Regarding the "Rota Coffee Farm Revival Project" conducted by the Rota government and KFC triathlon Club Japan from June 2017.
First of all, we thank the Rota Mayor Efrain Atalig who agreed with our project and made it progress. And we believe that this project will revive the tourism industry and the economy of Rota in the near future.
On May 21, 2018, shocking news came in from Mr. David Calvo, the boss of"Department of Lands & Natural Resources", the department in charge of the coffee project of the Rota government.
It was an amazing content that reverses Mr. Calvo and our past thoughts at the root.
In the National Diet Library in the capital of the United States of America, Washington DC (Library of Congress of the United States of America) he said that an old literature on Rota coffee cultivation (page 93) was found. And he said that the amazing thing is written in Spanish.
n other words, it is the literature of the Spanish rule era (1521 - 1898). It is a literature in the great voyage age that Ferdinand Magellan discovered Guam Island. The document about 140 years ago sent from Mr. Calvo made us feel the magnificent dream.
So why was this document discovered in the National Diet Library in Washington DC because the Rota Government requested the American Congressman Kiriri from Rota to investigate the literature on Rota coffee. As expected, it is the Library of the American Congress which is said to be the world's largest data retention.
This document, which was written in 1879, has many handwritten parts and many unreadable characters, so I sent it to Spain and asked for decryption. Later, when I received the reply from Spain, there are many unreadable parts (letters) by Spaniards. Still, I was hurried to let me know only the part that was legible. The important parts we want to know are as follows.
"This document is a report on agriculture from the Spanish who reigned Rota Island at the time to the Spanish kingdom of the home country, it was written that the test cultivation of coffee was done on Rota Island during the Spanish rule era, It was written that it clearly understood the place suitable for coffee cultivation and the place not suitable for coffee cultivation. "
It was said that the coffee on the island of Rota has been from the Spanish rule era, and the view of the Japanese rule of both Rota people and us which we believed was completely overturned. It was understood by the Spanish that it was cultivated at least 139 years ago.
A closer look at the details, in September 1771, Spanish Don Mariano Tobias was assigned as the governor of the Mariana Islands. And he began agricultural reform. And he brought in animals and plants such as cattle and deer. Therefore, it can be inferred that coffee was brought to Rota with Mariana deer at this time.It is about 250 years ago.
That is, the Spaniards took time to demonstrate that Rota is in an environment where coffee cultivation is possible. This is enough information for them. DLNR staff who gained confirmation from this document suddenly entered a motivation switch.
A month after that, astonished news came in from Mr. Calvo on June 22. That was the discovery of a coffee belt with enough power to advance this project at a stretch.
As part of the wild coffee survey on June 19, they were going to investigate to the area called Isang. That was not the northern slope of the Sabana Plateau that we have visited, but it was the opposite the southern slope.It means that there is a deep jungle at an altitude of 1200ft. - 1500ft. While camping for a couple of days with several staff members, I surveyed all around and discovered 144 wild coffee trees with green fruits, except for immature trees.
Incidentally, it was said that there were over 500 immature coffee trees. Furthermore, there was similar wild coffee habitat in the back of the ridge. They said that some pictures I received was taken in the Isang area on the June 19th.
This was a great discovery. It was the discovery of a powerful Rota coffee belt. This area is a deep jungle where any people did not step in for about 70 years. There was a rumor that coffee trees are living around there for a long time, but coffee could not eat. so it could not find much value for Rota peoples. That is why I was left alone until this day.
However, as part of the investigation of wild coffee with the inauguration of the "Rota Coffee Farm Revival Project", Mr. Calvo and others went into there for the first time. They have just discovered the gold vein. However, until this gold vein discovery, they continued the unresponsive jungle investigation for one year. By the way, since dangerous animals such as snakes do not exist in Rota, it is safe even in the jungle.
After that, one week later, they told that they found a group of coffee trees in the As Acodo area separate from Isang on June 28th. And they also sent some pictures of that at attached email.
Anything, according to the inspiration of Mr. Guz Hocog, one of volunteers in both the last Isang area and this As Acodo area, we started investigating and found a gold vein. In this one case, Mr. Hocog seems to have called a clair man from everyone. A key person like Mr. Hocog appears at a big milestone in any world.
There was a rumor that Rota can harvest coffee beans twice a year. Until now I have not trusted this rumor, but around January this year they have harvested red coffee beans in the jungle in the vicinity and this situation is in June six months later, The rumor seems to be true.
In the future development, the production amount of Rota's coffee is insignificant compared with the other coffee producing areas. As selling as a souvenir, I do not think that they can expect much profit. But It will be satisfied because Rota economy is so small.
And, if possible, I would like to make one place around Tokyo where Japanese can drink Rota coffee with a magnificent story beyond this century for Rota tourism. The coffee will be the ambassador of Rota tourism in Japan market.
I believe the regularization of the jungle in the Isang area will make it a sightseeing coffee plantation, link it with a sightseeing in Rota island, and feel it is the point of success to do it.
For Rota people who are relaxed slowly in everything, I feel that this project is progressing at an exceptional speed. They finally seemed to be able to recognize the value of this project. Currently, this project has enough power to restore the Rota economy in the depths.
And, in the US territory, as a second coffee producing place after the Kona coffee raised, it is likely to come to be adopted as purveyor coffee in the inauguration ceremony of the United States in the near future. This time, I would like to realize "kendchorai". It means a counterattack and a rivival in Japanese.
Currently, on Rota Island, as for coffee cultivation, everyone is amateur. In particular, there is no know-how about harvesting and roasting.
Under the direction of Onishi, Under the direction of Mayor Efraim Atalig, the jungle investigation began from the time of the "23th Rota Blue Triathlon" held last November, and at last the motivation switch finally entered at the time of the "1st Rota Coffee Marathon" held this April.
Therefore, Following this coffee belt discovery, I decided to dispatch two technicians, Mr. David Calvo and the other staff, to a coffee plantation in Kona, Hawaii, to learn techniques about harvesting to roasting in a hurry. Since he is is the leaders involved in the project from the beginning, I think it would be better for them to acquire skills and take them back to Rota Island.
There are are a lot of privately owned coffee plantations in the Kona Coffee Belt . And in these corners, Japanese companies Ueshima Coffee (UCC) and Doutor Coffee have a sightseeing coffee plantation on a vast premises. We can see the Kona town and the blue sea under our eyes and it is a wonderful location as a sightseeing plant. And at these farms of Japanese companies, we can experience the process from harvesting to roasting.
By the way, our final goal of our "Rota Coffee Farm Revival Project" is a sightseeing coffee plantation in Kona. So I think that it is very meaningful to show them here now.
Both Kona Coffee on the Island of Hawaii and Rota Coffee are Arabica species and the habitat environments such as altitude and temperature are also very similar so I feel it is important to learn techniques. Besides, there is the advantage in both English speaking countries.
In Onishi 's memory, I also feel that the amount of crops per a Rota coffee tree is no less expensive than Kona Coffee, even if I look at the picture of the Kona Coffee tree on the right. In the case of Rota, I believe that it is close to a miracle because it artificially adds only the amount of fruit from now without adding any manpower at all.
Therefore, with regard to cultivation, for the time being, I will do with the natural farming method leaving the current jungle as it is, cut down obstructive trees and build a way of conducting ways going there, I do not think there is any need to make a big deal It is.
Because, according to the literature of the Spanish era, from 1879 to this day, it is clear that it has reached the present with many organic fruits in jungle for about 140 years or more for a long time. Indeed, the best natural environment for coffee cultivation is there. Even if I think about cost, that is the best.
The very beginning was a cup of home-grown coffee which Onishi was treated 25 years ago at Mr. Jerry Calvo's home in Rota, and quarter century passed, the literature on coffee in the Spanish rule era was found, Rota coffee belt was discovered in the deep jungle for more than 100 years , it is so excited.
And in 2013, we made "KFC Friendship Coffee farm" which becomes "the first Rota Coffee Project" to manage to raise the medical expenses of Manuel boy from Rota, who is hospitalized in a Japanese hospital because of leukemia. At that time, I felt a vague feelong that the wild the coffee in the jungle of Rota Island might become a detonator for the revival of the Rota economy that has been in a slump for a long time.
But, at the time, Rota people only felt "KFC is making noise with coffee coffee". and Rota pleple did not show any interest at all.
It was understood at that time that among the Rota people, there were only a few people actually watching wild coffee trees in the jungle in the past. Only rumors preceded and the reliable information on coffee had disappeared from the people's memories. After that, there are twists and turns, since last year involving the Rota government, five years since the beginning, that my intuition is about to embody.
The Rota coffee brought by the Spaniard who discovered Rota Island during the 16th century voyage. After that, the coffee buried in the jungle for a long time, survived unknowingly. It is trying to reveal its appearance to become a savior of the Rota economy panting at the bottom of the awakening from a deep sleep today in the 21st century.
The miracle coffee that has survived strongly beyond the century, and the coffee with a mysterious and dramatic story, how does it taste? And how does the miracle coffee revive the Rota economy?
■ In May 2013 we built "KFC Friendship Coffee Farm" near Bird Sanctuary.
For details, please see "Rota Coffee Project2013 Part1"
■ In June 2017, at the Rota Mayor's Office, with the mayor of Efraim Atalig, I explained the value of this project before the head of each section, agreeing to cooperate with the Government in the future.
For details, please see "Rota Coffee Project2017 Part2"
■ In November 2017, the DLNR of the Rota government became the responsible department and started the investigation of the wild Rota coffee native to the jungle.
For details, please see "Rota Coffee Project2017 Part3"
For 30 years before World War Ⅱ(1914 - 1945) for a long time, Rota was under Japanese rule. Still, Rota people still continue to be a good friends faction. I think that it is perhaps the most friendy people in the world.
We KFC has been experiencing it directly from the 1994 trip through the Triathlon sports event. And we also sincerely hope to become a power of the Rota people who are pestering on the bottomless economic depression as one of Japanese people.
Written in KFC on June 29th 2018
