Morita Tea Garden

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Morita Tea Garden

Introduction

The Morita family are 10th generation tea farmers, and the eldest son (pictured above) has just decided to become the 11th generation.

Morita Tea Garden, is a family owned farm based in the Sayama region, Saitama, Japan, operated by 10th generation tea farmer Toichi Morita, his wife, and his son. (No relation to the other "Morita" families selling on Yunomi.)

WHY DID YOU START FARMING ?

From mid 1940s to 1950s, labor force was abundant but from mid 1960s on, things changed. We could not hire any workers so decided to do work only among our family. Tea cultivation was fairly easy compared to growing other crops for we can concentrate on one specific product, we decided to start a tea farm.

MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

We are responsible from tea cultivation, processing, to manufacturing. And our tea is 100 % Sayama-cha. (Note: Some products are labeled as Sayama-cha but are actually blended with tea leaves produced in different regions) To offer delicious and safe tea to customers, we keep a record of production history and take part in GAP (Good Agricultural Practice), a way to manage the production process of agricultural products.

We will do our best to produce and offer the best tea to the tea lovers around the world!!

History & Info

History

The history of Morita Tea Garden goes back to 1868 (first year of Meiji Period), when we first planted the tea seed that was given to us by Tafuku-ji Temple. In the mid Meiji Period, seven tea driers were used for production. 6th generation Masanobu built the factory in 1930 and the whole production procedure was mechanized.

Tomioka District of Tokorozawa has a land with very light soil, almost like sand. It is said that tea was planted in order to prevent the sand from strong wind that blows in the spring and winter. Using this tea plant, tea cultivation started. Even today, in the neighboring fields, these old tea plants still function as a border to delineate every 10 ares (0.25 acre).

Company Info

NAME: Morita Tea Garden (10th generation head: Toichi Morita)
LOCATION: 1221 Nakatomi, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-0002, JAPAN
SIZE / # of FIELDS: 260 ares (6.4 acres) on one field
ALTITUDE: Approx 30 - 40 meters
ESTABLISHED: Established in 1868.
TEA PLANT CULTIVAR: Yabukita (やぶきた), Sayama-kaori (さやまかおり), Fukumidori (ふくみどり), Gokou (ごこう), Komakage (こまかげ), Okumidori (おくみどり), Kanayamidori (かなやみどり)
FARM LABOR: My family (wife, son, daughter, and I) take care of the farm. Mainly the farm is handled by my wife and myself but during the busy harvest season, our neighbors help us out as a part-time worker.