Connecting the Region Co., Ltd.
The farmer is headhunting! ? “Italy is a country where farmers’ heirs study at the “Faculty of Business Administration” instead of the “Faculty of Agriculture.” Through olive cultivation, we transform Japanese agricultural workers into business owners!
Japanese farmers remain unaware of this year’s sales until their annual tax return. We will adopt the perspective of agricultural management that is commonplace in Italy, and increase the number of farms that are strategically established.
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Connecting the Regions Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Representative Director: Yoshihiro Kondo) has regenerated a dilapidated olive grove in Tuscany, Italy, and produces olive oil using traditional cultivation and processing methods. (Oli Olive)” is on sale. At the same time, we conduct internship programs aimed at developing agricultural human resources and food education activities for elementary schools and working adults.
Connecting the Regions Co., Ltd. supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st the day to spread dreams. This press release is a dream of “Connecting Regions Co., Ltd.”.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/126171/3/resize/d126171-3-6a2d4fd38a7e0eb40147-0.gif&s3=126171-3-65649df79ed78f6be3a7b2134e8a4e8d-3024×1701.gif] ▲With fellow farmers
Community Connect Co., Ltd. is based on the idea that “regions will improve by connecting people, culture, and places.We want to do activities to do that.” Based on this idea, we are involved in olive-related businesses aimed at eliminating abandoned farmland in Japan and Italy. It is working.
Specifically, we run our own olive farm in Tuscany, Italy, and hold agricultural internships for Japanese people. In Japan, in addition to working with local governments to popularize olive cultivation, we also give lectures to spread the appeal of olive oil.
Differences I noticed in Italy with Japanese farmers
In fact, Italy has a fertility rate of 1.25, which ranks 14th in the world (Japan ranks 15th). Like Japan, Italy is facing the problem of farms falling into disrepair due to a lack of workers (Italy has a fertility rate of 1.25, which ranks 14th among the worst in the world; Japan ranks 15th).
However, in Japan, even the same farmers are mainly involved in the primary industry, which involves selling the crops they grow, while in Italy they actively sell farm tourism plans and manufacture and sell processed products under their own brand. We are working on the sixth dimension. There are many schools that specialize in agricultural management, and farmers themselves are expanding the scope of their activities by viewing agriculture as a business.
Although the situation of labor shortage is common, the range of activities and profits of Japanese and Italian farmers are very different…We would like to increase the number of “agricultural managers” like Italy, instead of “farm workers”, in Japan. With this in mind, we began an internship with the cooperation of Italian volunteers, using our company’s farm as a place for fieldwork. Internships for developing agricultural human resources continue to evolve
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Internships where you can learn about real Italian-style agricultural management go beyond fieldwork at your own farm, and offer a variety of practical learning programs.
Now, with the cooperation of Italian people who support our
activities, we are now able to learn about a wide range of topics including production, manufacturing, sales, product development, and PR in a wide range of fields such as clothing, architecture, and tourism. became.
We not only grow and sell products, but also expand our activities as a business.
In Japan, we are involved in various olive-related activities, such as collaborating with local governments to promote olive cultivation and the cultivation of olive oil, and giving lectures on the
characteristics and uses of olive oil.
This year, we launched a D2C brand that uses 100% olives from our own farms, and began activities to deliver authentic olive oil to Japanese households. We have taken measures to be as environmentally friendly as possible, such as using a made-to-order manufacturing method to avoid food waste, simple packaging, and using bottles made from recycled materials.
Agricultural managers in 1,718 municipalities!
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(Cultivation guidance in Fukui Prefecture)
The internship program lasted until the 4th term and then was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it will resume in 2024, and the 5th term was filled immediately after recruitment, and the 6th term has been decided to meet the high demand. I am realizing this once again. We will continue to serve as a place to increase the number of agricultural managers like Italian olive farmers in Japan, and aim to have one agricultural manager in each of 1,718
municipalities.
In addition, OliOlive, a D2C brand launched in 2023, is not yet known to the public, but we will work to make it widely known as a delicious, nutritious olive oil that supports SDGs.
As the only company working to eliminate abandoned farmland through olive cultivation in Japan and Italy, we are determined to leverage our experience and know-how in Italy to further contribute to the development of a prosperous community.
-Related information-
■Connecting the Regions Co., Ltd.
We contribute to the development of society by connecting places, convey history and pride by connecting cultures, derive joy by connecting people, and create new value as a company by connecting communities. We aim to
・Company homepage https://www.chiiki-tsunagu.com/business/internship/ ・Founding story https://prtimes.jp/story/detail/xzmzKNfd7VB
■OliOlive, olive oil delivered directly from farmers
Made with 100% olives from our own Italian farm. Olive oil that is uniquely blended with the tangy bitterness and spiciness that is unique to the home, but milder for Japanese customers. It is more nutritious than regular olive oil (approximately 3 times more olive polyphenols).
*Purchasing one olive tree per month (12 trees/year) will help maintain one olive tree.
・Online site https://www.oliolive.jp/
“April Dream” is a project by PR TIMES in which companies broadcast their dreams that they hope to eventually come true on April 1st. We are seriously aiming to make this dream come true.
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000126171.html