Saving 'Sunburned Pears' with Over 50% Waste Rate. A Bond Formed by a Smoothie Leads Osaka Nakazakicho Cafe 'nook' and Kumamoto Pear Farm 'buchistand' to Co-Exhibit at Japan's Largest Agricultural Event.
Cafe 'nook' in Osaka and farm 'buchistand' in Kumamoto co-exhibited at the '3rd Nippon Seika Festival'. They aim to reduce food waste by offering smoothies made from 'sunburned pears' that are otherwise discarded.
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- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 20:03
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 11:31
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nook Nakazakicho, a cafe and select shop operated by and Co., Ltd. (Kita-ku, Osaka; CEO: Takanori Yoshida), exhibited at the '3rd Nippon Seika Festival' held at Umeda Sky Building and Grand Green Osaka on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, 2026. This was a joint exhibition with 'buchistand,' a pear farm in Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture, realized through an encounter at the same event last year. We are pleased to announce that over the two days, we provided many visitors with an experience to 'think about the future of food' through smoothies utilizing 'sunburned pears,' which face a severe waste problem.
■ The Challenge of Reducing Food Waste: 'Sunburned Pears' Where Over Half of the Production is Discarded
The 'Arao Jumbo Pear', a famous product of Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is facing the problem of 'sunburned pears,' where the surface discolors due to strong sunlight caused by recent abnormal weather. Although the taste is premium, the appearance makes general distribution difficult, and currently, 50-70% of the production volume is being discarded.
To break through this challenge, Minenori Obuchi, the 4th generation of the pear farm, founded 'buchistand'. At the 3rd Nippon Seika Festival, they collaborated with 'nook Nakazakicho', a cafe operated by our company in Osaka, to promote pear smoothies. Under the slogan 'Turning waste into worth (Mottainashi o, motto ari ni)', they delivered a message of deliciously and enjoyably reducing food waste.
■ Background of the Collaborative Exhibition: A 'Bond' Connected by a Single Smoothie
The beginning of this collaboration was the '2nd Nippon Seika Festival' held in September 2025. It all started when our CEO, Yoshida, visited the event as a guest, drank the pear smoothie provided by 'buchistand', and was deeply moved by its overwhelming deliciousness and passion for pears.
With the additional connection that CEO Yoshida's hometown is also Kumamoto Prefecture, the two hit it off and started offering the smoothie at 'nook Nakazakicho', which opened in December 2025. And this time, at the 'Nippon Seika Festival' where they first met, they stood together as partners to tackle further social issues, leading to this joint exhibition full of story.
At this year's Seika Festival, they also appeared in a talk session under the theme 'Collaborations and Future Prospects Expanding from the Nippon Seika Festival'.
State of the talk session: From left, Mr. Osakama of Minori Farm / Mr. Obuchi of buchistand / Mr. Yoshida of nook Nakazakicho
■ Proposing a New Choice: 'Fruit Break'
The culture of 'Coffee Break' has been popular with many people so far. We are proposing a new alternative to that: 'Fruit Break', to refresh the mind and body with fruits.
Pears that were supposed to be discarded are transformed into a cup that colors people's daily lives. Through this experience, we gave shape to the idea of positively solving the challenges faced by agriculture.
■ Comment from Takanori Yoshida, CEO of and Co., Ltd.
'I feel a deep joy to be able to provide that cup of smoothie, which moved me as a fan, together as a partner this time. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the management of the 'Nippon Seika Festival' for connecting this wonderful bond last year and providing a place for co-creation again this time. I want nook Nakazakicho to be a 'hub' where producers and consumers connect. Being able to deliver Mr. Obuchi's passion for pears to many people at my base in Osaka was a big step for us. We will continue to cherish this connection and contribute to the future of food.'
■ Event Overview
Name: 3rd Nippon Seika Festival (https://seikasai.jp/)
Dates: Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, 2026
Venue: Umeda Sky Building, Grand Green Osaka
■ Collaboration Exhibition Partner
Store Name: buchistand
Location: 706 Nohara, Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Representative: Minenori Obuchi
HP: https://buchistand.wixsite.com/website-3
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buchistand/
■ Company Profile
Company Name: and Co., Ltd.
Location: 3-1-19 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Representative: Takanori Yoshida
HP: https://and-info.co.jp/
Business: Cafe & Select Shop operation, etc.
■ The Challenge of Reducing Food Waste: 'Sunburned Pears' Where Over Half of the Production is Discarded
The 'Arao Jumbo Pear', a famous product of Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is facing the problem of 'sunburned pears,' where the surface discolors due to strong sunlight caused by recent abnormal weather. Although the taste is premium, the appearance makes general distribution difficult, and currently, 50-70% of the production volume is being discarded.
To break through this challenge, Minenori Obuchi, the 4th generation of the pear farm, founded 'buchistand'. At the 3rd Nippon Seika Festival, they collaborated with 'nook Nakazakicho', a cafe operated by our company in Osaka, to promote pear smoothies. Under the slogan 'Turning waste into worth (Mottainashi o, motto ari ni)', they delivered a message of deliciously and enjoyably reducing food waste.
■ Background of the Collaborative Exhibition: A 'Bond' Connected by a Single Smoothie
The beginning of this collaboration was the '2nd Nippon Seika Festival' held in September 2025. It all started when our CEO, Yoshida, visited the event as a guest, drank the pear smoothie provided by 'buchistand', and was deeply moved by its overwhelming deliciousness and passion for pears.
With the additional connection that CEO Yoshida's hometown is also Kumamoto Prefecture, the two hit it off and started offering the smoothie at 'nook Nakazakicho', which opened in December 2025. And this time, at the 'Nippon Seika Festival' where they first met, they stood together as partners to tackle further social issues, leading to this joint exhibition full of story.
At this year's Seika Festival, they also appeared in a talk session under the theme 'Collaborations and Future Prospects Expanding from the Nippon Seika Festival'.
State of the talk session: From left, Mr. Osakama of Minori Farm / Mr. Obuchi of buchistand / Mr. Yoshida of nook Nakazakicho
■ Proposing a New Choice: 'Fruit Break'
The culture of 'Coffee Break' has been popular with many people so far. We are proposing a new alternative to that: 'Fruit Break', to refresh the mind and body with fruits.
Pears that were supposed to be discarded are transformed into a cup that colors people's daily lives. Through this experience, we gave shape to the idea of positively solving the challenges faced by agriculture.
■ Comment from Takanori Yoshida, CEO of and Co., Ltd.
'I feel a deep joy to be able to provide that cup of smoothie, which moved me as a fan, together as a partner this time. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the management of the 'Nippon Seika Festival' for connecting this wonderful bond last year and providing a place for co-creation again this time. I want nook Nakazakicho to be a 'hub' where producers and consumers connect. Being able to deliver Mr. Obuchi's passion for pears to many people at my base in Osaka was a big step for us. We will continue to cherish this connection and contribute to the future of food.'
■ Event Overview
Name: 3rd Nippon Seika Festival (https://seikasai.jp/)
Dates: Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, 2026
Venue: Umeda Sky Building, Grand Green Osaka
■ Collaboration Exhibition Partner
Store Name: buchistand
Location: 706 Nohara, Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Representative: Minenori Obuchi
HP: https://buchistand.wixsite.com/website-3
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buchistand/
■ Company Profile
Company Name: and Co., Ltd.
Location: 3-1-19 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Representative: Takanori Yoshida
HP: https://and-info.co.jp/
Business: Cafe & Select Shop operation, etc.