[Meito-ward, Nagoya] Organic Vegetables and Products available at "Sonne Garten"

A 4-minute walk from Issha Station on Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line. "Sonne Garten" is a natural shop that is close to your daily healthy life.

They have a wide range of products, including foods such as freshly harvested vegetables and eggs, as well as daily necessities such as skin care products and books.

It has been in its current form for more than 20 years, and it has been a long-established store for more than 40 years since it was originally a bookstore.

This time, we interviewed Mr. Kei Nagase, the representative of the restaurant, about their special vegetable set and their unchanging passion since their founding.

What is "Sonne Garten"?

The store is entirely made of glass, allowing customers to see inside the store from outside.

The interior of the store is unified with bright wood grain, and you can feel the warmth of nature.

Although we visited during the weekday, there was a constant flow of customers in and out of the store. Many people seemed to come to the store on foot, indicating that the store is part of the living base of those who live in the neighborhood.

Carefully selected products

In the store, carefully selected ingredients and daily necessities are displayed by genre. There are many products that you can't find in major supermarkets.

As soon as you enter the store, you will see freshly picked vegetables. In principle, the vegetables are pesticide-free and chemical fertilizer-free. Fresh vegetables arrive every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Natural yeast bread from Meister Kakinuma's Backstube is also lined up. The bread made with homemade raisin yeast and natural yeast directly imported from Germany has a rustic taste and plenty of natural nutrition.

Front: Seasonings such as soy sauce, mirin, and salt. Back: Cereals such as oatmeal, granola, and corn flakes.

Curry roux, canned fish, bag noodles, etc.

Coffee, tea, black tea, jam, etc.

Eggs laid by free-range healthy hens. A popular product that sells out quickly.

Front right: Skin care and aroma products, etc. Back left: Items worn on the skin such as socks are displayed.

There are also books about food and life.

Zori (Japanese sandals) made of 100% natural rush grass. "I would love for you to try them on for size," says representative Mr. Nagase.

The store is full of carefully selected natural foods that are good for the body, as well as local producers with whom we have long-standing relationships.

It is a lineup that will make you want to take your time and examine it carefully, whether you are already adopting a natural lifestyle or are interested in starting a new life.

Also, in addition to foods such as vegetables, meat, and bread, it is also nice to have household goods such as books and skin care products.

What they value for

Mr. Nagase, the representative, says that he would like to carefully continue to do things that are within the distance and visible range. For example, the vegetables sold by "Sonne Garten" are collected by themselves from the farmers who grow the vegetables.

We asked him about what "Sonne Garten" values, which can be seen from the "joint purchase" of vegetables that has continued for over 30 years.

Mr. Kei Nagase, representative of Sonne Garten. He has been involved in "Sonne Garten" for nearly 20 years.

- Please tell us about the "joint purchase" of vegetables.

Mr. Nagase: "What we practice is to take responsibility for everything from growing the crops to eating them.

For the vegetables sold as a 'Seasonal Vegetable Set', we ask the producers to plant the required amount throughout the year. We will buy all of the requested crops.

On the same day the vegetables are harvested, our staff will visit the producers to pick up the vegetables and deliver them to the members of the 'Seasonal Vegetable Set' on the same day. ”

The content of the "Seasonal Vegetable Set" is posted next to the cash register in the store. The price for each size varies between ¥2,000 and ¥4,000 depending on the vegetables included in the set.

Trial set ¥1,800

Mr. Nagase: "When purchasing the 'Seasonal Vegetable Set' regularly, we ask that you first purchase the 'Trial Set'. The 'Trial Set' is a uniform purchase of the 'Seasonal Vegetable Set (M)' for ¥1,800, allowing you to check the taste and quantity of the vegetables.

Can you use all the vegetables in a week? Before becoming a member, we recommend that you check it out and join if you agree with the concept of 'joint purchase'.

It's been 4 or 5 years since I became the representative, but now it's time for a generational change, so I want to thank not only the customers who are looking forward to the 'Seasonal Vegetable Set' but also the new producers. You have to understand the concept of 'joint purchase'.

We would like to continue this service as long as we can. "

"Sonne Garten" from Instagram "Sonne's Meal"

-Do you have any leftovers even if you systematically buy all the vegetables?

Mr. Nagase:"Vegetables are also eaten as makanai (staff's meal) by the staff.

Knowing what you have to offer is very important. There are many things that you can only learn by cooking and eating the products they sell.

In my previous job, I was in charge of the field of a medicinal cuisine restaurant, and I learned a lot. However, what surprised me the most when I came to this restaurant was that I was able to see how everything is being practiced, from planting to eating everything. ”

-Do you have a particular favorite vegetable?

Mr. Nagase: “Rather than any vegetables, seasonal vegetables are delicious.

The season of vegetables to be harvested is decided throughout the year, and I decide what to make by looking at the contents of the vegetable set, so I no longer worry about what to harvest.

As an extension of home cooking, you can cook many unnamed dishes using various cooking methods such as simmering, grilling, steaming, and frying.

'Sonne's makanai' literally means that the staff 'eats from the same pot.'

We share it with our customers through SNS, and it is the content with the most views among the posts. I understand that there is a lot of interest. ”

-How many producers are participating in the planting?

Mr. Nagase: "In the south, there are three in Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, in the north, there are four to five in Achi Village in Nagano Prefecture, and if you include nearby spots, there are three to four Togo-cho, Seto City, etc. We ask each producer to grow vegetables that are suitable for their land.

There is a saying, 'Right place, right product', and I feel that this is a part of my life that I feel deeply when I continue to do this work. For example, Minamichita in Aichi Prefecture has a raised seabed, and the soil contains a lot of sea minerals. I feel that root vegetables such as carrots and burdock grown in such places are very delicious.

Also, the technology of the producers who grow vegetables in each land is wonderful. Vegetables that can be intuitively understood through daily observation and accumulated experience. Recently, due to the effects of global warming, it is not possible to follow the manual.

Vegetables sold at supermarkets are often grown in plastic greenhouses even in winter. On the other hand, most of the vegetables we sell are grown in alleys and are exposed to direct sunlight.

Early growers, who have been involved in the organic farming movement since its inception, grow vegetables based on the fundamental idea of reducing the use of petroleum materials as much as possible, partly due to the background of pollution and social problems of the time. Vegetables grown in the light of such nature have a different taste."

Mr. Nagase:"There are times when we strive to expand our business and try to make it bigger, but we value the core part that we really want to do, and stick to the idea of 'life-size' and do it on a small scale. "

About the future

-What do you want to do in the future?

Mr. Nagase:"In everything, the daily routine is important first. Sustain. I would like to emphasize the importance of being able to continue what we are doing now.

In addition, we carefully select our products, such as seasonings that are indispensable for daily life, which are made with time and effort. I try to keep the width of the width wide.

I would like to make it a place where many people can use it and who can be familiar with their lives. "

-Does “sustaining” mean something that leads to the SDGs?

Mr. Nagase: "I'm not particularly conscious of the SDGs.

It's something I've been doing for a long time, and it may be expressed in words like that, but I think it's a state where you can naturally practice it in your life without being wrapped up in words. I think it's good. ”

While listening to this story, I was made to think again about the importance of eating deliciously without waste.

Generally, when we buy food at the supermarket, we can purchase a wide variety of vegetables regardless of the season. Since it is so convenient and commonplace, we do not often dare to think about seasonal vegetables. However, in order to harvest tomatoes in winter, it is necessary to artificially create a climate in which tomatoes can grow.

On the other hand, the efforts of "Sonne Garten" "Seasonal Vegetable Set" can see the original appearance of the region. What is being harvested in the nearby fields? What can we harvest this season?

Through the "Seasonal Vegetable Set", fresh vegetables that are harvested and delivered on the same day, it was an opportunity to think about the health and environment of myself and my family.

Mr. Nagase, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.