Collection: Takenishi Farm

Takenishi Farm Site

https://www.yamatocha.net

<From the farmer>

Our farm, located in Tahara no Sato in the eastern part of Nara City, cultivates tea plants using natural farming methods without the use of any pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers, so that tea can be safely consumed by children as well.

We want to produce healthy, safe, and delicious tea, and deliver it to you with the sweet, refreshing aroma, balanced taste of bitterness and sweetness, and mellow flavor that tea naturally has, rather than the flavor created by chemical fertilizers! We are always working on pesticide-free tea cultivation with a positive attitude.

Safe and secure pesticide-free tea production

Our farm is located in the mountains at an altitude of 400 to 500 meters in the eastern part of Nara City.

The tea plantations are built on the slopes of the mountains, and have the perfect conditions for producing high-quality tea, including the amount of sunlight, the amount of fog, and the temperature difference between morning and evening. Tea trees with a particularly good aroma grow at altitudes of nearly 500 meters.

Until 1995, our farm used conventional farming methods to cultivate tea trees. However, using pesticides to cultivate tea put a lot of strain on the producers' bodies.

Tea fields are very large, and pesticides are sprayed on them, so even if you wear a mask, the pesticides can still get into your body through your skin. Conventional farming methods that use pesticides put a lot of strain on the body.

At that time, we learned about EM natural farming, a farming method that does not use pesticides or herbicides, and decided to adopt it on our farm.

Since switching to organic farming, we have not used any pesticides or herbicides, and have instead focused on creating high-quality soil using EM natural farming (beneficial microorganisms).

Creating healthy soil is important for tea fields

EM natural farming is a farming method that creates healthy soil using EM fertilizer, which is made by combining and fermenting microorganisms found in nature, such as the lactic acid bacteria and yeast that we eat every day, and produces safe and secure crops without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

At our farm, we have repeatedly tried and tested different methods to grow tea trees that will produce safe and delicious tea, and we have finally developed our own original EM fertilizer for soil preparation.

This fertilizer works without damaging the roots even when mixed into the soil. The number of earthworms has increased, the soil has become softer, and the condition of the soil has improved greatly.

However, this also meant that the soil was fertile for weeds, and fighting them daily became a source of worry.

We prevent diseases and pests by using green grass extract (an extract made by boiling grass that insects dislike) and stochu (a fermented mixture of vinegar, molasses, shochu, and EM).

However, the condition of the tea field varies depending on the weather, topography, and the surrounding environment, so some areas are damaged and it is not always possible to produce tea as desired.

However, through continued efforts, we have finally been able to produce delicious tea that is grown organically without pesticides, so that you can enjoy it with peace of mind.

We would be delighted if you would enjoy our safe and delicious pesticide-free, organically grown tea, which is packed with the passion of our farm.