Shodoshima Olive Farm 'Inoue Seikoen' Opens Its First Kansai Direct Store 'Kobe Motomachi Store' on May 11 (Monday)!

Inoue Seikoen, an olive and citrus farm (location: Ikeda, Shodoshima-cho, Shodogun, Kagawa Prefecture; owner: Tomohiro Inoue), is opening its first direct store in Kansai, located in Kobe Motomachi. Beyond mail order sales, this store aims to provide a place where many customers can experience the deliciousness and joy of olive oil. ■ A place to 'experience' the charm of olive oil. Until now, Inoue Seikoen has primarily focused on mail order sales and direct stores in Kagawa Prefecture, delivering products cultivated and carefully selected as an olive farm on Shodoshima, while valuing 'human connections'. This 'Kobe Motomachi Store' will be a place where people living in the Kansai region can actually see and taste the appealing olive oil products, discovering new things and experiencing inspiration. ■ A 'door' from Kobe to Shodoshima. Shodoshima became Japan's top olive cultivation area, as it was the only place where olives took root during trial cultivation in the Meiji era. However, Kobe had olives planted about 30 years earlier than Shodoshima. Furthermore, there is a ferry route between Kobe and Shodoshima, and Kobe is a city with strong ties to Inoue Seikoen, as it is where the farm's owner first worked at a central wholesale market and considers it his 'second hometown'. Kobe was chosen as the location for this new store to serve as a 'door' to convey the charm of Shodoshima, the island of olives, to people in the Kansai region and encourage more visits. ■ Three charms of the Motomachi Store 1. Olive oil tasting of your choice As an olive oil specialty store, our dedicated staff will explain the differences in taste and aroma of olive oils, and offer you your preferred olive oil. By enjoying the tasting, you can experience the profound world of olive oil. 2. Soft-serve ice cream ~Topped with original flavored olive oil~ Enjoy milk-flavored soft-serve ice cream topped with your choice of our original flavored olive oils, carefully extracted with our unique methods, such as 'Citrus Olive Oil Lemon', 'Navel Olive Oil', and 'Apple Olive Oil'. 3. Store-exclusive products! Also suitable for gifts We offer store-exclusive olive oil mini bottles and store-exclusive design olive oil confits that are not available through mail order. We also have products suitable for small gifts and souvenirs. Furthermore, gift arrangements can be made according to the amount. ■ One-month limited! Special grand opening event From the opening day, May 11 (Monday), for one month, a grand opening festival will be held with a 10% discount on all items (some exclusions apply). This will be an attractive event featuring popular olive oils for culinary and cosmetic use. (Please note: Olive oil tasting will be suspended during the event period). ・Event Period: May 11 (Monday) to June 10 (Wednesday) ・Event Details: 10% discount on all items (some exclusions apply) ■ Store Overview ・Store Name: Inoue Seikoen Kobe Motomachi Store ・Location: Shinsei Bldg II 1F, 5-7-2 Motomachidori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture <2-minute walk from Hankyu 'Hanazuma Station' / 4-minute walk from Hanshin 'Nishi Motomachi Station' / 8-minute walk from JR/Hanshin 'Motomachi Station'> ・Phone Number: 078-381-5102 ・Business Hours: 10:00 ~ 18:30 (Open all year round / except New Year holidays) ・WEB Page: https://www.inoueseikoen.co.jp/shop/pg/1shop-motomachi/ ■ Further store openings to continue Inoue Seikoen plans to continue opening direct stores, starting with the Kobe area. The 'Shodoshima Setouchi Kanshakan', which focuses on food from Shodoshima and Setouchi within the Inoue Seikoen Group, will also make its debut. Please keep an eye out for further developments. About Inoue Seikoen Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, floating in the Seto Inland Sea, has prospered since ancient times as a maritime hub and in recent years attracts many tourists as an island of olives. Inoue Seikoen has been engaged in agriculture on Shodoshima for three generations since 1940. From the time of the first owner, Tasuji Inoue, they have cultivated citrus and olives, celebrating 70 years of olive cultivation in 2016. Currently, under the third-generation owner Tomohiro Inoue, approximately 160 staff members are involved in the integrated system of cultivation, processing, and sales of citrus and olives.