Pig Yume Farm Co., Ltd. has consecutively won the Champion Award at the Miyagino Pork Carcass Competition, where experts evaluate the meat quality of Miyagi Prefecture’s brand pork, “Miyagino Pork.”Located in a quiet town in northeastern Miyagi Prefecture known for its thriving agriculture, the company operates its pig farm on a vast 16,500 square meter site. Their “Miyagino Pork Minori” is highly regarded for its tender, juicy meat and sweet fat. What is the secret behind its deliciousness?

Miyagino Pork Minori: Miyagi Prefecture’s Premium Original Brand Pork

“Miyagino Pork” is a branded pork developed in Miyagi Prefecture. It is bred by cross-breeding the Shimofuri Red boar, resulting in a finely textured meat, a soft and rich flavor, sweet fat, and a refreshing taste. Among these, pigs fed rice during the finishing stage before shipment are called “Miyagino Pork Minori”.Its fat has no cloying richness, so when enjoyed as shabu-shabu, it produces no scum and leaves a refreshing aftertaste, making it highly popular.

Producing pork suited to Japanese culinary culture by feeding domestically grown rice

According to President Sasaki, the proportion of feed rice varies by farm. At Pig Yume Farm, they mix a fixed percentage of domestic rice into the compound feed from the Zen-Noh Group. This increases oleic acid, enhancing flavor and texture while improving the quality of the fat. The result is melt-in-your-mouth, smooth texture.Overfeeding leads to excessive fat and an overly plump finish, making the feed ratio crucial for flavor. He explained that using domestic rice stems from a desire to produce pork suited to Japan’s unique food culture.

They also pay meticulous attention to the feed mixture. Sasaki states, “Breed is important, of course, but feed is equally crucial.” He recalls a time when they altered the feed ratio and consumers pointed out a decline in flavor. After much trial and error, they settled on the current feed. Based on data like protein content, they have a custom feed made for their farm, primarily composed of corn and soybean meal.

Raising pigs healthily in a stress-free environment

Farm manager Yamato Ishikawa, who has been involved in pig farming for 15 years, says, “Raising pigs is still very challenging,” while highlighting disease prevention as his top priority. If the herd contracts swine fever, culling the entire flock becomes unavoidable. Therefore, strict hygiene management is essential. Particular attention is paid to minimizing stress for the pigs.Since interaction with humans causes stress for pigs, staff avoid entering the pig pens except for farrowing or nursing. Furthermore, they pay close attention to the space allocated per pig. Too little space causes stress, while too much space can lead to uneven growth and increase accident rates. Therefore, accurately judging the space needed according to the pig’s growth stage is crucial.

Raising piglets properly is essential for producing quality meat pigs

Many pig farms use veterinary drugs like antibiotics, synthetic antimicrobials, and dewormers for disease treatment and prevention. However, at “Pig Dream Farm,” they raise pigs without using such drugs as a basic principle, so they maintain strict hygiene management in the pig barns.To raise disease-resistant pigs without relying on drugs, it’s necessary to boost their immunity from the piglet stage. This involves ensuring piglets consume sufficient colostrum from their mothers and limiting drug use for illnesses, relying solely on vaccinations.

Consistent management since founding achieves top-level pig farming in the prefecture

Did you know that pigs also have a grading system, similar to the A5 ranking for beef?The Japan Meat Grading Association assigns five grades—”Superior,” “High,” “Medium,” “Standard,” and “Below Standard”—based on quantified criteria like fat thickness, meat firmness, and grain fineness. While beef grading combines “yield grades (A, B, C)” and “meat quality grades (5 to 1)” into a 15-tier system, pork grading is simpler.

While top-grade meat is extremely rare, Sasaki explains, “We aim for pork that is delicious and accessible to the average person, not just a luxury item for a select few.” At Pig Dream Farm, grades of Superior (including Top) and Medium account for over 90% of their output. Though this grading isn’t directly visible to consumers, it serves as a crucial benchmark for measuring quality within the distribution chain.

Thorough Management to Deliver Delicious and Safe Food

Maintaining this high grading requires careful judgment on shipping timing. While the average rearing period is 180 days, some pigs ship as early as 160 days, based on thorough observation of weight and body condition. While many farms rely on visual weight estimation (“meikan”), Pig Dream Farm measures each pig daily before shipping, factoring in yield.

This management approach results in grading performance and shipment volume that rank among the top in the prefecture. At the annual Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Festival (Miyagi Prefecture Comprehensive Livestock Exhibition: hosted by the Miyagi Prefecture Livestock Association), the farm has won numerous “Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Awards” for nearly 20 years (excluding periods when the event was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic).The Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Festival is a celebration aimed at deepening public understanding of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and food, while also boosting producer motivation. Originating from Japan’s traditional harvest festival, the Niinamesai, the farm is invited to participate each autumn by the Chief Priest of Meiji Shrine.

Generating Profit Through High-Quality Pig Farming

The current annual shipment target is set between 8,500 and 9,000 pigs. Much of the corn, soybeans, and wheat used in feed relies on imports. Although feed prices have surged due to the weak yen, passing on these costs is difficult.

Shipments decrease in summer due to reduced pig appetite, while winter shipments increase due to the breeding cycle. Increasing summer shipments is expected to boost sales. Therefore, Pig Dream Farm implements countermeasures against summer heat, such as cooling pads that use evaporative cooling to lower air temperature and lime application to reduce roof surface temperatures.

While currently distributing to supermarkets in Miyagi Prefecture through the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, they are also considering sales in Tokyo. Following a highly successful event at the Tokyo Meat Market, they reportedly received requests from wholesalers asking, “We want to carry your products too.”

Production Challenges: Animal Welfare and Aging Facilities

We asked about future challenges. Mr. Sasaki stated, “Animal welfare standards are becoming stricter, particularly in Europe, and methods like free-stall housing are increasingly demanded in Japan too. However, ‘stall housing,’ where sows are kept individually in pens, also has benefits, preventing fights between pigs and the crushing of piglets.” He added that they will continue to closely monitor the government’s animal husbandry management guidelines.

Animal welfare refers to the concept of ensuring livestock are physically and mentally healthy while minimizing stress and suffering, also translated as “livestock management considering animal comfort.”

He also notes that “disease prevention and facilities present challenges.” Over 20 years have passed since the company’s founding. While they continue to use not only the pig barns but also manure processing facilities and machinery, performing repairs as needed, defects due to aging are unavoidable. This remains an ongoing management challenge.

Future Focus: Maximizing Production Value Through “Sixth Industrialization”

When asked about future plans, the response was: “We want to rebuild the farm and create an integrated system handling everything from processing to sales.” The goal is not merely to strengthen production but to pursue “sixth industrialization.” By completing the entire process—from production to processing and sales—in-house, they can enhance added value and more easily maintain brand strength. This approach is expected to offer benefits such as reduced vulnerability to market price fluctuations, building a loyal customer base, and contributing to the local economy.

Miyagino Pork Minori—take one bite and its rich flavor fills your mouth. You’ll be amazed by its light yet sweet fat. We urge gourmet fans nationwide to try it at least once.

The post “Miyagino Pork Minori” enriches your dining table. “Pig Dream Farm” in Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, aims for sixth-sector industrialization in the future. first appeared on NIHONMONO.

In 1984, Mr. Zensaku Yoshida, who had been working for a company in Tokyo, started a dairy farm in the Kibi Plateau in Okayama Prefecture to make cheese. He raised healthy cows, and the cheeses he made from their milk, such as Camembert, Ricotta, and Caciocavallo, were highly praised by chefs at famous restaurants and spread throughout Japan.

Starting out as a “cow farmer” making cheese

Yoshida Farm is located in the Kibi Plateau in central Okayama Prefecture, near Okayama Airport and about an hour’s drive from Okayama City. The farm is located on a rugged terrain at an elevation of about 370 meters above sea level, where about 60 Brown Swiss cows graze and a cheese factory is set up on the premises. It is a pioneer in Japan of “Fermier cheese,” which is made exclusively from the milk of its own cows.

Mr. Zensaku Yoshida, who started Yoshida Farm in 1984, was born in Okayama City in 1955. After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at Hokkaido University and working for a company in Tokyo for about five years, he decided to pursue his passion for manufacturing and started making cheese. Knowing that cheesemaking meant raising cows, Mr. Yoshida spent the first six months of his life training in dairy farming, and started making cheese three years after opening a dairy farm at his current location.

Making cheese from the milk of Brown Swiss cows

Mr. Yoshida says, “My parents were complete amateurs when it came to cow husbandry, but after five years of working together 365 days a year without a break, they felt they had stabilized the business. When you think about it, it is amazing that they were able to grasp the know-how of dairy farming and start making cheese in just five years,” says Zensaku Yoshida. Mr. Harano Yoshida, the son of Mr. Zensaku Yoshida, says, “I am very proud of him. He is the current leader of Yoshida Farm.

European farmers raise livestock suited to the climate of each region, and the cheese made from their milk is a specialty of each region. Gouda cheese, for example, is made from the milk of large, stout Holstein cows, which are perfectly suited to the plains of the Netherlands, and has become a representative product of the town of Gouda. Roquefort, one of the world’s three great blue cheeses, is made from the milk of sheep raised in the cool mountains of the village of Roquefort-sur-Surzon in the limestone region of southern France and aged in huge caves in the village. Also, in the mountains of northern Italy, goats that can climb up and down cliffs are raised, and “Caprino” made from their milk is famous.

Mr. Yoshida chose Brown Swiss beef, which is native to Switzerland, for its suitability for the Kibi Plateau. These cows are suited to go up and down mountainous terrain, and their milk has a good yield, which means that casein and other proteins, which are necessary solids for cheese making, remain in the milk after the production process. Currently, about 30 cows are milked daily at Yoshida Farm, and 550 to 600 liters are milked per day by machine. Compared to Holstein cows, the milk production is considerably lower, but the number of cows is kept to a level that allows the family to take care of the cows without strain.

Milk quality affects cheese 90%.

About 90% of cheese production is determined by the quality of milk, and humans can only compensate for about 10%. We may be able to bring it to an average, but if the raw milk is not good, we can never bring it to a satisfactory level,” says Harano.

Health management is carried out by paying the utmost attention to what the cows eat, such as hay, and to the rearing environment. While grazing, the cows eat grass outside, but they are also given plenty of “timothy,” a top-quality hay similar to that given to racehorses. This is crispy, dry hay with a good aroma, high protein and fiber content, and easy to break down in the body, so it does not put stress on the cows’ stomachs. Each cow receives at least 100 liters of water per day. Cows that walk around outside in this environment have their legs and backs strengthened, so they are able to give birth naturally without human assistance. Mr. Harano believes that the most important thing in cheese making is to keep the cows healthy, so he calls himself a “cowherd.

He grew up watching his parents, who never took a day off from taking care of the cows. Even so, he decided to take over Yoshida Farm because, “My parents seemed to be happy every day. They were blessed with good customers and were always busy, and it never seemed to be hard for them at all. It wasn’t until I actually started working with them that I realized how hard it is to be a cow farmer.

Learning cheese making from Mr. Pinna at the Italian Embassy

When his father, Zensaku Yoshida, started making cheese, there was only one small farm in Hokkaido and one in Nagano that combined dairy farming and cheese production, like Yoshida Farm. At a time when cheese was generally a processed cheese made by major dairy companies, Zensaku began making three types of cheese: Camembert, raclette, and fresh.

One day, Yoshida Farm’s Camembert cheese was discovered by Salvatore Pinna, a counselor at the Italian Embassy. He was impressed by the cheese he purchased at a bakery in Tokyo and said, “There is a Japanese man who makes cheese like this. I want him to make more cheese. In the past, Mr. Pinna worked for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where he was involved in foreign aid, including agricultural development cooperation. He is so passionate about cheese that he is looking for someone who can make delicious cheese wherever he goes in the world. He immediately contacted Yoshida Farm.

In 1990, Mr. Pina visited Yoshida Ranch and spent several days with Zensaku, teaching him how to make caciocavallo, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese. Mr. Zensaku worked hard to follow his instructions, and when he sent the finished cheeses to the Embassy, Mr. Pina responded, “You passed. Later, Mr. Tsutomu Ochiai, the first head chef of the Italian restaurant “Granata” in Akasaka, Tokyo, and now the owner chef of “La Bettra da Ochiai,” fell in love with Yoshida Farm’s mozzarella cheese and started selling it to other restaurants, and it spread to other restaurants as well. It was significant that the chefs at the restaurants supported the cheese in the early stages of its production. Later, people who learned about Yoshida Farm’s cheese at restaurants began ordering it directly from us.

Expressing the taste that can only be achieved in this region

Currently, Yoshida Farm produces about 10 types of cheese, including Caciocavallo, Raclette, Parmigiano type “Kodaka,” Comte type “Majiyakuri,” Camembert, Mozzarella, and Italian Ricotta. Cheese is divided into natural cheese and processed cheese. Processed cheese, which is made by heating natural cheese and adding various ingredients, is made by first determining the flavor, as the lactic acid bacteria die and the cheese does not ripen during storage. Yoshida Farm’s cheeses are all natural cheese, and the taste changes over time as the raw milk is solidified, fermented, and aged by the action of microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria. I think the change in taste is fun for the people who eat it,” says Harano.

If you have livestock, a pot, fire, and salt, you can make cheese. The lactic acid bacteria are a major factor in determining the taste of cheese. Yoshida Farm has been using lactobacilli for a long time, creating and passing them down from generation to generation. Since lactobacilli exist in nature, if milk is left outside at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius, the bacteria will come and multiply and make yogurt-like products. In order for the lactobacilli to work well, the speed at which the whey is released, the temperature, and the amount of water are adjusted during the cheese making process. This also leads to a crunchy texture.

Milk quality changes daily, and the fermentation and ripening of cheese depends on the temperature, humidity, and environment in which it is stored. It is interesting to make new discoveries in areas over which I have no control and over which I cannot control even if I wanted to,” says Harano.

Yoshida Farm’s cheese aging room is a semi-subterranean structure carved out of a slope. Two types of cheese are aged here: a Parmigiano type and a hard type called “Majakuri. The young cheeses are white, and a hard rind forms on the surface as the cheeses are repeatedly turned over daily by wringing out a towel dipped in salt water to wipe off the mold that naturally grows on the surface. This process is repeated daily, and a hard rind is formed on the surface. In the process of increasing the amino acid tyrosine, umami ingredients such as glutamic acid also increase. The product is left in the aging room for two to three years before shipping.

Building on Challenges While Having Fun

In the year that marked the 40th anniversary of Yoshida Farm’s establishment, a building was completed that serves as a storage room to preserve cheese while controlling its maturation, as well as a sales office and multipurpose space. The building was designed by Yoshifumi Nakamura, an architect who respects the beauty of natural materials and aging, and the impressive exterior walls are made from the feces of Yoshida Farm’s Brown Swiss cows. The building is constructed like a straw bale house, with blocks of straw piled on top of each other and hardened with soil and other materials. The name “FUN” is a play on the words “fun” and “feces,” which are synonymous with the enjoyment of a multi-purpose space.

The farm also faces the inevitable problem of cows that cannot be milked, which is an unavoidable part of running a dairy farm. Most of the male calves are entrusted to “Kajioka Farm” in Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. This ranch handles everything from the production of cattle feed to breeding, fattening, and management of restaurants that serve the cattle they raise as meals. The cows that can no longer give birth to calves are sold to Sakaeya, a butcher store in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture. Sakaeya is connected with producers at 10 ranches across Japan, and is able to process the cattle in the most appropriate way based on its knowledge of how the cattle were raised and with what kind of feed. These are two companies that Mr. Yoshida places great trust in. The cow hides are delivered from “Sakaeya” to “cornelian taurus by daisuke iwanaga,” a brand of made-to-order leather bags based in Kobe. I can raise them without any worries because I can entrust the end of their lives to someone I can trust,” says Yoshida Harano.

We can trust the end of our lives to people we can trust, so we can raise them with no worries,” says Yoshida. We don’t plan to make and sell many more. What I am focusing on is whether or not my family can continue to enjoy it. Dairy farming and cheese making are the same thing that we do every day, so whether or not we can continue to do it properly will make the difference between a better future and a worse one. I think that the challenges we find as we continue, even if they are small, will add up, and then we will finally be able to see the path we need to go down.

After passing on the cheese-making business to his son, the father, Zensaku Yoshida, is now growing wheat in the fields and taking up the challenge of baking bread as a hobby. Yoshida Farm’s style is for the family to enjoy each day’s accumulation, and to pursue their ideals through repeated discoveries.

The post Yoshida Farm,” a pioneer of Fermier cheese in Japan / Kaga-gun, Okayama Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Okinawa’s proud brand of pork, “Agu,” is characterized by its tender, high-quality fat and sweet flavor. Matayoshi Farm actively raises 100% purebred Agu pigs. The secret to its special flavor lies in the stress-free environment in which the pigs are raised, the high quality feed, and the commitment of the young successors to Agu.

Agu, the brand pig that bears Okinawa’s food culture

Agu, the pride of Okinawa, is a brand of island pig. It is characterized by its tender meat, rich fat, sweetness, and rich, elegant flavor. It is offered at high-end shabu-shabu restaurants and is gaining recognition both inside and outside Okinawa Prefecture as the meat of choice.

Agu pigs are a difficult breed to produce because they are smaller than most pigs, produce less meat per pig, and produce only a small number of offspring. This makes it a rare and highly prized brand of pig.

The origin of Agu pork is said to date back to the 14th century, approximately 600 years ago, when it was introduced to the Kingdom of Ryukyu from Ming Dynasty (present-day China).

After World War II, the number of Agu pigs decreased drastically to about 30, but a research institute at the Hokubu Agriculture and Forestry High School in Nago City took the lead and succeeded in restoring the original breed in 1993 through backbreeding. In 2013, Nago City declared itself the “Home of Agu” as the place where the Ryukyuan native pig, Agu, was revived.

By the way, did you know that there are two types of Agu pigs?

The katakana notation “Agu” refers to pigs born from the crossbreeding of pure-blooded Agu pigs.

In contrast, “Agu” in hiragana refers to farm-raised pork that meets JA Okinawa’s standards, and is a crossbreed between a male Agu pig and a female Western pig, in essence, a “half-Aguu pig.

The smaller Agu gives birth to less than half as many pigs per litter as the Western breeds. By crossbreeding with larger, faster-growing Western breeds such as Landrace and Yorkshire, they are able to produce “Agu pigs” with high meat production while taking advantage of the superior meat quality of “Agu”.

There are 13 farms in Okinawa Prefecture that are designated as “Agu” brand pork producers, and each farmer uses a different crossbreeding pattern, resulting in pigs of different sizes and meat quality.

Matayoshi Farm, a livestock producer and farmer in Nago City in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island, has focused on crossbreeding close to the original breed in its uncompromising pursuit of “100% purebred x purebred” Agu pigs.

Matayoshi Agu” raised in a stress-free environment and on carefully selected feed

Matayoshi Farm is located at the foot of Mount Awadake in Nago City, where as many as 400 Agu pigs are raised. The land, which is a quarry area, was originally owned by the Matayoshi family and used to be a tangerine farm. Although Okinawa is hot and humid throughout the year, it is surrounded by forest and cool in the shade, making it a comfortable environment for the pigs.

One of the characteristics of the “Matayoshi Agu” brand pigs is that they are raised in an environment where they can run around freely from one month after birth. The pigs are raised in a spacious and stress-free environment, which leads to better meat quality and tenderness.

They also do not use any hormones or antibiotics, and are additive-free.

Founded in 2004, Matayoshi Farm was incorporated in 2013, and in 2021, the main members, led by sales leader Asataro Matayoshi, were replaced by young members in their 20s.

Under the management philosophy of “continuing to bring peace of mind to the community through food,” the company is focusing on increasing the rarity and brand value of its “pure-blooded Agu pork.

The Agu pig is half the size of a normal pig and produces half as many pigs as a normal pig, making it a difficult breed from a business model standpoint, but its superiority in taste is outstanding. We would like to continue to take on this challenge by carefully preserving the original breed,” says Matayoshi.

While Western breeds are fattened up in about six months, it takes about 10 months to fatten up an Agu pig. Because of the cost of feed, the unit price is maintained by branding the pigs.

The problem is that the production volume is limited. We can increase the quantity by fattening the pigs up quickly, but the biggest fear is that the meat quality will deteriorate. Every time we ship, we look at the actual product and check the amount of fat on it,” he says. The desire to preserve the original Agu breed by sticking to pure blood can be clearly felt.

He is also particular about feed, feeding two types of feed, adjusting the balance and quantity according to the stage of growth.

The white feed is the staple food for the pigs and is a formula feed in accordance with JA’s regulations for Agu pigs.

The brown one is Matayoshi Farm’s original fermented feed containing beer lees, rice bran, and pineapple lees. The nutrients in the lees contain lactic acid bacteria and are expected to improve the intestinal environment.

The farm changes the content and quality of the feed according to the growth stage of the piglets, for example, feeding more grain and protein at first and increasing the amount of fermented feed when fattening up piglets to increase their flavor.

While the cost of feed has skyrocketed in recent years and they are struggling, they are negotiating to be able to wholesale their brand as “Matayoshi Agu” at a higher unit price, more than double the price of regular pigs.

He has been negotiating with his customers, including a shabu-shabu restaurant in Naha City, to sell their products at more than twice the unit price of ordinary pigs, under the brand name of “Matayoshi Agu.

The young members of the group are impressive for their straightforwardness: “We frankly tell them about the rising cost of feed and the low productivity of Agu pork, but we also let them taste it and decide if they want to do business with us or not.

Sweet and melt-in-your-mouth Agu pork served in shabu-shabu

Matayoshi Agu” is beautifully fatty.

Agu pork is characterized by its tender meat, rich fatty flavor, and low fat melting point, which makes it melt in the mouth. It is rich in oleic acid, which gives it an aromatic and flavorful taste.

Agu is also high in linoleic acid, which has an almost animal-like sourness and odor, but it also has a wild flavor and is commonly associated with umami.

In addition, Agu has the advantage of having a low melting point of fat, so its “fat is not too sticky. The proof of this is that even when it is cooked, it does not easily become soggy.

The most popular parts of Agu pork are the belly and shoulder loin, and shabu-shabu is said to be the best for enjoying the flavor of the ingredients.

The sweet and easy-to-eat loin is recommended to be served with ponzu (Japanese sauce made of citrus juice and soy sauce) or sesame sauce.

The belly, which has a strong flavor of fat, is tender and does not become hard even when cooked. It goes well with a squeeze of freshly caught shikwasa (citrus fruit) ◎.

Agu’s unique marbling contains many tasty ingredients, and both the lean and fat parts have a rich flavor. The most important point that differentiates Agu is that its flavor is so strong that western varieties seem bland.

Aiming for Livestock Production and Agriculture Rooted in the Local Community

We asked the young trio of sales leader Mr. Matayoshi (center), Mr. Sotoma (left), who is in charge of the processing department, and Mr. Miyagi (right), who is in charge of public relations, about their ambitions for the future.

They said, “With the aging and decline of the farming industry becoming an issue, we want to go against the grain and raise the occupational status of agriculture. We want to raise awareness by actively promoting the production of rare and valuable agu, make the company a place where young people want to try farming, and protect the culture, lifestyle, and scenery of the region.

We would like to strengthen our business model to protect and increase the number of agu seeds we have, based on our “commitment to pure blood.

We want to strengthen our business model, which is based on our commitment to pure blood, while protecting and increasing the number of agu seeds we currently have.

The young successors of the farm, each with his or her own passion, are putting their heart and soul into raising Agu pigs.

They will continue to earnestly pursue the essence of the product without losing sight of its true nature, and will continue to convey the attractiveness of Agu from Okinawa to Japan and the world.

The post Matayoshi Noen,” which delivers high quality agu pigs that are made from pure blood / Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Kitagawa Chicken Farm’s “Plincesse Eggs,” a regular winner of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, the highest award at the Chiba Prefecture Chicken Egg Quality Improvement and Promotion Fair, are also used at the famous sukiyaki restaurant Imahan in Asakusa, and are known as eggs that have the approval of food professionals. What is the secret of the chicken raising business of Mr. Takaki Kitagawa, the third generation of the family, who has persisted in his belief of “being a craftsman for craftsmen”?

Be a craftsman for craftsmen

Less than an hour away from central Tokyo via the Tokyo Bay Aqualine. On a hilltop in Sodegaura City, adjacent to Kisarazu City, is Kitagawa Chicken Farm, which produces eggs that are in constant demand from three-star restaurants in Tokyo and confectionary stores in various regions.

Kitagawa Chicken Farm was started by Takamoto Kitagawa’s grandfather in Yokohama in 1955 with 500 chickens, and moved to its current location in 1967, where it currently raises about 35,000 chickens. This is not a large number for a poultry farmer, but the strength of Kitagawa Chicken Farm is its ability to take advantage of its small scale to improve egg quality and actively expand sales channels to professional restaurants.

Plincesse Eggs,” which emphasize the strength of the egg white

Kitagawa Chicken Farm’s main breed of chicken is called Sonia. Some retailers have asked us to switch to a white egg breed because these reddish eggshells don’t stand out on the sales floor,” says Kitagawa, “but we have no intention of changing at all. This is because the strong elasticity of the egg white of Sonia’s eggs is very attractive.

In addition, Kitagawa Chicken Farm brands eggs laid by young hens, which have more elastic and firm egg whites, as “Plinth Eggs. Young hens lay more plump eggs, but as they get older, their eggs become runny. That is why we select eggs from young hens. The plump eggs do not fall apart when cracked and dropped onto a plate, but rather maintain their firm shape and glide across the plate.

When we think of eggs, we tend to focus on the color of the yolk, but why are we so particular about the strength of the egg white? This is the result of responding to the demands of professional restaurants and confectionery stores that are our customers. For example, when baking cakes, strong egg whites hold more air when meringue is made, making a clear difference in the puffiness of the sponge. A sushi restaurant wanted to produce a crispy sponge cake egg, so they decided to introduce the Plinth Egg.

Of course, Kitagawa Chicken Farm is striving to improve the flavor of egg yolks with its own feed formulated by a feed designer, but Mr. Kitagawa also makes no compromises in the quality of egg whites, which are demanded by food professionals. Behind this attitude is an experience he had when his business was in crisis.

Realization from a business crisis

Around 2000, when Mr. Kitagawa took over the family business, Kitagawa Chicken Farm lost a large client due to price competition. With the business in a slump, Mr. Kitagawa desperately tried to make inroads into the market. He repeatedly visited stores that seemed to treat eggs as foodstuffs, only to be turned away at the door, but he recalls his feelings at the time, “I didn’t want to just sell at a discount. The price of eggs is all set by the market price,” he said. But for us, we want to sell our eggs at a fair price that reflects the hard work we put in every day on the farm.

As he continued his business without giving up, a confectionery store finally decided to use Mr. Kitagawa’s eggs. The pastry chef at the store complimented me on the strong egg white and the fluffy, delicious sponge it produces. At that time, I realized the importance of egg whites. Since then, Mr. Kitagawa has deeply engraved “Be a craftsman for craftsmen” as his farming philosophy.

Healthier Chickens in the Aozora Chicken Coop

Kitagawa Chicken Farm’s chickens are raised on corn, soybeans, and rice-based feed and fed mineral-rich groundwater. There is one method of raising chickens that has been followed since the first generation in order to make them stronger and healthier. This is the “Aozora Chicken Coop.

Mr. Kitagawa explains that in a typical poultry farm, chickens are raised in an environment without light and air, as they are less subject to external stress and require relatively less feed. On the other hand, “This Aozora chicken coop is located outdoors, so it is a stressful environment for the chickens. We believe that this, on the contrary, will help raise strong and healthy chickens,” he says.

Separating chicken houses according to the number of growing days

The most distinctive feature of the breeding method is that the chicken coops are separated according to the number of days the chickens are kept alive. Generally, a farm of Kitagawa Chicken Farm’s size can be kept in a single coop, but Mr. Kitagawa dared to set up 12 coops.

It is relatively well known to consumers that egg quality is affected by freshness, but in fact, the degree of growth of the hens also has a significant impact on egg quality. The question is how to keep young hens’ eggs taut and elastic, rather than old hens’ watery eggs, so that they are always ready for shipment. The answer to this question was the multi-house method of raising chickens.

The answer to this question was the multi-house method of raising chickens. However, for example, a cake shop may prefer eggs laid by the youngest hens, and we are able to quickly and consistently deliver eggs that meet the needs of such a client. This is the reason why we have gained such a high level of trust from our customers.

We want to make this an industry where the next generation can dream.

Mr. Kitagawa is enthusiastic about his future plans to produce puddings and other products. I think it will be even more difficult to run a business just by shipping to the market,” he says. I want to make it an industry where we have the right to determine prices, and where the next generation will want to do the same. Kitagawa Chicken Farm, which has successfully recovered from the crisis of a quarter of a century ago, continues to take on challenges for the future.

The post Be a craftsman for craftsmen: Takamoto Kitagawa, the third generation of “Kitagawa Chicken Farm,” produces eggs / Sodegaura City, Chiba Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Fukudome Small Farm handles the entire process from raising rare breeds of pigs, which are said to be the only ones available in Japan, to meat processing by craftsmen trained in Germany
, to sales
, and finally to the dinner table.

The family-run ranch pursues “happiness” that can only be created by a small family-run ranch.

Saddleback” and “Happiness Pork”, fantastic pigs

Kanoya City, located in the center of the Oosumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, is surrounded by the Takakuma Mountains in the north and Kinko Bay in the west. In this area, where agriculture and livestock farming thrive , taking advantage of the mild climate (an average annual temperature of 17°C) and abundant nature,Fukudome Small Farm, run by a family, is located.

Many people may associate Kagoshima with Kurobuta (black pig), but in fact, there is more to it than that. Fukudome Little Farm raises a rare breed of pig called “Saddleback. The Saddleback is a breed that originated in England and is characterized by its high fat content. In Europe, it is known as the ” phantom pig, ” and this is the only place in Japan that raises it. While ordinary pigs are shipped after about six months, Fukudome Small Farm’s Saddlebacks are raised slowly over a longer period of time (eight months). This is said to bring out the original charm of this breed. They are also raised in a clean environment with special feed and fresh groundwater. This slow and careful process produces a tender fatty meat that melts at the temperature of human skin and a delicious flavor. They also raise a breed called “Kofuku Pork,” which is a cross between a saddleback and a white pig. The Kofuku Pork has the same high quality fat and tender lean meat as the Saddleback, and it is a breed that is only raised here.

Fukudome Small Farm’s Commitment

Unlike other ranches, Fukudome Small Farm handles everything from breeding to processing and sales in a single location. This is because the company’s fundamental philosophy is to “deliver pigs raised with care by ourselves to our customers” and to “take the time and effort to raise pigs in a straightforward, careful, and painstaking manner. That is why they keep the number of pigs within their reach and raise each pig with love and care.

Meisters” highlight the deliciousness of the meat.

Fukudome Farm is a full-service farm that handles everything from sales to processing, which is also an important factor in determining the deliciousness of its products. Yoichi Fukudome, who has acquired the national ” Meister” certification, went to Germany at the age of 21 and spent 10 years learning processing techniques from various parts of Europe. Meister” is a German national certification given to those who have mastered the art. Yoichi, who is in charge of processing hams and sausages, is particular about using his own blend of spices and special mixed spices according to what he is making. The process of grinding and mixing the spices one by one with a mill grinder and knowing exactly what is in the mixture helps to bring out the best flavor of the ingredients.

You can really taste the fat, but it melts quickly and is refreshing. Nakata was also impressed by the liver pate, saying, “This liver pate is also delicious. There are things that can be done only on a small ranch. The Fukudome family has no plans to expand the size of their farm. Yoichi says, “When you do everything from raising pigs to selling them, you realize how much you appreciate pigs’ lives. The pigs grazing on the pasture looked somewhat happy.

We process and manufacture our products with a priority on making the most of 100% of the ingredients, valuing traditional German techniques and the attitude of “taking responsibility for life and using up the whole pig without discarding the fat, skin, or bones. We are proud of our meat, which is carefully and simply delicious.

The post The only farm in Japan that raises pigs of a rare breed Fukudome Small Farm/Kanoya City, Kagoshima Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.