Category Archives: Cooperatives

Kobe City Government in Hyogo prefecture is now constructing a roadside station for marketing “Kobe brand goods” such as local farm products, Japanese sake (wine) and local wine to international tourists who have been tremendously increasing in recent years. Multi-language information service will be provided to those tourists through its website as well as a concierge office to be set up at the station. The City Government aims to increase visitors to various kinds of tourist farms in the city. The roadside station is expected to play an important role of a new base for enhancing agricultural production in the city through inviting more international and domestic tourists to visit … Continue reading →

Shonai-Tagawa Agricultural Cooperative (JA), headquartered at Tsuruoka-shi, Yamagata prefecture, held “Mount Gassan Wine Festival” in the city on August 4. The Mount Gassan (literally, moon’s mountain), one of sacred mountains in Japan, is famous for its ski slope and pure water. They served the festival visitors with “all-you-can-drink” wines and grape juices. Most favorite wine is “Mount Gassan Wine,” which is made from crimson glory vine and wine grapes grown by local farmers. People of the JA Shonai-Tagawa provided a publicity message on their wine producing area to more than 2000 visitors gathering from both inside and outside of the Yamagata prefecture. The JA plans to establish a bigger producing … Continue reading →

【News】 Producer’s photo displayed on monitor screen at farmer’s market cash counter provides customers with a feeling of security: JA Chichibu, Saitama prefecture (Aug. 29, 2016) When a two-dimensional barcode (Quick Response Code) of a farm product is read at a cash counter of farmer’s market operated by Chichibu Agricultural Cooperative (JA) in Saitama prefecture, a portrait photograph of the producer comes on the monitor screen with his or her message of “I have grown this crop!” as well as a name of the product and its price. A number of farmer’s markets display a set of member farmers’ photographs on the wall, but few of customers reading producer’s name … Continue reading →

Yamagata Prefectural Headquarter of National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZENNOH) and Tsuruoka Agricultural Cooperative (JA) have developed a new item of bread named “Dadacha-mame salty bread” in collaboration with DONQ Co., LTD., one of the major well-established bakeries in Japan, based at Kobe city in Hyogo prefecture. The bread made with an ingredient of “Dadacha-mame,” which is the most famous brand of green soybeans called edamame in Japan, will be put on sale at DONQ’s 166 bakery shops throughout the country during a limited period from August 25 to September 30. “Dadacha-mame salty bread” is the first one baked under DONQ’s project for conveying the appeal of home-grown farm … Continue reading →