About Organically Grown Tea
Organic cultivation is a method that works with and maintains the natural cycles and functions of the environment. Organic tea is grown using cultivation methods that avoid the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in order to maintain, promote and improve these natural cycles and functions. In Japan, agricultural products with an organic label (organic tea) must carry the JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) mark. Any product without the JAS mark cannot be sold under the label “organic” or “organically grown”. In order to provide delicious tea and insure it is healthy, Oguri Noen has obtained organic certification from JONA (Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association), the oldest and most trusted private certification organization in Japan. We also use tea grown in Shizuoka’s fields that are certified “Traditional Tea-Grass Integrated System” (Chagusaba) under GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems).
Traditional Tea-Grass Integrated System (Chagusaba)
Chagusaba is a traditional farming method unique to Shizuoka in which wild grasses (bamboo, Japanese pampas, etc…) are cut in fall and winter and used as organic matter to cover soil in tea gardens in order to produce better, higher quality tea.
More than 300 species of plants and flowers have been identified in tea meadows, including nine endangered species, thus this system works to both improve the quality of the tea and help preserve biodiversity in tea gardens and its surrounding meadows.
In 2013, Chagusaba was recognized as a “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System” (GIAHS) for its valuable effort in succesfully creating an agricultural production compatible with the conservation of biodiversity.
JAS Organic Certification System
In 2004, according to the guidelines of MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), any products grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, with reduced pesticides or chemical fertilizers, with low pesticides or chemical fertilizers, etc…, must all be labeled “specially grown agricultural products,” but cannot be individually labeled as “pesticide-free”, “reduced pesticide”, “low pesticide” and so on. However, since this is only a guideline and there are no legal obligations or penalties, not all producers are labeling in accordance with MAFF guidelines, and because there is no third party check, there is no way to know if products are actually grown according to the method indicated on the label. On the other hand, since JAS organic mark is subject to third-party checks, it is currently the most reliable and safest label.