Kurozuishi Business Cooperative (Hokuryu-cho, Hokkaido) participated in the Kumiai Festival @ Chikaho 2022 (organized by the Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations)!

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

On October 29 (Sat.) and 30 (Sun.), the "Kumiai Festival" organized by the Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations was held at the Sapporo Station Underground Walking Space and Chikaho Kita 3-jo Intersection Square.

About Kumiai Festival (Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations)

Fourteen associations that are members of the Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations, active in various parts of Hokkaido, will participate and enthusiastically promote the activities and products of their respective associations!

At each booth, explanations of activities, displays of various products for sale, stamp rally raffle, mini four-wheel drive experience, flower arrangement and flower education experience, etc. were conducted.

• Sponsored by:Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations
• Sponsorship:Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hokkaido, Sapporo City, Hakodate City, Asahikawa City, Obihiro City, Kushiro City, Abashiri City, Kitami City, Muroran City, Tomakomai City, Iwamizawa City, Wakkanai City, Otaru City

Organizations participating in the Miai Festival

1. Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative (Hokuryu Town)Homepage
2. Asahikawa Furniture Industry Cooperative Association (Asahikawa City)Homepage
3. Obihiro Sake Seller Cooperative Association (Obihiro City)Reference page
4. Tokachi-Shintoku Fresh Jidori Chicken Business Cooperative Association (Shintoku Town)Homepage
5. Sapporo Plastering Contractors Cooperative, Sapporo, JapanReference page
6. Sapporo Automobile Business Cooperative Association, Sapporo, JapanHomepage
7. Hokkaido Used Car Dealers Association (Sapporo)Reference page
8. Chienowa Business Cooperative (Betsukai Town)Homepage
9. Shiraoi Tourism and Commerce Cooperative Association (Shiraoi Town)Homepage
10. Hakodate Station Two Commercial Cooperative Association (Hakodate City)Homepage
11. Welfair Group, a corporate association (Kushiro City)Homepage
12. Sapporo Plumbing Contractors Cooperative Association (Sapporo)Homepage
13. Hokkaido Flower Growers Cooperative (Sapporo)Reference page
14. Hokkaido Event Promotion Association (Sapporo)Homepage
• TAMIYAHomepage



PR Presentation on Stage

PR presentations by each organization were held on the center stage of the venue. The event started with the fluent moderation of the general chairperson!



The "Hokkaido Small and Medium Business Kumiai Festival" is a two-day event held at the Sapporo Underground Walking Space, where 14 companies and associations have gathered.

Due to the two-year restriction of activities caused by this Corona disaster, it will take some time for the company to regain its vitality. In such an environment, there is a need for new ways of relief activities such as community digitization and sharing gradually.

The various types of unions have great potential to play an increasingly important role in the future. Fourteen unions and associations with such potential have gathered at this venue. We hope to introduce the potential of each union to the public, and through the two-day "Kumiai Festival," we hope to familiarize you with the role of small and medium-sized business associations. Please stop by and visit us.

We have prepared a survey form for this year's event. The stamp rally raffle attached to that form will feature a no-hassle prize.
The luxurious items include a Chateraise lodging voucher, a 5,000 yen flower gift certificate, dorayaki (Japanese pancakes), and more. We hope you will enjoy them. There will also be a mini four-wheel drive corner set up at the venue, which is popular among children, so we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to participate in the event.

Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative (Hokuryu Town)Homepage

The top performer was Yukio Takada, President of the Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative Association in Hokuryu Town!



Our town, Hokuryu-cho, is located in the northern part of Sorachi Province. It is a small town with a population of only 1,600, but it is a town of wonderful sunflowers. This summer (mid-July to mid-August), the one-month-long Sunflower Festival attracted as many as 280,000 visitors.

Kuro Sengoku Soybeans" grown in Hokuryu Town, the town of the sun, have a black seed coat, but the inside of the soybeans is green.

Kuro Sengoku soybeans, known as "Kuro Sengoku," used to be used as winter fertilizer for horses and cattle in the Sorachi area and as green manure in the Tokachi area in the past (from 1935 to 1975). In the beginning of the Heisei era, an agricultural researcher found and germinated the original seed of Kuro Sengoku. The seeds were then moved to Iwate Prefecture, but they returned to their hometown in Hokkaido and began cultivation.

Kuro Sengoku, with its beautiful green fruit inside, is a very delicate bean that requires a lot of sunlight and grows only in Hokkaido's harsh environment with large temperature differences.

In addition to raw soybeans, the company has developed a variety of products such as natto (fermented soybeans), soybean flour, tea, and Kurosekishi meat.

Each product contains no additives, and I enjoy kinako (soybean flour) every morning on my yogurt. 7 months from now, I will be 80 years old, and the source of my energy is "Kuro Sengoku Soybeans". I am thankful every day that I can keep my body healthy by eating natural products.

The "fresh Kuro Sengoku soybeans" we brought this time were freshly harvested at the end of October this year. We prepared them as soon as possible and managed to make it in time for today's event.

And the "Mame-Gohan" set includes Kuro Sengoku Don, germinated brown rice, rice, salt, and kelp, all of which are mixed together to cook the Mame-Gohan.

The "Kuro Sengoku Soybean Meat," which was very difficult to develop, does not have a manufacturing plant in Hokkaido. We had to go as far as Gifu Prefecture.

Kuro Sengoku Soybean Meat," made by pressing the oil from Kuro Sengoku soybeans, heating, pressurizing, and drying at high temperature, has a meat-like taste and texture, and is rich in protein, making it a familiar ingredient to health-conscious consumers.

Currently, "Kuro Sengoku Meat" is also incorporated into school lunches in Kita Sorachi.

We hope you will eat plenty of these "Kuro Sengoku Soybeans", one of nature's many blessings, and be active and healthy!　Thank you!" said Chairman Takada, powerfully.









Shiraoi Tourism and Commerce Cooperative Association (Shiraoi Town)Homepage

Shiraoi specialty Ainu crafts, a talk on the characteristics and hidden meanings of Ainu patterns, and an explanation of how to operate the Ainu folk instrument "Mukkuri" were followed by a demonstration!









Chienowa Business Cooperative (Betsukai Town)Homepage

Explanation of the characteristics of three flavors of NOWA's own brand of cup ice cream, "Strawberry Cake," "Extra Milk," and "Bistachio," which are part of Chienowa's original product line!







Hokkaido Flower Growers Cooperative (Sapporo)Reference page

Children from the flower school "Bosc" appeared on stage dressed in Halloween costumes and introduced the names of flowers in English.



We use seasonal flowers to stimulate the five senses by tearing petals and smelling them. We place great importance on exchanges with people from different cultures," said a representative.





Hakodate Station Two Commercial Cooperative Association (Hakodate City)Homepage

Noshi-ika (cuttlefish), nekombu dashi (kelp dashi), and Hakodate Jujiya coffee blend beans, sold only at Hakodate morning markets!







Welfair Group, a corporate association (Kushiro City)Homepage

Handmade bread and baked goods sold by Kushiro Panya, a business association that operates a Type A employment support office in Kushiro City, and clothes for dogs sold by Kushiro Wanko, a dog café and dog trimming company!

Usually our 'pumpkin bread' is popular, but at this event our 'doggie clothes' were very popular!　We learned that there are regional characteristics," said a representative.







Tokachi-Shintoku Fresh Jidori Chicken Business Cooperative Association (Shintoku Town)Homepage

Introducing new specialties of Shintoku Town: char-grilled Shintoku Jidori chicken, chicken wings and chicken wing char siu pork!



We want everyone in Japan to know the quality and taste of Shintoku Jidori, which is comparable to Japan's three great landlocked chickens. We would like to conduct activities so that when people think of jidori in Japan, they think of Shintoku Jidori," said the representative of the company.



Sapporo Automobile Business Cooperative Association, Sapporo, JapanHomepage



Talks about the auto maintenance business in Sapporo.
It is important to prevent accidents by early detection through vehicle inspections and maintenance. We conduct periodic inspections and maintenance to prevent accidents from occurring. We are making efforts to keep up with the daily evolution of various parts and components, including the computerization of vehicle inspections," said a representative of the company.



Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations (Sapporo)Homepage

Mr. Yoshihide Chujo, Manager of the Cooperation Support Department of the Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations, introduced the participating associations.



The Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations has about 1,300 member associations in Hokkaido. The associations are made up of companies and small businesses with four or more members. This year's "Kumiai Festival" was held with the cooperation of 14 companies and associations.

The Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations (HFSA) is an association of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that operates a variety of businesses, including association management, human resources development, surveys and research, information gathering, and assistance programs, in order to promote the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Headquartered in Sapporo, the association provides a variety of community-based support through its nine branches throughout Hokkaido.

We hope that people will get to know the local people and the small and medium-sized enterprises and small business offices that are active in the community, and that they will get to know such associations and at the same time, learn about the Central Association of Small Business Associations.

We hope that consumers, as well as cooperatives, will interact with each other, and through this, cooperation and activities will be revitalized.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the cooperating unions that participated in this year's event. Here are some of the participating unions.

Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative (Hokuryu Town)Homepage

They are working hard to make the locally grown Kuro Sengoku soybeans known to as many people as possible.
As you can see from Chairman Takada, he is in very good health, and his youthfulness, which is hard to believe at 80 years old, is proof that Kuro Sengoku soybeans are the source of his health.





Asahikawa Furniture Industry Cooperative Association (Asahikawa City)Homepage

It is an association of small and medium-sized companies that make world-class furniture under a local brand. Please visit their exhibition hall in Asahikawa to enjoy the warmth of wood and their wonderful designs.





Obihiro Sake Seller Cooperative Association (Obihiro City)Reference page

The Obihiro Sake Sales Cooperative brings local sake from all over Hokkaido and Tokachi, such as "Tokachi-Haruei" and "Kamigawa Taisetsu", which are not usually seen.







Tokachi-Shintoku Fresh Jidori Chicken Business Cooperative Association (Shintoku Town)Homepage

The products on display include char-grilled and smoked Shintoku Jidori chicken, which conveys the chairman's passionate wish to "take this opportunity to introduce Shintoku's Jidori chicken to the world.



Sapporo Plastering Contractors Cooperative, Sapporo, JapanReference page

Plastering, tatami industry, and construction-related unions are currently in a difficult situation, but manual craftsmanship is valuable and will not disappear in the future, so it is an industry that will be cherished. We would be happy if we could hear the stories of such craftsmen and actually experience them, even if only a little.



Sapporo Automobile Business Cooperative Association, Sapporo, JapanHomepage

The auto maintenance associations that exist in each community are working hard and training themselves to keep up with the new technologies that are being developed one after another by the major auto manufacturers. The local maintenance shops are the best place for local residents to meet face-to-face and consult with each other for the purpose of enabling them to drive their cars safely and enjoy their car life.



Hokkaido Used Car Dealers Association (Sapporo)Reference page

JU is committed to providing you with the know-how and information you need to consider purchasing a used car, so that you can drive a used car with more peace of mind. We hope you will remember "JU".



Chienowa Business Cooperative (Betsukai Town)Homepage

We are a dairy farmer based in Betsukai-cho. Please try our delicious pudding and ice cream. We hope you will support dairy farming by drinking your favorite milk every day.



Shiraoi Tourism and Commerce Cooperative Association (Shiraoi Town)Homepage

The business was located at Shiraoi Mintara, but with the opening of Shiraoi "Upopoi (ethnic correctional symbolic space)" in 2020, a café/shop has been established on the same site and is now open.

The Ainu crafts on display are all on display, and we hope you will enjoy holding them in your hands and learning about the history and culture of the Ainu people.



Hakodate Station Two Commercial Cooperative Association (Hakodate City)Homepage

Hakodate is rich in seafood, and the Hakodate morning market is famous. Most of the shopkeepers are active in close relationship with the community, so we hope you will stop by, see their faces, and pick up a product while listening to their local stories.



Welfair Group, a corporate association (Kushiro City)Homepage

In Kushiro City, they have organized a cooperative that provides a place for physically disabled people to work and produce and sell handmade products. They are contributing to the local community. We would be happy if you could take our handmade products in your hand while thinking of the people who make them.



Sapporo Plumbing Contractors Cooperative Association (Sapporo)Homepage

We are involved in the water supply business, a lifeline for daily life. We are working to protect our daily lives. In addition, they are preparing for emergency water supply in the event of disasters and heavy snowfalls. We are sure that you will be able to hear about the important information for your daily life as well as information on cooperation in times of disaster.



Hokkaido Flower Growers Cooperative (Sapporo)Reference page

We hope that you will enjoy flowers in your daily life by placing them close to your daily life. The more beautiful a flower is, the more hard work is put into it behind the scenes. We hope you will enjoy the elegance of these beautiful flowers and at the same time realize the effort that has gone into their creation.



Hokkaido Event Promotion Association (Sapporo)Homepage



We would like to thank the Event Promotion Association for their guidance and support in organizing our first event and for their expertise. We look forward to taking on the challenge of holding various events in the future.

All of the 14 associations that participated are working hard every day to protect the lives of citizens closer to home and in a way that is rooted in the community, and we look forward to your continued support of each of these companies. Please take the time you have left to enjoy our conversation!" said Chief Nakajo.

Lottery corner by Central Association staff members







Closing Remarks: Makoto Karame, Secretary General, Hokkaido Federation of Small Business Associations





Thank you for your hard work!　We had more visitors than we expected over the two days of the event. Thanks to your cooperation, we were able to have a great event. Thank you so much.

We were able to collect 570 stamp rally surveys over the two days of the event. We would like to introduce some of them.
　

• I was happy to be able to purchase a variety of items.
• I enjoyed learning.
• Staff at each booth explained everything in detail.
• Good to know about an organization I didn't know about.
• I want to participate again next time.
• I enjoyed the experience.
• It was nice to get information that I couldn't get from afar.

We received a variety of comments such as

This event was an effort to widely disseminate information about unions that are rooted and energetically working hard in communities throughout the province. I believe we have achieved our initial goal.

However, since this was our first time working on this project, I am sure there were many inconveniences. Based on our experience this time, we would like to proceed with the planning for the second event next year. We will continue to make preparations to make this a fulfilling event, and we hope that you will join us for consecutive years.

In conclusion, I would like to offer my best wishes for the continued growth of your association and the health of all staff members.

Thank you very much, everyone, for the two days! Mr. Karame, Executive Director, expressed his gratitude to the participants.



It was a wonderful two-day event where we could feel the passion and strong power of Hokkaido's small and medium-sized enterprises that are rooted in their local communities, working hard every day through close interactions with local people.

We are truly grateful for the wonderful opportunity to learn about the wonderful activities of all the companies and organizations, to share in their excitement and joy, and to have had the opportunity to make such wonderful connections! Thank you very much!
　
The "Kumiai Festival" brings together all of Hokkaido's small and medium-sized business organizations to burn hot energy in promoting their various businesses!
It was a wonderful space where we could see, hear, touch, and savor the charm of each!
With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers for the Kumiai Festival, a rainbow bridge connecting companies and people with wonderful relationships between people.
　




Information dissemination and Facebook page "Treasures of Hokuryu Town" during the event

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi