The Greenest Green

Originally a fruit and vegetable farmer - a bout of ill health led Irie-san to discover the health giving qualities of green tea and set him on a path to produce the healthiest green tea he could from his 2 hectare plot in Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu Island, Japan. He is now on a mission to transform the whole of his home town of Kuroki-cho into an organic-only town - a challenging goal given the declining domestic market for green tea. Right now, Irie san and his team are teaching a small group of young motivated producers how to farm organically.

To create sustainable change he needs to prove demand something he can do with your support ‘This type of farming will not spread in Japan unless producers in the countryside want to grow without pesticides. It goes without saying that if there are good sales more farmers will cooperate’