A new label being embraced by local manufacturers trying to break into the Chinese market shows how the Chinese may be gaining appreciation for American goods, and those from S.F. in particular. Everything used to be "Made in China" (and almost everything still is), but more affluent Chinese consumers are apparently turned on by all things San Francisco.
We as a country may never be the manufacturing giant that China is, but the manufacturing sector is picking up in San Francisco, as the Business Times reported this week. Retailers like Banana Republic are fostering good will with their SFMade pop-up shop, and the SFMade organization is helping to promote their 100+ member companies, which are largely in the apparel and accessories and food sectors. Chinese consumers are increasingly looking to American-made products and appreciating American brands, and thus S.F. manufacturers see an opportunity here with the new label initiative.
And San Francisco has a long historic connection to both China and Japan, and the city has a lot of name recognition in both countries. Ritual Roasters, for one, has already begun exporting about 100 pounds of coffee a week to a small chain of cafes in China, and they're having an impact on the emerging coffee scene as a result.
