A great day for the entire family is waiting for you at The Dairy Kingdom of Oratche! Come face to face with farm animals, learn how to milk one of the cows that bring us the famous Tanna milk, and even make your very own homemade butter! Start lunch with an award-winning Oratche craft beer at its restaurant specializing in fresh, wholesome local produce and freshly-made dairy products, and don’t forget to pick up those souvenirs for friends, family, and neighbors on your way home. It’s the one and only Oratche, a dairy farming theme park beautifully settled in the Tanna “Wind Valley” Basin at the entrance to the spectacular Izu peninsula.
L3 sat down with Satoru Nishimura, Managing Director of ORATCHE, to talk with him about his life and work.
--Could you tell us a little about what you do?
On any given day, I am doing anything from external sales of Oratche products, building our customer base, facility management, taking care of the animals and working the fields. Basically anything connected with the overall management of the grounds. I am also heavily involved in the networking side of the business, making new business connections and cultivating new business channels.
L3 sat down with Satoru Nishimura, Managing Director of ORATCHE, to talk with him about his life and work.
--Could you tell us a little about what you do?
On any given day, I am doing anything from external sales of Oratche products, building our customer base, facility management, taking care of the animals and working the fields. Basically anything connected with the overall management of the grounds. I am also heavily involved in the networking side of the business, making new business connections and cultivating new business channels.
--Your Facebook selfies have become a thing of legend. How did that come about?
I started taking selfies while at work and posting them online, and was really happy to see that I was promoting Oratche to new people at the same time. Now, I think people are finally recognizing me as ‘that’ Nishimura from Oratche, so now I’m telling everyone on staff to get out there and get online to help build our brand. It is great that people now know about me as that ‘funny’ guy from Oratche!
I started taking selfies while at work and posting them online, and was really happy to see that I was promoting Oratche to new people at the same time. Now, I think people are finally recognizing me as ‘that’ Nishimura from Oratche, so now I’m telling everyone on staff to get out there and get online to help build our brand. It is great that people now know about me as that ‘funny’ guy from Oratche!
Nishimura-san in a green tea field, in Osaka on business, harvesting honey, etc. (via Nishimura-san’s Facebook page)
--Even though this is our first time to meet, I feel like I already know you from following you on Facebook (LOL)
I’ve been getting that a lot recently! Facebook is a great way to share information and stay in touch with friends and customers. As a business tool, I can use it to reach people all over the world.
--You also post a lot about your private life. Don’t you have any reservations about doing that?
I want people to know everything about me. The more they know, the better and faster we can get to talking when we actually first meet in person. I have nothing to hide. We are all naked underneath our clothes. This is me. Of course, there are pros and cons, so I’m extra careful that I don’t cause any problems for my family.
I’ve been getting that a lot recently! Facebook is a great way to share information and stay in touch with friends and customers. As a business tool, I can use it to reach people all over the world.
--You also post a lot about your private life. Don’t you have any reservations about doing that?
I want people to know everything about me. The more they know, the better and faster we can get to talking when we actually first meet in person. I have nothing to hide. We are all naked underneath our clothes. This is me. Of course, there are pros and cons, so I’m extra careful that I don’t cause any problems for my family.
--It looks like you are working to expand sales overseas as well.
We are currently focusing on increasing dairy exports to other areas in Asia.
--Oratche’s drinkable yogurt is available in Hong Kong for about 1,300JPY. How are sales?
Sales are booming. We ship ten 120-bottle cases of drinkable yogurt once a week to Hong Kong by plane. The same product in the same packaging here in Japan sells for about 250JPY-300JPY, but air freight and other shipping costs take the price up to about 1,300JPY. Even so, our yogurt sells out week after week.
There is a demand for high-quality dairy products in Hong Kong as the know-how for raising cattle is not really there and there aren’t that many milk processors. Another reason for the high demand is that most of the milk sold there is long-life milk that can be stored at room temperature. People are hungry for fresh, cold, delicious milk. Right now, we are only shipping our drinkable yogurt, but we hope to expand our range of products in the Hong Kong market in the future.
We are currently focusing on increasing dairy exports to other areas in Asia.
--Oratche’s drinkable yogurt is available in Hong Kong for about 1,300JPY. How are sales?
Sales are booming. We ship ten 120-bottle cases of drinkable yogurt once a week to Hong Kong by plane. The same product in the same packaging here in Japan sells for about 250JPY-300JPY, but air freight and other shipping costs take the price up to about 1,300JPY. Even so, our yogurt sells out week after week.
There is a demand for high-quality dairy products in Hong Kong as the know-how for raising cattle is not really there and there aren’t that many milk processors. Another reason for the high demand is that most of the milk sold there is long-life milk that can be stored at room temperature. People are hungry for fresh, cold, delicious milk. Right now, we are only shipping our drinkable yogurt, but we hope to expand our range of products in the Hong Kong market in the future.
--Does Oratche have it’s own corporate philosophy?
We are a theme park without walls. Rather than staying cooped up here, we need to get out more, and we want more and more folks to come and visit – this is where it all begins. Oratche used to be enclosed by fences, but we took them down and got rid of all that. Who needs fences? We want to turn the entire Tanna Basin into one wide-open theme park.
It has been ten years since Oratche had its start, and we are finally able to work closely with everyone here in the local community. Oratche now buys locally grown fresh produce from area farmers, we plan special events together and so on. These events don’t always turn a profit, and that is just fine, as long as it turns into higher incomes and profit down the line.
Oratche is here all because of their work, and we truly want to give back much more in return. We are not here to just take. We strive to earn the respect of our neighbors and we want to be loved and accepted by everyone here. In the end, we are nothing without our community.
--What can we expect to see from Oratche in the future?
We want to make Oratche an even better place for families – with something for every member of the family to enjoy whether it is spending time playing with our animals here or digging potatoes in the fields. We already have plenty of things for kids to do and enjoy, but our focus moving forward is to further enhance our products, activities and atmosphere for adults so that they can have as much or more fun as the kids.
It has been ten years since Oratche had its start, and we are finally able to work closely with everyone here in the local community. Oratche now buys locally grown fresh produce from area farmers, we plan special events together and so on. These events don’t always turn a profit, and that is just fine, as long as it turns into higher incomes and profit down the line.
Oratche is here all because of their work, and we truly want to give back much more in return. We are not here to just take. We strive to earn the respect of our neighbors and we want to be loved and accepted by everyone here. In the end, we are nothing without our community.
--What can we expect to see from Oratche in the future?
We want to make Oratche an even better place for families – with something for every member of the family to enjoy whether it is spending time playing with our animals here or digging potatoes in the fields. We already have plenty of things for kids to do and enjoy, but our focus moving forward is to further enhance our products, activities and atmosphere for adults so that they can have as much or more fun as the kids.
Nishimura san recommends “Wind Valley” beer and “Tanna 3.6 Whole Milk Sable” cookies
--What is your dream for the future?
I want to make the Izu Peninsula the launch pad and distribution hub for all kinds of local agricultural products. For example, we make and sell our “Wind Valley” beer here at Oratche, but we also stock and sell many other locally made craft beer as well. Of course in doing so, “Wind Valley” sales may fall to certain a degree, but overall, sales of beer brewed here in Izu will rise. We are trying to increase total overall sales of all kinds of quality, locally grown and produced products, not just our own.
I want to build the necessary routes for quality Izu products to flow to markets outside Japan. Here in Shizuoka with our coasts and mountains, we have a plethora of amazing, quality products from both the sea and the land. Thankfully, there are also so many local people here looking to expand sales of their products overseas as well. We are working to make Oratche a one-stop wholesale gateway to overseas markets for local products, and this is much closer to reality now with international flights into and out of the Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport.
“Wind Valley” Organic Pilsner
Bronze Medal winner, Lager Category, ASIA BEER CUP 2015
One more dream of mine is for Oratche to employ more people with disabilities – to pay those determined to become independent and live on their own while receiving a fair wage for their work. One challenge for this area is the lack of bus or other public transportation. Elderly people now have to take taxis to hospitals and high school students either commute to school by bicycle or have their parents take them and pick them up. If we can create jobs and have more people coming in and out of Tanna, we just might be able to get the public bus service started up again.
Because of the unique basin topography, the Tanna area is hot in the summer and can get quite cold in the winter. It is a truly special place. My hope is that more people can come to visit us, and perhaps even live with us here in beautiful Tanna.
I want to make the Izu Peninsula the launch pad and distribution hub for all kinds of local agricultural products. For example, we make and sell our “Wind Valley” beer here at Oratche, but we also stock and sell many other locally made craft beer as well. Of course in doing so, “Wind Valley” sales may fall to certain a degree, but overall, sales of beer brewed here in Izu will rise. We are trying to increase total overall sales of all kinds of quality, locally grown and produced products, not just our own.
I want to build the necessary routes for quality Izu products to flow to markets outside Japan. Here in Shizuoka with our coasts and mountains, we have a plethora of amazing, quality products from both the sea and the land. Thankfully, there are also so many local people here looking to expand sales of their products overseas as well. We are working to make Oratche a one-stop wholesale gateway to overseas markets for local products, and this is much closer to reality now with international flights into and out of the Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport.
“Wind Valley” Organic Pilsner
Bronze Medal winner, Lager Category, ASIA BEER CUP 2015
One more dream of mine is for Oratche to employ more people with disabilities – to pay those determined to become independent and live on their own while receiving a fair wage for their work. One challenge for this area is the lack of bus or other public transportation. Elderly people now have to take taxis to hospitals and high school students either commute to school by bicycle or have their parents take them and pick them up. If we can create jobs and have more people coming in and out of Tanna, we just might be able to get the public bus service started up again.
Because of the unique basin topography, the Tanna area is hot in the summer and can get quite cold in the winter. It is a truly special place. My hope is that more people can come to visit us, and perhaps even live with us here in beautiful Tanna.
Satoru Nishimura
Dairy Kingdom of Oratche, Manager,
Business Administration Department
1969 - Born in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture
1992 - Graduated Nihon University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Economics
1994 - Joined C.I.O. Japan, Inc. import and sales of Italian food products.
2001 - Joined Dairy Kingdom of Oratche. Currently serves as General Manager of Oratche / Manager of Business Administration Department.
Dairy Kingdom of Oratche
http://oratche.com/
Nishimura san’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/terry960
Interview: Miki Shiomichi / Photography by Miki Shiomichi
English Translation: John Freeman, James Molloy
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Business Administration Department
1969 - Born in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture
1992 - Graduated Nihon University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Economics
1994 - Joined C.I.O. Japan, Inc. import and sales of Italian food products.
2001 - Joined Dairy Kingdom of Oratche. Currently serves as General Manager of Oratche / Manager of Business Administration Department.
Dairy Kingdom of Oratche
http://oratche.com/
Nishimura san’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/terry960
Interview: Miki Shiomichi / Photography by Miki Shiomichi
English Translation: John Freeman, James Molloy
< New post ｜ Old post >
