Under the project called Kojimatching, Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School has been working to match existing products in the Kojima area to create new value.
Since the summer of 2021, the area has expanded, and under the concept of "Kojima" × "Local," students from the Business Department of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School and the Environmental Science Department of Okayama Prefectural Takahashi Jonan High School have developed new products filled with their hearts.
Here, we introduce the "Blueberry Gelato" developed by the two schools' students.
This article is a contribution by students from the Business Department of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School. It has been re-edited and published by the Haretoco General Incorporated Association editorial team.
What is the "Kojimatching" project?
The Business Department of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School and the Business Research Club are working under the project called "Kojimatching" to match existing products in the Kojima area and create new value.
- First Edition: Fig Gelato
- Second Edition: Strawberry Daifuku Gelato
- Third Edition: Brazilian Coffee Gelato
- Fourth Edition: Handmade Bread Using Kojima Figs
- Fifth Edition: Solving Food Loss Issues with Sake Lees
The first edition was a purely Kojima-produced sweet, "Fig Gelato," which was sold for about a month starting in September 2020, and sales were strong.
While we have been matching products within the Kojima area, we began to consider whether we could match Kojima products with those from other regions in anticipation of the post-COVID era.
Collaboration with Takahashi Jonan High School
In the Environmental Science Department of Takahashi Jonan High School, students are considering the future of the community through studies in agriculture, home economics, and welfare.
They aim to acquire the ability to contribute and make proposals to society for the realization of a sustainable society, and in their third-year research project, they were devising ways to utilize blueberries cultivated in Kibi Chuo Town.
Thus, the idea of matching Kojima products with blueberries from Kibi Chuo Town was born.
Immediately, students from Washu High School visited Kibi Chuo Town to go blueberry picking together.
Plans to Enjoy Blueberry Picking…!
The blueberry picking was to take place at Haruna-en in Kibi Chuo Town.
In addition to blueberries, it is a spot where you can also experience processing what you harvest on the spot.
However, just as the two schools were supposed to go for the harvest… a sudden heavy rain occurred.
Although we were looking forward to blueberry picking, we could not harvest, and the students from Takahashi Jonan High School ended up delivering what they had harvested in advance to Kojima.
The blueberries look perfect and delicious!
Although we couldn't go blueberry picking, our hearts are dancing with the blueberries that arrived.
The collaboration with the blueberries from "Haruna-en" will be with the "Seaside Farm Namba Ice Cream Shop," which is familiar from "Kojimatching."
What kind of gelato will be made by processing the blueberries…!
On the day of the sales launch, we promised to eat together with the students from Takahashi Jonan High School and are looking forward to that day.
Students from Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School and Takahashi Jonan High School Meet
On the day the blueberry gelato was launched for sale at "Seaside Farm Namba Ice Cream Shop," we finally met the students from Takahashi Jonan High School!
Until now, we had only communicated through online meetings, so at first, it felt a bit awkward, but gradually we warmed up and the atmosphere became enjoyable.
We were able to ask many things we didn't know about Takahashi Jonan High School and Kibi Chuo Town.
Please try our pride, Blueberry Gelato
And we enjoyed the "Blueberry Gelato," which combined the thoughts of many people.
This gelato, which matched the richness of freshly squeezed milk gelato with the freshness of blueberries from Kibi Chuo Town, is our pride!
The richness of the milk and the texture of the blueberries are addictive.
The "Blueberry Gelato" is available at "Seaside Farm Namba Ice Cream Shop."
It is available for a limited time during the summer until mid-August 2021.
The sales period may vary slightly depending on the harvest situation, so if you are interested, please act quickly.
Enjoy gelato at "Seaside Farm Namba Ice Cream Shop" and savor the charm of Kibi Chuo Town in Kojima.
And keep an eye on the next developments of the "Kojimatching" project!!
Participants Wanted for the "Kojimatching" Project
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still difficult to attract tourists from afar.
We are considering measures to let local people know the goodness of their hometown under the theme of "Micro Tourism."
The Kojima area has a variety of local specialties, and by successfully matching these with specialties from other regions, we believe we can create new value.
We, the students of the Business Department of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School, are taking on the role of bridging this gap and wish to learn about real business.
If you are interested, please contact Washu High School.
