For nearly 30 years, Brian Oates has, in his words, "pig-headedly" devoted himself to a single pursuit: setting up the first commercial wasabi farm in North America.
Dozens of others in the US and Canada have tried to grow the plant - a type of horseradish that originates in Japan, where it is found growing naturally in rocky river beds - but almost all have failed.
The reason is simple: wasabi is deemed by most experts to be the most difficult plant in the world to grow commercially.
So what drives Mr Oates, and his business Pacific Coast Wasabi (PCW), other than his stated stubbornness?
The price.
Image captionAt market rates, a kilogram of wasabi goes for around $160, making it one of the world's most lucrative crops
Fetching nearly $160 (£9
per kilogram at wholesale, in addition to being hard to nurture, wasabi is also one of the most lucrative plants on the planet.
"It is much like gold - we expect to pay a lot for gold. Well, we expect to pay a lot for wasabi," says Mr Oates.