Recently we reported studying about organic certification, and this time we are proud to report that Miyazakien have received official certification for JAS organic processed food (tea). As for the certification, we asked Public Interest Incorporated group corporation Ainokai to inspect.
Miyazakien is located in a mountainous area with Otogawa river, where there are many tea gardens on both sides of the riverside road passing through the mountains. As with Shizuoka prefecture where is a major production area of tea in Japan, our place is also a area with moderate temperature difference and humidity, cultivation of tea was thriving from the Edo period.
However, the cultivation of large-scale tea that introduced large machines and equipment in plain and basin, gentle hilly areas like Shizuoka became popular and the competitiveness of our farming area became weakened because mechanization was difficult as it is in mountainous area. In order to differentiate our products from others in such mass production area, Miyazakien challenged to be the first tea farmer in Aichi prefecture in 2006 having organic certification by tea cultivation and processing. However, as the main ship-to party was wholesale to JA etc., there was also the aspect that it could not fully utilize the precious certification.
Before and after the certification of the sixth industrialization by the Japanese government, Miyazakien has greatly steered from its historical wholesale business model by a tea garden to direct sales to consumers and restaurants as a tea garden. By directly informing the consumer about the initiative of the garden, and securing the distribution process which does not mix with other mass-produced tea, it becomes easy to convey the identity and the commitment of the garden again.
In the future, we will make use of this organic certificate, not only for domestic but also for oversea market development. We have already begun to develop sales channels for overseas markets such as New York, Hong Kong, Malaysia, etc. In any country / region, not only the taste and aroma of the tea at the Miyazakien, but also organic crops (Organic) has been highly appreciated. There are still many things to be tackled, such as expanding production volume and raising awareness, but we will continue to motivate the promotion of the tea industry in Okazaki City Miyazaki district here and there.
