Hail kiss apple, a project to support hail damaged apples and spread them positively to the market, is being developed mainly in Tokyo. Sponsored by NPO Yum! Yam! Seoul Soup Kitchen (Minato-ku, Tokyo).

On September 12, hail landed in Hirosaki City, Hirakawa City, and Owani Town, causing damage to many apples. Apples lose their market value if they are scratched or have bruise on their skin, so they are either discarded or shipped for processing juices. Seiji Nishida, the same NPO, said he learned about the situation of hail damage during the field interview at the Aomori Prefecture PR event. "I only looked at the damage done to one farm, but I lost my words considering the damage to the entire region," he said.

The project added a story that "Heart has been shot from the sky!" And tries to recapture apples damaged by hail as rare and valuable. “A wounded apple tries to heal the wound, which increases the sugar content and makes it delicious,” says Nishida. "If this project gives us an opportunity to learn about the origin and producers," he said.

The project will be developed with three support projects. By December 25, we will sell hail-damaged apples at a charity site for disposal. On November 28th, we will hold a cafe event entitled "Apple Café in IKEBUKURO" where you can enjoy limited sweets while interacting with the producers. On the next day 29th, "Yum! Yam! SOUL SOUP KITCHEN vol.15 ｜ Aomori ver." Will be held to enjoy original Thai food using ingredients including hail damaged apples.