Ryohin Keikaku (Toshima Ward, Tokyo) 's mail order site "Kokusai Ryohin" started selling apples from JA Tsugaru Hirosaki Youth Department / Higashimeya Branch on November 13.

This site connects local producers and consumers and introduces local good products under the theme of "food." For sale, apples are located in the mountainous area of Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, called Toumeya, adjacent to Nishimeya Village, which is the gateway to the Shirakami Mountains, a World Natural Heritage Site. We sell apples made by apple farmers in their 20s and 30s living in the area.

“I was confident in the quality, but branding was an issue,” said Kota Mikami, general manager. He was thinking about creating an online shopping channel and promoting it outside the prefecture, but he didn't know what to do. "I hope to build a brand called Tomeya based on this sale," he says with enthusiasm.

We sell apples that have a slit at the base of the so-called "vine crack". Since the cuts tend to turn brown, they are said to be “scratched” in the general market and have a low commercial value, and are mainly consumed locally. Mr. Mikami explained that "even if the vine is cracked, it has little effect on the flesh and taste, rather it contains honey, and some consumers like it as evidence of ripeness."

"It was a proof that we were able to work with people in the local area that we were able to handle products that could not be sold on the market, such as cracks, as products," said the person in charge of the site. "MUJI has commercialized things like cracked shiitake mushrooms that have a similar taste but are difficult to distribute in the market. The cracked apples are very close to that."

The price is about 1440 yen with about 3 kilograms (9 to 13 pieces).