We started the Iki Olive Garden out of a strong desire to leave this rich land to the next generation, thinking about the future of our beloved hometown of Iki Island.
Iki Island in Nagasaki Prefecture is a beautiful island surrounded by the sea and is blessed with an abundance of specialties such as Iki beef, asparagus, and fresh seafood. However, due to aging and population decline, farmland was becoming increasingly devastated, and the beautiful island's landscape was being lost.
While working in the construction and real estate industries, I met a pathology teacher and learned about the wonders of the olive plant. Olives have a long lifespan of more than a few hundred years, and the fruit can be used as oil and food, the leaves as a superfood, and the tree as a tableware.
In 2010, the Iki Olive Garden began when 500 olive saplings were planted as a new industry on the island. Through olive cultivation, we want to revive wastelands, create jobs, and create a future where the people of the island can live healthy and prosperous lives. With that in mind, we continue to walk.