Did you know that figs are grown in Kojima?
In Kurashiki City’s Kojima area, fig cultivation is thriving, with shipments peaking in September.
In late August 2020, when we visited, fig harvesting had also begun in Kojima’s fig fields.
And at “Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop” in Shimotsui, “pure Kojima-grown fig gelato” will go on sale.
The “fig gelato” was devised by students in the Business Department at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School.
In this article, students from the Business Department at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School introduce how they developed the gelato and what the development process looked like.
This article was contributed by students in the Business Department at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School. The editorial team at Haretoco General Incorporated Association edited and published it.
The information presented is as of the article’s publication in September 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Why are students at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School developing gelato?
Why are students at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School developing gelato?
The Business Department and Business Research Club at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School launched an initiative called the “Kojimatching” project to match (combine) existing products from the Kojima area and create new value.
Figs were the first thing they focused on.
Why did they focus on figs?
In April 2020, schools temporarily closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
While researching Kojima online and elsewhere for an assignment during the school closure, they learned about Mr. Kishimoto, who grows figs in Kayo, Tsuyu, Kojima, Kurashiki City.
This gave them the idea that figs could be used to create a new gelato for Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop, with which the Business Department and Business Research Club at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School had already been collaborating on product development.
Kango Kishimoto, who grows figs in Kojima
The figs used to make the gelato are grown by Kango Kishimoto in Tsuyu, Kojima, Kurashiki City.
Mr. Kishimoto serves as a Kurashiki City Agricultural Land Use Optimization Promotion Committee member, working on measures such as addressing abandoned farmland. He has been growing figs on about two hectares of farmland for over 30 years, continuing a practice started by his father.
Fig trees are resistant to weeds and can also help address abandoned farmland.
Each branch produces eight or nine figs, and each plant yields around 200.
However, figs are very delicate fruit.
To prevent pest damage, each plant is checked individually for insects such as longhorn beetles.
They are also harvested first thing in the morning, when their sugar content is high, and around September, the peak of the harvest, they must be watered every day to withstand the intense heat.
However, their value as a product falls if they get rained on.
Figs that cannot be shipped are processed into jam or juice.
That is why they considered whether figs that cannot be shipped could be used in the fig gelato.
“Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop,” a farm with ocean views
The figs are made into gelato by “Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop.”
It opened on January 11, 2019, in a superb location overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.
It is an ice cream shop that uses milk produced by raising cows in a way that keeps them stress-free.
The shop always offers the following eight ice cream flavors:
- Milk
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Cookie
- Cheese
- Matcha
- Coffee
- Hojicha
In addition, limited-time flavors “Pione” and “Mango” were also available (as of August 2020).
One of the shop’s attractions is that you can enjoy different ice cream flavors depending on the season. It also sells cup ice cream for 300 yen (tax included), which you can keep in your home freezer.
The fig gelato prototype is ready! “Let’s dig in!”
A prototype of the fig gelato, made with figs harvested from Mr. Kishimoto’s fields, was ready in no time.
And now, “Let’s dig in!”
The only words from the team who went to report on the story were, “Delicious…!!”
They couldn’t come up with anything more eloquent (laughs).
The Nanba family has been dairy farming for three generations, and the person who helped them was the third-generation farmer, Kodai Nanba.
Since figs harvested from Mr. Kishimoto’s fields were already being sold at the shop, the collaboration went smoothly.
They exchanged information to make the product even better and shared the following suggestions:
- It might be nice to have a little more of the fig’s distinctive texture—the tiny seeds.
- The milk flavor is strong, so perhaps they could increase the amount of fig.
Fig gelato is available for a limited time, only while figs are in season!
After developing it with Mr. Nanba and making repeated improvements, the “fig gelato” was unveiled at the shop in early September 2020.
Members of the Business Research Club also made the product POP (sign)!
You can enjoy gelato on the shop’s second floor while looking out over the Seto Inland Sea. The sunset is especially picturesque and makes for a perfect photo opportunity.
Say hello to the cows after enjoying gelato!
Walk downhill from the shop and you’ll find the cowshed, where around 50 cows—including Holsteins, Jerseys, and Japanese Black cattle—live in comfort, gazing out over the Seto Inland Sea.
Cute goats and kittens came out to greet us, too.
As we were saying hello to the cows, Mr. Nanba made an unexpected request!
We were given the important task of naming a calf that had just been born on August 3, 2020.
We were told that once a calf is named, it is registered and a registration certificate is issued.
Be sure to go and meet the calves, too.
After developing fig gelato, we were unexpectedly given the chance to name a calf as well. Gazing at the sunset sinking into the Seto Inland Sea, we brought our first reporting trip to a close.
In closing
Around 66,000 people live in the Kojima area.
If each person bought one single cup (300 yen) a year, that alone would generate sales of around 20 million yen!
“Kojimatching” is possible precisely because Kojima is full of wonderful local ingredients.
“Fig gelato” brings together the passion of the people working in agriculture and dairy farming in Kojima.
We want as many people as possible to try it.
Our challenge has only just begun.
Recruiting participants for the “Kojimatching” project
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to attract tourists from far away.
So, with “micro-tourism” as our theme, we are considering ways to help local people discover what makes their area special.
The Kojima area has a wide variety of local specialties, each shining in its own way.
Could we create new value by matching these products effectively?
We, the students in the Business Department at Kurashiki Washu Senior High School, want to serve as the bridge that brings them together and learn about real-world business.
If you’re interested, please get in touch with Washu High School.
Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop details
| Name | Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop |
|---|---|
| Address | 5-2388-11 Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-479-9596 |
| Parking | None |
| Business hours | April–October: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. November–March: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Wednesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Seating | 25 seats |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop |
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