The More We Open the Market for Edible Roses, the Stricter Our Quality Standards Become

Some might think that if we want to spread edible roses nationwide, we should just let each producer grow them in their own way.

However, the more we expand, the more detailed our management becomes. We make annual soil analysis mandatory and design materials individually tailored to each plot of land. Furthermore, we manage cultivation throughout the season by setting weekly and monthly tasks.

Opening a market is different from allowing freedom in quality.

I will explain why we manage quality from the very beginning, in order to make edible roses an industry that lasts for decades rather than just a passing trend.

Precisely because we want to expand edible roses, we do not make it 'free for anyone'

In my previous article, I wrote that we want to increase the number of people growing, processing, and turning edible roses into products, rather than keeping them confined to our own company.

Instead of fighting over shares in a small market, we want to grow the market itself first.

If more people start businesses using edible roses, our own work and sales within that market will follow.

This is our fundamental philosophy.

However, there is something I do not want to be misunderstood here.

Opening the market for edible roses does not mean that 'anyone can do whatever they want, however they want.'

On the contrary, as more people participate, the quality standards must become stricter.

Precisely because we want to create a market that is open for use, we do not allow freedom when it comes to quality.

At first glance, this might sound a bit contradictory.

However, to make edible roses an industry that lasts for decades rather than a temporary fad, we must consider these two things as a set.

A single product determines the impression of edible roses as a whole

For many people, edible roses are not yet a familiar agricultural product.

They are not something you can find on the shelves at the supermarket every day.

They are not an ingredient used in households on a daily basis.

For those encountering edible roses for the first time, the very first product they hold in their hands can become their entire impression of edible roses.

The color or scent was not good.

The storage condition was poor.

The labeling was difficult to understand.

It was unclear how it had been cultivated.

Someone who has had such an experience might not think,
“This company's product was not good,”
but rather,
“So this is what edible roses are like.”
They might end up thinking that.

In a market that is already large and mature, people can distinguish between one company's product and the industry as a whole.

However, at a stage where the market is still small, a single problem can affect the credibility of the entire market.

Of course, I want to welcome more people getting involved with edible roses.

However, I believe we must have a common yardstick from the very beginning regarding the minimum quality that must be maintained.

“Blooming beautifully” alone does not mean food-grade quality

Roses are plants that are beautiful to look at.

If the flowers bloom large and the colors are vivid, that alone makes them appear to be of high quality.

However, being beautiful as an ornamental plant and being appropriate as food or a food ingredient are not the same thing.

What kind of soil were they grown in?

What kind of materials were used?

What kind of management was carried out throughout the season?

When were they harvested?

How were they stored after harvest?

What kind of processing, such as freezing, drying, or distillation, was performed?

When dealing with food, there are many aspects that cannot be judged by appearance alone.

It is not enough to say, 'It bloomed beautifully, so it is edible.'

The quality of edible roses cannot be determined by looking only at the flowers after they have bloomed.

Everything from soil preparation to post-harvest management is connected to quality.

Quality control begins with annual soil analysis

In our educational program, we do not simply hand out seedlings to our members and say,
'Please grow them freely on your own land.'
that is not what we do.

First, we makeannual soil analysis mandatoryfor all members.

Even if you plant the same variety of rose, the condition of the soil will be completely different if the land is different.

The missing nutrients are different.

The excessive nutrients are different.

Drainage and soil texture are also different.

There are also changes caused by cultivation from previous years.

Therefore, we do not believe that distributing the same fertilizers and materials nationwide is the right approach.

Based on the annual soil analysis results, we determine what each piece of land needs and delivercustom-ordered materials tailored to each field.

We perform soil analysis not just to find what is wrong.

It is to determine the current state of the land and decide what to supplement and what to withhold for the next season.

It is somewhat similar to a human health checkup.

Even if you think you are living the same life as last year, your physical condition changes little by little.

The soil is the same.

It is not necessarily the case that you should use the same materials in the same amounts as last year.

We check every year and make adjustments based on the conditions at that time.

Creating quality for edible roses does not begin when the flowers bloom, but from the moment the soil is examined.

Aiming for the same quality standards, rather than using the same materials nationwide

When people hear 'quality standards,' they might imagine forcing the exact same cultivation methods across the country.

However, the climate in Yamagata is different from that in Kyushu.

The precipitation is different, too.

The temperatures are different, too.

The soil quality is different, too.

The hours of sunlight and the growing seasons are also different.

It is impossible to make the fields across the country have the same environment.

There is also no need to force them to be the same.

What is important is not using the same materials nationwide, but rather
aiming for a consistent level of quality while adapting to each specific land.

Changing materials according to the results of soil analysis.

Adjusting according to the regional climate and growth conditions.

On the other hand, the cultivation philosophy and processes that must be maintained for edible roses remain common.

Instead of erasing regional differences, we design based on those differences.

Rather than imposing the same growing methods nationwide, we aim for the same quality while adapting to each land.

This is the cultivation management we envision.

Delivering materials is not the end

Just because we deliver custom-ordered materials does not mean that quality will be uniform.

Materials only have meaning when used at the right time and in the right way.

That is why we manage not only the general annual cultivation policy, but also specific weekly and monthly tasks as well.

What to do this week.

Where to check this month.

When to use which materials.

Which tasks to perform according to the growth stage.

What to look at to make the next decision.

It is not just about the big picture, like 'please manage it this way in the spring'.

We break it down into actual tasks to be performed in the field.

And we continue that throughout the season.

In agriculture, the results are not determined the moment you plant the seedlings.

Small tasks every week.

Checks every month.

That accumulation leads to the quality of the flowers and leaves months later.

Quality is not created during the final inspection, but built up through daily work.

Turning experience and intuition into a reproducible system

In agriculture, experience and intuition are extremely important.

Looking at the color of the leaves.

Looking at how the soil dries.

Feeling the temperature and the wind.

There are small changes that only those who have been working on this for many years can understand.

We have no intention of denying those on-site sensibilities.

However, if we are to expand this as an industry nationwide, it is difficult to keep it a world that only experienced people can understand.

It should be something that even those with little agricultural experience can tackle.

Even if the regions are different, we should be able to share the basic way of thinking.

When a problem occurs, we should know where to review.

To that end, we need to translate experience and intuition into words and processes as much as possible.

That is also why we decide on weekly and monthly tasks.

We are not asking people to just mechanically carry out what has been decided.

By sharing what needs to be done, we make it easier to notice any abnormalities.

Instead of relying solely on intuition, we create a form that can be looked back upon later.

Quality control is not about discarding experience, but about transforming experience into a system that can be replicated.

Standards are not chains that bind our members

The term 'quality standards' can give a restrictive impression.

Rules increase.

We are being managed.

Freedom is lost.

Some people might feel that way.

However, we do not think of standards as something to bind our members.

Without standards, we cannot know what is being achieved and what is lacking.

I think it's probably fine.

We did it this way last year, too.

There were no problems at my place.

That alone is not enough to give companies and consumers peace of mind.

Because there is a common yardstick, you know where you currently stand.

You also know where you need to improve.

It also allows you to combine raw materials with other members.

It is also possible to consider responding to large orders across multiple regions.

In other words, quality standards are not a wall to reduce the number of participants.

They are a common language for people in distant regions to operate as a single industry.

Making them strict is not to drop those who cannot do it.

When we say we will make quality standards stricter, it can sometimes sound like a story about excluding those who cannot meet the criteria.

However, not everyone can do it perfectly from the start.

There are also people who have just started farming.

There are also people who have no experience growing roses.

There are also people who start on a small scale.

That is precisely why there are educational programs.

Sharing cultivation methods.

Conducting soil analysis every year.

Designing the materials necessary for that land.

We will indicate the tasks to be carried out on a weekly and monthly basis.

We will have them cultivate with the same mindset throughout the season.

Rather than finding and dropping those who are not meeting the mark, we will
work together to nurture them within the system so that they reach a certain level of quality.

This is the role of our educational program.

Quality standards also provide peace of mind for the users.

To expand the market for edible roses, we need companies and chefs to use them continuously.

If it is a one-time event product, it might be adopted for its novelty.

However, if it is to be used as a standard product, the quality cannot be different every time.

The color was good last time, but it is different this time.

It had a fragrance last time, but it is weak this time.

The condition changes depending on who delivers it.

It is impossible to confirm how it was grown.

This places a heavy burden on the user.

They would have to check the raw materials for every product and adjust the formulation and processing methods.

In that case, even if edible roses are an interesting ingredient, they will not become an ingredient that can be used continuously.

What the market needs is
not a rare ingredient, but an ingredient that can be used repeatedly with peace of mind.

Soil analysis is conducted every year.

Materials suitable for the land are being used.

Weekly and monthly tasks are carried out with a consistent mindset.

The cultivation process throughout the season is managed.

These efforts lead to peace of mind for those who use our products.

Protecting quality protects the producer's price.

Quality standards are not just for consumers and companies.

They are also necessary to protect the producer's price.

If edible roses grown and managed in different ways are all sold as the same product, in the end, they will only be compared by price.

The cheaper one will be chosen.

Then, even cheaper ones will appear.

Even if you carefully analyze the soil, use the necessary materials, and manage the crop throughout the season, that difference will not be conveyed.

If that happens, those who work properly will suffer the most.

Differences in quality can be understood.

The background of cultivation and management can be explained.

There are evaluation criteria based on usage.

Only when these are in place does it become easier to set a price that reflects the quality.

Quality standards are also a mechanism to protect the profits of producers who maintain quality.

Instead of lowering standards to produce cheaply, we create a market where those who produce properly are properly evaluated.

I believe this is also essential for making edible roses an industry.

Opening a market is different from creating disorder.

We do not intend to keep edible roses exclusively to ourselves.

We want our members across the country to create their own products and businesses in their respective regions.

We also want companies to use them.

I want chefs and pastry chefs to use them as well.

I want them to spread into various fields such as beverages, beauty, and fragrance.

However, opening up a market is different from making it chaotic.

Anyone can use the name freely.

You can grow them using any method.

Even if the management methods differ, you can sell them as the same quality.

If that happens, trust will collapse before the market can expand.

Protect brands and intellectual property.

Maintain standards for cultivation and quality.

On top of that, we will increase the number of participants and users.

It is neither a closed monopoly nor an anything-goes open market.

In between those, there is a design for nurturing the industry.

The more we open up the edible rose market, the stricter our quality standards will be

If we only produce, process, and sell within our own company, we can manage it with just internal rules.

However, as the number of members nationwide increases, the number of companies we trade with grows, and the uses expand, we need standards that everyone can share.

It is too late to create standards after the market has already grown.

It is also too late to rush to set rules after problems have already occurred.

We must build a system to protect quality together from the stage of expanding the market.

For that purpose, we
conduct soil analysis every year.

We design the necessary materials for each plot of land.

We deliver custom-ordered materials.

We manage specific tasks on a weekly and monthly basis.

We have them follow a consistent cultivation method throughout the season.

We carry out all of this as a single system.

Because we want to expand the market for edible roses, we do not leave cultivation to individual intuition.

Precisely because we want to expand the market for edible roses, we manage quality from the very beginning of cultivation.

The more we open up the market for edible roses, the stricter our quality standards become.

If we only expand, our credibility won't keep up.

If we only protect, the market will remain closed.

We expand while protecting.

We increase the number of participants while protecting.

Because we want to create a market that can be used freely,
we do not make quality something that can be handled freely.

I believe that this leads to protecting the credibility of edible roses, protecting the growers, protecting the users, and building an industry that will last for decades.

How was it?

In my case, given my position,
I often end up polishing the stories I publish in articles 😅

But words that are too polished are usually boring (lol)

Neat conclusions
Correct words
Plausible stories

I sometimes write about the real intentions and discomforts that don't remain with just those things in my emails.

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