【Cultivation】
Together with local contract farmers, we cultivate nutrient-rich fresh leaves cultivated in the "Shizuoka Tea Grass Farming Method" (*1), which has been certified as a World Agricultural Heritage Site (*2)
【Purchasing】
In order to form a sustainable tea production area, based on the "Kakegawa Tea Fair Trade Declaration" (*3), we will promote better trade through discussions with producers with whom we have concluded agreements.
[Manufacturing]
We use our unique roasting technology, which has been researched since our founding, to bring out the unique aroma and flavor and produce delicious tea "even when it is cold" and "even in the third brew" with passion and a spirit of exploration
*1 In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recognized the Shizuoka Tea Grass Farming Method as a World Agricultural Heritage Site in recognition of the efforts of Kakegawa tea farmers to "make delicious tea" and the preservation of the natural environment.
This farming method preserves biodiversity by inhabiting many endangered species of plants and animals.
(Typically, it is the only place in Japan where all the seven autumn grasses are available, and the wingless grasshopper "Kakegawafuki locust" endemic to this area lives.) )
*2 This is a traditional farming method that has been handed down to the Kakegawa region for more than 140 years, in which grasses such as pampas grass and bamboo are cut and dried from late autumn to winter in the pastures around tea plantations, and then finely chopped and laid between the furrows of tea plantations.
By laying grass in the furrows, it has the effect of ensuring water retention, suppressing weeds, and turning the grass itself into an organic fertilizer, leading to a deep richness and taste.
It also has the effect of reducing the amount of pesticides used.
*3 The "Fair Trade Standard for the Tea Industry" will be enforced ahead of the rest of Japan with the aim of developing sustainable tea-producing areas, starting in Kakegawa City in 2024.