Koiwai Farm, Ltd

Efforts for livestock biomass power generation: A biomass power generation and composting plant has been established on Koiwai Farm. This plant sorts and accepts livestock excretion from Koiwai Farm, leftovers from the cooking stage of lunches at elementary and junior high schools in the surrounding area, and non-animal processing scraps from food factories. The methane gas obtained through the methane fermentation of those substances is then used to generate electricity. In addition, we return the digestive fluid (liquid fertilizer) obtained from the compost and methane fermentation processes to the cultivated land of Koiwai Farm. Doing so makes effective use of the digestive fluid and contributes to the environment. At the same time, it allows us to put into practice sustainable and circular agriculture. Biomass Power Shizukuishi Co., Ltd. manages and operates this business. Biomass Power Shizukuishi Co., Ltd. has been established by joint investment from four companies and one town: Koiwai Farm, Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd, Tohoku Electric Power Engineering & Construction Co., Inc., Tokyo Sangyo Co., Ltd. and Shizukuishi Town.

We have taken on this unique management plan centered on felling less than the annual forest growth rate and small-area clear-cutting (strip regeneration) to protect the afforested trees from weather damage. We now carry out sustainable forest management. Selecting the trees species for afforestation according to the afforestation site, we plant conifers and broadleaf trees. We have also adopted natural regeneration* to achieve low-cost forestry and efficient production of useful broadleaf trees. Moreover, we established Forest Service, Ltd. to secure human resources to handle mountain forest management in 1996. The company trains technicians who can independently carry out all forestry work. Those technicians also manage nearby forests using the skills and experience they have acquired.

*Natural regeneration is a method to restore and regenerate forests. The method involves creating an environment which facilitates the growth of naturally fallen seeds through special ground surface processing without performing afforestation after a forest is felled. This encourages the growth of those seeds.

The functions of forests are wide ranging and closely related to our lives. In addition to the production of timber, they include carbon dioxide fixation, the formation of safe land, water source protection and maintenance of biodiversity. These functions are not demonstrated in forests left unmanaged for economic or other reasons. For this reason, we believe that re-afforestation after felling and continuing appropriate forest management contribute to the environment.

We have greenery trees and waterside plants on 40 hectares of nursery fields. We also sell greening plants which meet the needs of our customers from landscaping and greening works to home gardens. Furthermore, we have also developed some of the nursery fields as the Koiwai Farm Open Nursery for Trees. The Open Nursery for Trees is a botanical garden planned by the Japan Nurserymen’s Association. It is an open nursery where we have opened up the tree production field.

Makiba Park is a tourist area located on approximately 40 hectares overlooking Mt. Iwate in front in the center of the farm. Many visitors come from all over Japan to enjoy the beautiful scenery and idyllic atmosphere of the four seasons here. We hold events and experience programs unique to a farm here. These include tours of the Milk Hall, Important Cultural Property Gallery and other facilities, horse-riding, horse-drawn carriage rides, and craft workshops. In addition, children can freely enjoy the park with peace of mind by lying down or running around the lawn. The restaurant allows you to experience meals unique to a farm including beef produced on Koiwai Farm. In addition, the shop sells milk, dairy products, and cheesecakes and other sweets produced on the farm. You will find Kamimaru Cowshed in the neighboring area. This is the birthplace of dairy farming at Koiwai Farm. You can view the actual production landscape here. Kamimaru Cowshed has nine buildings designated as important cultural properties of Japan. The scenery has remained unchanged since times past here.

We have consistently created a lushly green environment while engaging in the agriculture, forestry and livestock industries since our foundation. We offer guided tours to show you the splendor of this nature and production sites not open to the public. Forests with an area of 2,000 hectares extend out on the farm thanks to planned afforestation. These forests form a natural environment which nurtures the diverse ecosystem. One of the attractions unique to Koiwai Farm is our nature experience programs which take advantage of this environment. These tour programs won the Grand Prize at the 10th Ecotourism Awards jointly held by the Ministry of the Environment and the Japan Ecotourism Society.

We operate an integrated structure from the raw milk we personally produce as a dairy farmer to the manufacture and sale of low temperature-pasteurized milk, drinkable yogurt, natural cheese, ice cream and other products. We create products which take advantage of the flavor of raw milk. We provide the finest milk and dairy products which can only be made at Koiwai Farm.

We prioritize the use of ingredients produced at Koiwai Farm in our products. We are committed to using products produced in Iwate Prefecture and elsewhere in Japan for the other raw ingredients. Based on this commitment, we manufacture Western-style sweets such as cheesecakes and cookies. In addition, we make products taking advantage of the flavor and taste of ingredients such as processed meat products and curries in pouches using beef produced on our farm. Moreover, in addition to online sales, we deliver our products to customers through the Iwate Ginga Plaza products antenna shop and also department stores and high-end retailers.

Milk and dairy products, cookies, cheesecakes, other Western-style sweets, processed meat products, and curries in pouches

We have set up a food product quality control and hygiene management structure to ensure the safety, peace of mind, clear parentage and high quality for our products and services. Under this structure, we are constantly working to improve the level of our quality management system. Moreover, we are promoting an environmental response to give shape to environmental conservation, sustainable and circular business development. We provide full support for those efforts from both technical and system aspects.