Wednesday, October 20, 2021
On Sunday, October 17th, from 12:00, a freshly baked bread tasting event was held at the Food and Agriculture Workshop Palm (Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido) with the cooperation of Vie de France Co., Ltd. (headquarters in Tokyo). Over 40 townspeople participated and sampled the delicious bread.
- 1 Exterior of the Food and Agriculture Processing Center Palm (Hokuryu Town)
- 2 Cooperation from many people
- 3 Bread baking
- 4 Freshly baked bread tasting venue
- 5 Freshly baked bread tasting begins
- 6 Stories from those involved
- 7 Other photos
- 8 Related articles
- 9 Related Sites
Exterior of the Food and Agriculture Processing Center Palm (Hokuryu Town)
Cooperation from many people
Planning: Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteer, Nobuyuki Murakami
This tasting event was planned by Nobuyuki Murakami (68), who was appointed as a Hokuryu Town regional revitalization cooperation team member in May of this year.
Vie de France Co., Ltd., Akaigawa Roadside Station, Urara Bakery (Akaigawa Village), Akarui Farming NPO (Hokuryu Town)
Under the guidance of Mukai Shoji, Deputy General Manager, and Nonomura Naomi, Chief, Sales Department of Vie de France Co., Ltd., 200 loaves of bread in 14 varieties were prepared with the cooperation of the NPO Akarui Nohou (Representative: Takebayashi Yumiko, Hokuryu Town), people actually involved in bread baking at the Akaigawa Urara Bakery Roadside Station (Akaigawa Village), and farmers in Hokuryu Town (collaborators of the NPO).
Bread baking
Bread that has already been fermented is left to rise for the second time and baked in the oven on-site.
The bread provided by V de France is frozen dough that has undergone the first fermentation and is then shaped and frozen. The process involves letting it rise a second time on-site, adding toppings, and baking it in the oven.
Adjusting the temperature for each loaf before opening
The baked bread...
Pizza toppings
Depending on the type of bread, the toppings and baking temperature will vary. You will be carefully instructed on the steps and bake carefully.
Cut it into pieces for tasting and it's ready to go!!!
Cut into bite-sized pieces!
Delicious looking breads!
Freshly baked bread tasting venue
14 types of bread lined up at the venue!
①〜③
① N-bean Croissant:Crispy croissants with plenty of red bean paste
② N-fermented butter croissant:Dough made with French wheat, Lorraine rock salt, and cultured butter
③ High-quality Ogura Anpan:Plenty of bean paste
④〜⑥
④ OM Melon Bread:Fluffy and crispy biscuit dough with fresh cream
⑤ Chunky Apple Tea Roll:A soft cake with a tea aroma and chunks of cinnamon apples
⑥ R Round Pizza (M) Mix:Pizza sauce topped with bacon, peppers and corn
⑦〜⑨
⑦ R Cheese Danish Stick:Danish pastry dough filled with 4 kinds of cheese (Gouda, Red Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan)
⑧ Focaccia:It has a chewy texture
⑨ NAP Tuna Salad:A fluffy crust with a rich tuna salad flavor
⑩-⑫
⑩ NOM Wiener Roll:Pork sausages rolled in pastry dough
⑪ Salted butter bread:A rich, flavorful dough made with Levain yeast and a slight saltiness
⑫ Spinach and Bacon Quiche:A crispy quiche topped with spinach, bacon, and potato soy.
⑬〜⑭
⑬ Cheese tart:Plenty of melty cheese
⑭ Apple pie:The crispy dough is topped with juicy chunks of stewed apple.
Freshly baked bread tasting begins
When the event started at 12 o'clock, the delicious smell of bread filled the air inside the Palm Workshop, and many local residents began to enter one after another.
Greetings: Mr. Nobuyuki Murakami, Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteer
Everyone gathered here!!!
People entered one after another...
I want to try all the varieties!
Munch, they're all delicious!
Refills and refills!
It quickly filled up
The prepared seats were quickly filled up, so the tasting session was quickly held in the adjacent Japanese-style room.
Tasting in a Japanese-style room
Participant comments
- They're all freshly baked and fluffy, so they're delicious! You'll be very satisfied!
- The cheese tart was soft and very tasty.
- I love melon bread! The dough is moist, soft and delicious!
- The tea cinnamon roll has a lovely cinnamon aroma!
- The croissant dough is nice and crispy!
Everyone was munching on the food with gusto!!!
The young man thoroughly enjoyed the deliciousness, having three or four refills and savoring the flavor!
Everyone was very satisfied and enjoyed a delicious time!
Very satisfied!!!
The staff at Vie de France carefully explain about bread
Stories from those involved
We spoke with Deputy Mayor Takahashi Toshimasa, Murakami Nobuyuki, and Nakamura Hiroyo despite their busy schedules.
Hiroyo Nakamura (Director of the NPO Akarui Farming Corporation)
"We began hearing about this project around July of this year, and in September we met to discuss it before the rice harvest, and the project was finalized in early October.
For this project, the dough that has already been fermented and shaped is provided by Vie de France Co., Ltd. From now on, the students will learn how to bake the bread and will consider various aspects such as packaging, design, and naming.
If all goes well, we plan to have it on sale at shops in Hokuryu Onsen and at the Cocoa shopping mall by the end of the year. There are many mothers in Hokuryu who can bake bread, so we hope to use this as a base to create an original Hokuryu bread," says Nakamura.
Nobuyuki Murakami (Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteer)
History of becoming a Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteer
Nobuyuki Murakami is from Teshikaga Town in the Kushiro District. In May 2021, he was appointed as a regional revitalization volunteer for Hokuryu Town.
He worked for Yamaha Corporation in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture for 25 years. He was involved in the launch of Kiroro Resort in Akaigawa Village. After leaving the company, he was asked by Akaigawa Village Mayor Hiroshi Akamatsu, with whom he had a connection during his time at Kiroro Development, to cooperate in the opening of the Akaigawa Roadside Station, and he participated as a member of the Akaigawa Village Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team.
At the time, as a roadside station, it contributed to the development of original products such as "freshly baked bread" and "rice gelato (rice gelato made with milk from Akaigawa farms and Yukisayaka rice grown in Akaigawa)." The freshly baked bread is prepared and sold by mothers in Akaigawa village under the guidance of Vie de France Co., Ltd. It is still popular today as "Urara Bakery."
At that time, Teshio Town council members came to Akaigawa Village to inspect the village. After explaining the development process of original products, they were asked to participate in the development of Teshio Town Roadside Station as a local revitalization cooperation team member, and accepted. As a Teshio Town local revitalization cooperation team member, he was involved in the production of "Teshio Roadside Station". He implemented "Ice Candles" and other products.
At that time, five local revitalization cooperation team members were appointed to Teshio Town. One of the team members, a woman, attended a Hokkaido-wide tourism-related conference held in Sapporo and met Tsutomu Sakamoto, chairman of the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association, who was also in attendance. Murakami, who was introduced to her by the woman, exchanged various opinions with Chairman Sakamoto and hit it off. In this way, various connections were made between Teshio Town, Hokuryu Town, and local revitalization cooperation team members, and things came together smoothly, and Murakami, as a Hokuryu Town local revitalization cooperation team member, was involved in improving the management of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen.
What led to the bread tasting event?
"When I was involved in the development of the roadside station in Akaigawa Village, selling freshly baked bread was a first for the village. With the cooperation of Vie de France Co., Ltd., we gathered townspeople and held a freshly baked bread tasting event in the gymnasium. It was so well received that we opened a bakery, Urara Bakery, at the roadside station. At the time, the village had a population of 1,000, and we sold 2,000 loaves of bread a day. Bread was purchased not only by townspeople but also by tourists visiting the roadside station.
As a member of the Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team, I thought about how to improve sales at Sunflower Park Hokuryu in order to improve the business. As the first of several projects under consideration, I decided to promote the sale of "freshly baked bread." I felt that there was a demand for "freshly baked bread" in Hokuryu Town, so I proposed this project based on my past successes.
"As we progressed with the project, we were able to get the support of Akarui Noho, an NPO run by local residents, which made it possible for us to hold this tasting event," said Murakami.
"Pickles Buffet" at the restaurant inside Minoritch Hokuryu
"The mothers of Hokuryu Town make their own original pickles at home using vegetables they grow themselves. So now we are asking the mothers of the town if they would like to try making their own pickles.
In the future, we hope to be able to hold a "pickle buffet" in the dining room of Minoritch Hokuryu. We are considering a system where customers can eat sunflower rice, miso soup, and pickles in the dining room, and also purchase their favorite pickles.
"I think that if these types of events have a 'playful spirit' that you find fun, the people around you will also find it fun. In the future, I would like to plan various interesting events that will help the townspeople live their daily lives to the fullest," says Murakami.
We aim to create a town where residents can live vibrantly and enjoyably!!!
"I was amazed at how Hokuryu Town responded so sincerely and acted so quickly in response to the proposal for this new project. It's rare for talks to progress so smoothly.
Deputy Mayor Takahashi has been playing a central role in connecting the various proposals with the appropriate departments, which has allowed the discussions to move forward swiftly. I think Hokuryu is a truly wonderful town.
I am currently 68 years old, but I would like to continue working until I am 70 and continue planning projects that will attract people to Hokuryu Town. Once I turn 70, I would like to move on to my next goal.
I hope to develop a business that will help the town's energetic elderly people find meaning in life.
I really enjoy talking with the townspeople about various things. The other day, I helped make "Sasa-dango" (bamboo dumplings) with the mothers. Everyone was pleased and said, "We finished the work an hour early!" and I was so happy.
I hope that the townspeople will continue to work hard," said Murakami, as he shared with us the big dreams he has in mind.
A speech by Deputy Mayor Toshimasa Takahashi
"When we heard about the idea of selling freshly baked bread, we decided to go ahead with the project as Hokuryu Town NPO Akarui Nohou was willing to take on the project. We are also considering using the cafeteria corner at Hokuryu Town Agricultural and Livestock Direct Sales Store Minoritch Hokuryu, and hope to increase overall sales.
"I hope that the bread sales will lead to the development of a cafeteria corner where mothers can use leftover vegetables to make pickles, rice balls, miso soup and other dishes," said Deputy Mayor Takahashi.
It's a happy time when all the townspeople work together, cooperate, share fun times in a harmonious atmosphere, and live each day to the fullest!
With boundless love, gratitude and prayers for these delicious breads that are filled with everyone's dreams...
Other photos
・Photos (154 photos) from the freshly baked bread tasting event can be found here >>
Related articles
Related Sites
Freshly baked bread and a relaxing time. Bakery cafe "V de France" A pioneer in bakery cafe culture. Approximately 230 stores nationwide. "V de France"
◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi
