Let us introduce our Nakayoshi-ya’s representative, Mr. Koyo Kitamura to start with.
Mr. Koyo KITAMURA
He is the representative of the citrus fruit farmland of original breed, “Nakayoshi-ya.”
He was born in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1983. After graduation from university, he once worked at a TV program production company, and in 2013 he took over his father’s farm business of “Nakayoshi-ya” to grow citrus fruit of original breed.
In the same year he participated in the 109th Foire de Paris, an international trade fair held in Paris.
What does taking over his father’s “passion” mean to Koyo?
Everything started when I realized that I got interested in my father’s farm business through a casual conversation despite the hard-working days at the forefront of our TV production company in Tokyo.
I learned in Tokyo that natural scenery of Seto Inland Sea, greenly-smelling fresh vegetable served on the table, the touch of soil I felt when I helped my father picking Satsuma oranges and things like these are not at all common but very special.
Then as I started to learn more and more about my father’s farm business that I had never dreamed of, I came to realize that these are wonderful and precious things.
I don’t mean nepotism to talk too big and emotionally about our family farm.
I heard my grandfather persisted in his pursuit of “the original breed,” “no fertilizer used” and “no chemical used” ways despite growing criticism in the community until his last days.
He had his own way of thinking and great reasoning against his persistence until in his 90s.
When I learned about my grandfather’s thoughts, I felt I had a sort of a mission: I’m destined to take over his thoughts and convince and spread the reasons.
This is the very time we desperately need citrus fruit “of original breed, with no fertilizer or chemical used.
That is how I launched our farm of citrus fruit of original breed at “Nakayoshi-ya.”
