Family Farms in Rural Japan
All Mellow Monk® green tea comes from family-owned and -operated tea farms in the Aso region of Japan. These small-scale, low-volume operations emphasize quality over quantity. They have been growing tea for generations. They sell only what they grow, and in Japan their tea is sold locally to specialty tea shops.
Until now, these local treasures have been available only in Aso, but Mellow Monk's exclusive arrangements make this quality tea available outside of Japan for the first time.
Growing Tea for Demanding Customers
The people of Aso are mighty particular about their tea. The growers who supply Mellow Monk® are in business today because they have consistently met the high standards of Aso's demanding tea drinkers.
The Perfect Tea-Growing Environment
In addition to this dedication to quality, Mellow Monk Green Tea is also the product of an environment that is ideally suited to tea cultivation. Aso is located in the center of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. This rural region has long been known for its natural bounty and for farmers who stubbornly stick to the old way of doing things.
Mellow Monk tea is grown in the foothills of Mount Aso (see photo on right), an active volcano that not only gives the area its name but also provides a rich volcanic soil that tea plants just love. This rich soil combines with the elevation, clean mountain air, a not-too-cold winter, and a humid but not-too-hot summer to create perfect conditions for tea. In fact, conditions there are similar to those in the Himalayan foothills where the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is believed to have first evolved.
Putting the Environment Ahead of Profits
Aso's farmers don't just work in Aso—they live there. So taking good care of the environment isn't just the ethical thing to do—it's the sensible thing, too. After all, they all breath the same air and drink the same water as their neighbors.
Certified Sustainable
Mellow Monk® growers are all certified under Japan's Eco Farmer program. (That's "eco" as in "ecologically friendly"). The Eco Farmer program is overseen by the Japanese government's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Its goal is to benefit consumers and the environment by promoting environmentally responsible farming methods.
Kumamoto Prefecture, where the Aso area is situated, has the largest number of certified Eco Farmers in Japan—equivalent to one-fifth of the national total, and proof that local farmers have embraced the program.
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