[Interview] Visiting Sakura Chiran-en #1
The "Chiran Tea Sweets Fair" was a huge hit at every store. I'm sure many of our customers and staff enjoyed it at the shops, right?
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Well, this time we visited "Sakura Chiran-en," where that Chiran tea is grown.
Following the visit to Okayama Food Service's Chabi Pork farm, Mr. Tabata, Mr. Masaki, and Mr. Yamanaka visited the site.
This time, we interviewed Mr. Tabata, who visited Sakura Chiran-en, about his impressions on-site and his thoughts on the producers.
Part 1 of the Sakura Chiran-en Interview, please take a look.
■ On approaching producers and ingredients
Q. Please tell us about the passion and attitude of the producers you felt when you actually went to the site.
A. I felt the obvious fact that vast land and a natural environment are essential elements for a product like tea.
Also, seeing the wife's sincere attitude in believing that the products they produce are good and her dedication to conveying that made me realize that these are products we can trust.
Furthermore, the husband's attitude in telling us about Chiran tea, its current state, and the processing steps with such passion that he couldn't stop talking was reassuring, andit made me reflect that our own passion is still not enough.
Q. What do you think it means for the company to know "who is making it"?
A. I think the depth of responsibility changes.
■ What I felt when I actually went to the site
Q. What left the biggest impression on you when you actually saw the tea fields?
A. It was vast, beautiful, and refreshing.We were able to eat the "one bud and two leaves" picked right there on the spot, and I was able to feel the difference in taste depending on the tea leaves, which made me realize the depth of tea once again.
■ What we want to deliver as a company
Q. How would you like to share this experience with the employees?
A. Rather than conveying it in words, I feel it is necessary to have them experience the roots tied to our own work, such as production and processing.
Q. When did you feel, "I want to deliver these people's tea"?
A. When I felt the actual deliciousness of Chiran tea, the personality of the Wakamatsu couple, and the elegant and pleasant nature of Kagoshima.
It was an interview that directly conveyed the real atmosphere and passion of the production site.
Next time, interviews with Mr. Masaki and Mr. Yamanaka are scheduled to be released sequentially. Stay tuned!