Tanushimaru grape farmers trying to adapt themselves to new consumer tastes

Sept. 28, 2014

Tanushimaru grape farmers trying to adapt themselves to new consumer tastes

Grape production is a time- and energy-consuming job. About 150 grape farmers in Tanushimaru, southwestern Japan, are busy growing the very juicy, big grain Kyoho grape from early spring to around August, not just fertilizing grape trees but also bending their branches in the favorable direction, thinning out young fruits and covering bunches of grapes with white bags to protect them from rainfalls and bugs.

Tanushimaru Town, which became part of Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, in 2005, is the birthplace of Kyoho grape production, which was realized after years of hard work by a group of young farmers in the town from the 1950s to the 60s.

Japan’s grape production amounts to about 185,000 tons a year. The Kyoho is currently the most popular grape species in Japan in terms of acreage. Grape farmers are trying to be more aware of changes in consumers’ tastes, further refining their growing techniques. Particularly, reflecting consumers’ preference to easy-to-eat, seedless products, they have come to use various agents and hormone drugs. This has made some grape growers rather concerned about their future business.

The Kyoho grape is an indigenous species developed by a Japanese cultural scientist in the 1930s. The Kyoho species, so named by the developer, had not been commercially produced until Tanushimaru farmers succeeded in growing the grape with big fruits in 1960.
The success came only after three years of studies by the group, who had launched an unprecedented farmers’ research laboratory for farmers, with the support of Michishige Ochi, an agronomist who inherited the work of the Japanese developer.

The Kyoho grape boasts of its big grain size. So, Kyoho farmers have been less enthusiastic about turning out seedless products. Seedless Kyoho products are available now.
Such grapes are produced by soaking young bunches of grapes into a cup containing a vegetable hormone which halts the growth of seeds. Then, a different growth hormone has to be used to enable them to have big grains without seeds. Sometimes, a coloring agent is also used. "People say they (the agents and others) are harmless, but their continuous use is unfavorable to grapes," said a vineyard owner, whose father was one of the young grape farmers who joined the inauguration of the research group. His vineyard uses no chemicals, growing grapes as naturally as possible, he said. 

Tanushimaru attracts tens of thousands of grape lovers every summer. About 60 vineyards in the town are open to tourists from July to September to let them enjoy grape gathering under the trellises. Kyoho grapes usually have a dark purple color, but light green and pink ones are also available.

People can pick up as many grapes as they want at these vineyards. No admission fees are required, and they can buy their catches for 1,000 yen to 1,300 yen per kilogram. As grape production is coming to an end this year, grape farmers in Tanushimaru are already thinking about what kind of products should be satisfactory to consumers in the coming year.