In this page, you will find the interview with a business that has acquired JFS Standard, in which they describe their efforts toward acquiring JFS Standard and the effects they have achieved after acquisition.

This article was produced under a project subsidized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2022.

Harimaen Tea Manufacturing Corporation (production, manufacture, processing and wholesale of green tea)

Harimaen Tea Manufacturing Co., Ltd. with headquarters in Ujitawara-cho, Tsuduki-gun, Kyoto Prefecture, manufactures and sells tea leaves and powdered green tea made from organic farming methods at its own farm. Uji-Tawara has long been known for its tea production. The company's roots date back to 1858, making it a long-established business with a history of more than 150 years. However, rather than settling for its long-established status, the company has taken progressive steps, such as adopting organic farming methods ahead of other farms. They were among the first to obtain organic certification not only in Japan but also overseas, and are registered as an organic farming advisor in Kyoto Prefecture. We not only wholesale our organic farming tea leaves and matcha to retailers throughout Japan, but also deliver them directly to consumers through our online store. In addition to organic farming, the company is also actively pursuing initiatives related to food safety, obtaining the JFS-B standard in 2020 and stepping up to the JFS-C standard in February 2024 at its newly built headquarters plant. In this interview, we talked to Representative Yukihiro Harima about the purpose of acquiring the JFS-C standard and his vision for the future.

-Please tell us the purpose of acquiring the JFS-C standard.

Harima: We have been exporting tea leaves and matcha to overseas for a long time. Main export destinations are the United States and Europe. Japan has a declining birthrate and an increasing number of people do not have the habit of drinking tea on a daily basis. We had a sense of crisis that if we stayed in Japan, our business would taper off. Fortunately, our teas were well received by overseas customers, and we were thinking of focusing even more on exports in the future. However, we were concerned about exporting more tea leaves and matcha under the JFS-B standard, which we had already acquired at that time, because the JFS-B standard is not an international certification (letter of conformance) and we needed to undergo an audit in order to export to overseas. The fact that it is often possible to export without undergoing an audit once the JFS-C standard is obtained was very attractive to us. Focusing on exports was a must for our company, and we did not want to have our exports stalled because of certification (letter of conformance). For the future of the company, we decided to obtain the international JFS-C standard.

-Did you make any capital investments in acquiring the JFS-C standard?

Harima: We took the plunge and built a new factory and moved most of the functions of the old factory there. Of course, the newly built factory is well equipped with the necessary facilities to acquire the JFS-C standard. I think it would be much more efficient to proceed with the acquisition of the standard and the new factory at the same time, rather than separately.

-Having acquired both the JFS-B and JFS-C standards, how did you feel when you actually looked at the contents of the two standards?

Harima: The JFS-B standard is easy to understand because it was developed in Japan, and the reason why we acquired the JFS-B standard in 2020 was because of a workshop organized by the Kyoto Prefecture Tea Cooperative Association, to which we belong. The JFS-C standard has more requirements than the JFS-B standard, but since we had already acquired experience with the JFS-B standard in the past, we did not find it particularly difficult. I think the hurdle for acquiring the JFS-C standard is not so high if you first acquire the JFS-B standard and then challenge it, rather than trying to acquire the JFS-C standard from the beginning.

-How did your business partners react to your acquisition of the JFS-C standard?

Harima: Our business partners welcomed it very much. There is nothing more reassuring than having our food safety guaranteed by a trustworthy third-party organization. The certification also eases our suppliers' checks to a certain extent. It is a welcome relief for our suppliers as well, because they have to do a lot less checking. No company wants to do business with a company that requires a lot of time and effort. Companies that have acquired certification (letter of conformance) such as the JFS standard will probably be welcomed as a business partner from now on.

-How did your employees react to the introduction of the JFS-C standard?

Harima: Due to the background that we did not acquire the JFS-C standard at our existing factory, but built a new factory to acquire the standard, the work contents and manuals have changed significantly. If the equipment changes, what we do also changes a lot. Since all of our employees are serious, there was no particular backlash, but it did take some time for all of us to get used to the new plant. Recently, everyone has become accustomed to the new plant, and I feel that the significance and merits of the JFS standards have become firmly established. No matter how high the level of employees onsite, some confusion is bound to occur. You should keep this in mind when acquiring any kind of certification (letter of conformance).

-What are your expectations for the JFS standard?

Harima: After actually obtaining the standard, I feel that it is a really useful certification (letter of conformance), but it is regrettable that not many other companies in the same industry have obtained it. There are many tea manufacturers who have other certifications (letter of conformance) but have not obtained the JFS standard. I think the JFS standard is not well known yet. We believe that more companies will acquire the JFS standard if we promote it more aggressively. We hope that more people will become aware of the JFS standard.

-What is your message to companies that are considering acquiring the JFS standard?

Harima: I feel that it is now essential to obtain a highly reliable certification (letter of conformance) such as the JFS standard in order to be chosen by customers. After all, having a third-party organization guarantee food safety is a great source of reassurance. It is difficult to gain credibility simply by saying, "We are strictly committed to food safety. In addition, I believe that the level of employees will inevitably rise as we move forward with our efforts to obtain JFS standards. I believe that acquiring a highly reliable certification (letter of conformance) such as the JFS standard will raise the level of the entire company. I hope that you will positively consider acquiring the JFS standard.

-Thank you very much for your time today.

Company Profile
Company Name: Harimaen Tea Manufacturing Company Representative: Yukihiro Harima
Address: Head Office and Factory 20-1 Okuyamada Masasho, Uji-Tawara-cho, Tsuduki-gun, Kyoto, 610-0211 , Japan
Founded in Meiji 34
URL https://www.harimaen.co.jp/

The Japanese version of the interview is available in the PDF below.

Disclaimer: The translation process used on this English website is partially offered by a "machine translation" for your convenience. This translated document is provided for information purposes only. In the event of a difference of interpretation or a dispute, the original Japanese version of this document is binding.