Hokkaido's Largest 4ha Apple Orchard Established: TRAILIX Holds Planting Festival in Kyowa

TRAILIX Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kyowa-cho, Iwanai-gun, Hokkaido; President & CEO: Haruyuki Asayama, hereinafter "TRAILIX"), an agricultural corporation aiming to promote the production of domestic apples, established jointly by Nishimoto Wismettac Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Chairman & CEO: Yoshiro Suzaki, hereinafter "Wismettac") and Nordex Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kyowa-cho, Iwanai-gun, Hokkaido; President & CEO: Kazuya Uchiyama), held an apple seedling "Planting Festival" in Kyowa-cho, Iwanai-gun, Hokkaido on Friday, May 8, 2026, to commemorate the full-scale launch of the production area formation.

This field boasts a scale of approximately 4 hectares, making it one of the largest apple orchards in Hokkaido. The planting festival was held as the conclusion of planting approximately 12,000 seedlings, mainly Japanese varieties such as the flagship "Fuji" and "Gunma Meigetsu."

■ Creating a New Brand for Kyowa-cho, Hokkaido
On the day of the event, following a Shinto ritual by Iwanai Shrine, congratulatory speeches were given by guests including Shinichi Narita, Mayor of Kyowa-cho, Hokkaido, and Masashi Watanabe, Supervising Agricultural Management Officer, Hokkaido Regional Agricultural Administration Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Mayor Narita expressed his expectations: "Kyowa-cho started cultivating watermelons in the Miyaoka area in 1963, and it has now grown into the number one production area in Hokkaido. Apple cultivation is also a new challenge. While utilizing idle farmland, I pray that you will create a new brand as 'Kyowa Apples'."

This orchard is agricultural land acquired from those who have farmed in the area for many years. Haruyuki Asayama, President and CEO of TRAILIX, expressed his determination: "As a 'Trailblazer' (one who opens up a path), which is the origin of our company name, we will respect the history of our predecessors and take on the responsibility of connecting Kyowa-cho's agriculture to the next generation."

■ Driven North by Global Warming: Hokkaido Pioneers Next-Generation Production Model
In Aomori Prefecture, which accounts for about 60% of domestic apples, production has decreased by about 100,000 tons from 470,000 tons to 370,000 tons over the past 10 years. While quality disorders such as "sunburn" and "poor coloration" due to aging farmers and global warming are becoming more serious, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries predicts that Hokkaido will become a major suitable area for apple cultivation by the 2060s.

Kyowa-cho was selected as a suitable location for large-scale, mechanized cultivation because it is located at a latitude similar to Washington State in the US and the Tyrol region in Italy, which are major global apple production areas. It is adjacent to Yoichi-cho, which has a track record of apple cultivation in Hokkaido, and is a flat area with relatively little snowfall.

Location: Around Gakuden, Kyowa-cho, Iwanai-gun, Hokkaido
Planting Area: Approx. 4ha
Number of Seedlings: Approx. 12,000 Yield Target: 260t
Apple Varieties: Selected mainly Japanese varieties centered on Fuji and Gunma Meigetsu

■ First Hokkaido Fruit Production Corporation to Acquire Smart Agriculture Certification
TRAILIX is the first fruit production corporation in Hokkaido to obtain certification under the "Act on the Promotion of Utilization of Smart Agricultural Technologies." In response to challenges such as an aging workforce and heavy labor, the company aims to improve labor productivity by approximately 50% by converting from conventional "Maruba cultivation" to "high-density planting (labor-saving tree shape)" and utilizing auto-steering tractors.

In addition, they have contracted with a horticultural consulting firm in New Zealand to localize advanced overseas pruning and thinning techniques to the Japanese environment. By logically calculating work procedures and incorporating them into daily operations, it becomes possible even for beginners to achieve highly reproducible cultivation without relying solely on the experience and intuition of experts. This achieves a significant reduction in work burden and improves the efficiency of pest control work, attempting to solve structural issues such as labor shortages and personalization.

■ Building an Integrated Value Chain Model
As a "market-in" initiative that directly returns the overseas customer network and needs information accumulated by Wismettac to the production site, TRAILIX has built an "integrated value chain fruit tree model" that unifies production, sorting, logistics, and sales. While focusing on exports to overseas markets centered on Asia, the company will also contribute to improving the self-sufficiency rate of domestic apples by supplying the domestic market.

Starting from the 4ha orchard that has fully launched this time, it plans to gradually expand to 200ha by 2035. Furthermore, anticipating the scale of demand in Asia, the ultimate goal is to establish a 1,000ha-scale production area across all of Hokkaido in the future.