Growing together with co-workers and the community, with safety and trust at the top of the list

Several reports of food scares have surfaced in the Japan media in recent years. Some of the cases included the falsification of production locations, food ingredients, and expiration dates. As a result, increased measures are now being taken to regain consumer trust in food products, extending to the prohibition of toxic pesticides for growing practices and the proper disclosure of traceability information - for example, the origination of meat and poultry products.

One company which has been profiting from this renewed focus on distributing trusted food products is the Dosanko Nosan Center, Inc. Located in the town of Akaigawa, Hokkaido, the group of 26 local farmers has been steadily increasing company revenues by supplying safe and trusted agricultural produce to retailers, as far away as co-op stores in Tokyo.

Surrounded by mountains on all four sides, the small town of Akaigawa receives a very low amount of rainfall during the farming season. In the past, the focus was on growing potatoes, pumpkins, broccoli, etc. in open-air fields. However, by taking advantage of the irrigation systems developed by the government, the farmers have been constructing greenhouses to cultivate more profitable goods like tomatoes and paprika.

To understand the key ingredient to their success, one must recognize the joint efforts of the farmers. Without a dedicated clerical staff, the farmers employ part-time workers, and then manage every aspect of the business themselves, such as produce grading, shipping, and sales. A portion of the revenues is used for operational expenses of the company, while the remainder is allocated to each farmer based on his or her contribution to the overall volume of produce.

As the business has built itself up to what is now a steady enterprise, the company has been able to engage many new farmers in the area. A new vigor can be felt in the community, and a younger generation of farmers has been attracted back to the small town from urban areas.

At the same time, Mr. Kenji Nikawa, the main representative for Dosanko Nosan Center, Inc., points out that catering to the needs of the business partners has not been a simple and easy task. In addition, there have been many challenges along the way. On certain occasions, he and his co-workers have experienced the complete loss of crops from food disease or rare heavy rainfall.

In hindsight, though, Mr. Nikawa says, “I’ve been able to come this far because I have friends. The more members you have in the company, the more you can achieve, which is the primary advantage to the business.”