#04 Yuichiro Wakamatsu / Tangerine
#04 Yuichiro Wakamatsu / Tangerine
Collaboration and close interaction with artists and creators is a special and important time that allows you to face creativity seriously. Empathize with their positive pride and mentality, and listen to their voices. By delivering it to many people,WIND AND SEAis constantly evolving.
#04 is Yuichiro Wakamatsu, who works as a mandarin orange farmer in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture and runs the brand Tangerine.
Boosting agriculture and tourism together.
in a satisfactory way
To move on to the path of becoming a farmer.
It was a class I took at university that led me to pursue a career in agriculture. I learned that while urban areas come and go with hot food and new buildings, nature is valuable to the tourism industry. My hometown is surrounded by many tangerine farmers, so when harvesting, the mountains where the fields are located turn bright orange, and in spring, the area is completely white with tangerine flowers, making it the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to grow. I thought it would be really fun to bring together agriculture and tourism, which I thought were not connected.
Whenever I returned home, I would help my grandpa and grandma, but I felt that the farmers were aging and there were too few young people to support them with food. There are many things that young people can enjoy in the city. Being in Tokyo is a fun way to connect with people and enjoy the culture, which I also like. However, because ``food'' is the most important thing in life, I want to create an environment where younger people can liven up the atmosphere, rather than a situation where the elderly are supporting it. That's why I decided to start farming.
It's no fun just doing things, so I tried to bring back the experience I had in Tokyo back to Ehime, so I worked at a clothing store, a coffee shop, and worked in a catering business where I could work directly with the people who eat. I did my best to do what I liked and what I was interested in. All of this was done in order to be able to farm in a satisfactory way.
To those who seem like they'll reach you but can't reach you
We want to deliver the goodness of food.
When I told a friend I was sharing a room with in Tokyo that I wanted to do farming locally in the future, he said, ``Wouldn't it be fun to create a brand?'' That's how Tangerine was started. First of all, I made underwear that had nothing to do with agriculture, but I simply wanted to sell something that I wanted and create an opportunity to express my intention to become a mandarin orange farmer.
Four of my friends decided to rent a kitchen van and cater for the used clothing event ``RAW TOKYO'', which was held on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month. I received some mandarin oranges from my parents' home, made them into juice, and sold them.The response was very positive, so I still actively exhibit at events. And when I hear someone say, ``It's delicious,'' it makes me want to ``Let's do our best in farming again!'' When I returned to Ehime, I thought, ``That person said it was delicious, so let's try harder!'' Repeating that process is rewarding for me, and it's the driving force behind my mindset.
When I was working as a clothing store in Tokyo, there was a time when I was at a loss as to how I should sell the new clothes that designers were making one after another. But now, through my activities with Tangerine, I am able to be involved in every step of the process, from growing the oranges to delivering them to customers.
It's been 4 years since I started farming in earnest. I have a mandarin orange tree that has been passed down from generation to generation, so I am able to experience harvesting it, but it takes five years to grow a mandarin orange tree from scratch. I'm still being helped by my grandpa and grandma, but we also need to think about generational change. Fortunately for Tangerine, its mandarin orange juice is available at various restaurants. We want to make as much and as many bottles as we can, and make it a sustainable activity that will allow us to be involved with food for the rest of our lives. To achieve this, my immediate goal is to become a full-fledged mandarin orange farmer myself.
In the future, I would like to do activities that reach people who have no connection to agriculture, people who are not very interested in food, and people who do not know the joy of eating. may be just a mandarin orange juice, but by making the label graphic, even art lovers can pick it up or choose a juice to give as a gift. I want to deliver the goodness of food to people who seem like they can't reach them but can't.
