member of the Mountain View High School drumline and marching band. His taste in music ranges from hip-hop to heavy metal and rock. He plans to pursue a career in film and animation.

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