Auto parts manufacturer adds mushrooms to lineup(自動車部品製造会社、キクラゲ生産に注目)

 
Kazuo Sakuma shows the wood ear mushrooms that his firm cultivated in Kagamiishi, Fukushima Prefecture.(「仕事に対する考え方は変わらない」と語る佐久間さん。ものづくりへの情熱をキクラゲにも注ぐ)

  An auto parts manufacturer has been attracting many consumers with its domestically produced wood ear mushrooms -- a production actually born from a lighthearted place.
 Sakuma Sangyo, located in the town of Kagamiishi, Fukushima Prefecture, has poured the same amount of passion into the cultivation of wood ear as it does in manufacturing auto parts.
 The company this year started full-scale cultivation of the mushrooms in a hothouse. With production control that earned respect in the mushroom industry, the company aims to make wood ear mushroom the town's specialty.
 In a hothouse at 25 C and 90% humidity, 3,500 fungus beds are lined up to grow wood ear.
 "This place is comfortable for wood ear, but we all sweat a lot," said Kazuo Sakuma, 50, who is in charge of cultivation.

 鏡石町の自動車部品メーカー佐久間産業の菌床キクラゲ生産が注目を集めている。パッキンなど部品を作るものづくりへの情熱をキクラゲにも注ぎ、今年からハウスでの本格的な栽培に乗り出した。キノコ業界にも一目置かれる生産管理で町特産品としての定着を目指している。
 湿度約90%、気温約25度のハウス内には3500個の菌床が並び、今が盛りとキクラゲが育つ。生産の中心を担う佐久間一男さん(50)は「キクラゲにとっては快適だが、こっちは汗だく」と管理に余念がない。

 The company is already expanding sales channels from the local rest area Machi-no-Eki Kankan Terasu to Michi-no-Eki roadway rest stations, retail stores and inns in the prefecture.
 The firm also handles post-harvest processing, and sells fresh, dried, powdered and candied wood ear. Some are used as a return gift under the furusato nozei system, a tax-deductible donation program.
 "Wood ear is usually grown as an off-season crop, and the number of fungus beds is about 500 to 1,000 at most in general. We're said to be a big seller," Sakuma said. Even mushroom producing companies are surprised at the volume, he stated.

 既に、まちの駅「かんかんてらす」をはじめ県内の道の駅、小売店、旅館と販路を拡大中。収穫後の処理や加工も手掛け、生のほか乾燥、粉末、つくだ煮も販売しており、一部は町のふるさと納税の返礼品になっている。
 佐久間さんは「通常、キクラゲは裏作で栽培され、菌床数はせいぜい500~1000個がいいところ。うちは大口だと言われる」と語る。キノコを生産する同業者からも驚かれる生産場だ。

 When Sakuma Sangyo started the production of wood ear, the firm got strange looks. The idea of doing something other than manufacturing auto parts came from light discussions about finding use for a building that had been vacant for several years.
 One idea was to raise crocodiles and ostriches to sell low-calorie, high-protein meat, but that idea was soon abandoned due to difficulties in conducting trials.
 Then, Sakuma purchased a kit for growing wood ear from the internet, which had been one of the suggestions made by a staff member. Sakuma cultivated the mushroom in his bathroom at home, and "was able to produce surprisingly delicious wood ear," he said.
 This playful spirit among the firm's employees has led to the present-day Sakuma Sangyo.

 キクラゲの生産に乗り出すと周囲は目を見張った。「部品製造以外の何かをしよう」と乗り出す発端は、数年前に空いた建屋の活用を巡る話し合いだった。「ワニやダチョウを育て、低カロリー高タンパクの肉を売ろう」という案もあったが「実験が難しい」と断念した。
 佐久間さんが、社内意見の一つだったキクラゲの栽培キットをネットで購入。自宅の浴室で育てたところ「意外と」おいしいキクラゲができたという。そんな社員たちの真剣な遊び心が現在につながる。

 According to Sakuma, more than 90% of wood ear is imported and domestic production is rare. Wood ear is rich in nutrients and is believed to help lower blood sugar and blood pressure, and relieve constipation.
 In May last year, he began cultivating the mushroom in the empty building with 300 fungus beds, hoping that it would fit in with the health-conscious society. He also turned to a wood ear producer in the prefecture for advice.
 The company's steady promotion efforts have been successful. It has gained many fans -- with some saying they came all the way to the firm's location to purchase its wood ear.
 As the firm's main business operations are totally different from its mushroom production, some people have called the company and asked in a puzzled tone of voice whether it really grows mushrooms, Sakuma said.
 "Just because we have a different product, it doesn't change the way I think about my work," he said. "Unlike manufacturing work, we get a direct response from consumers when it comes to agricultural products. It's an irreplaceable joy."

( Translated by The Japan News )

 佐久間さんによると、キクラゲは9割以上が輸入で国産は希少だ。栄養も豊富で、血糖値や血圧低下、便秘解消にも期待されるという。「健康志向の世に合うのでは」と昨年5月、空き建屋で菌床300個から栽培を開始。県内の生産者の指導を仰いだ。
 地道なPRも奏功し「あんたのところのキクラゲを買いに来た」というファンも獲得。一方、会社自体がキクラゲとは縁遠いため「『ここでキクラゲを作っているのか』と困惑気味な電話もある」と苦笑するが、「"もの"が違うだけで仕事への考え方は変わらない」と佐久間さん。「製造業の仕事と違い、農作物は消費者から直接反応がもらえる。代えがたい喜びだ」と語る。ものづくりへの熱い思いが育んだキクラゲ。"畑"は違えど本物だ。

 【 2020年9月9日付・福島民友新聞掲載 】