Business
Mon Feb 8,2016 14:30 pm
Presenting YORIAI, a networking platform for developing innovative products with Tokushima indigo
All About JAPAN
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project (representative: Toshiro Kohama) is a public-private consortium, centered on Tokushima Prefecture-based companies, that promotes the creation of products using Tokushima’s special local resource, namely Tokushima (Awa) indigo. The consortium will be rolling out a networking platform called YORIAI, specializing in support for the creation of indigo-related products, with the goal of generating new business using Tokushima indigo.
February 8th, 2016
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project (representative: Toshiro Kohama) is a public-private consortium, centered on Tokushima Prefecture-based companies, that promotes the creation of products using Tokushima’s special local resource, namely Tokushima (Awa) indigo. The consortium will be rolling out a networking platform called YORIAI, specializing in support for the creation of indigo-related products, with the goal of generating new business using Tokushima indigo. Additionally, with today’s opening of the official website for YORIAI, the consortium will begin receiving applications from companies and organizations interested in using the platform. The website will also be used to share information about innovations using Tokushima dye.
■YORIAI URL：http://yoriai-blue.org
Tokushima is a major production area for indigo in Japan. Sukumo, a dye made from fermented indigo leaves, is produced using traditional methods and the Awa indigo grown in Tokushima. It is highly regarded as an ingredient for indigo dye worldwide. The companies participating in this project have been jointly undertaking various activities for some time now, including the securing of large yet stable quantities of Tokushima indigo supplies, and the development of new products using indigo.
Now, with the establishment of the YORIAI networking platform, Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project is aiming to promote indigo-related product creation that goes beyond just dyes for clothing, by planning the facilitation of exchanges on a personal level and commercialization assistance alongside Tokushima-based manufacturing companies with their own indigo processing technologies, as well as enterprises of various types from outside the prefecture that are looking into developing new products using indigo.
Enterprises using YORIAI can benefit from not only the procurement of high-quality materials through our partner farmers, but also the use of the technological prowess of YORIAI’s participating companies, who can respond to needs in a wide range of fields, including food products and furnishings. Additionally, when it comes to product development, we will be using the facilities of institutions including universities to conduct collaborative research regarding indigo. We will also be offering support on the marketing front, with undertakings such as original consumer research.
Through YORIAI, we are now moving toward the development of unique brands and the establishment of quality standards to match the world-famous, unparalleled color of Tokushima indigo, much like how our fellow Shikoku region residents in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture have striven for a high quality standard and differentiation from similar products with the Imabari towel. By creating a unified brand for the area of production, we hope to further extend the reach of Tokushima indigo, while contributing to the stimulation of the regional economy.
■Regarding Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project
Tokushima’s regional special resource, Tokushima (Awa) indigo, is a natural dye with a long history and an elegant blue color and quality that have fascinated people around the world. Using this Tokushima indigo (JAPAN BLUE) that has come to represent a very Japanese sense of beauty and elevated spirituality, we are aiming to acquire new overseas markets, to raise its value as a Japan-branded product, and to collaborate with several different kinds of businesses involved in the manufacturing, processing, and marketing of dyeing materials. We are undertaking a comprehensive marketing strategy to sustainably improve our capacity to get our message out from Tokushima, the sacred place of JAPAN BLUE. This project was selected as the recipient of a support program for small-to-medium manufacturing enterprises for the 2015 fiscal year by the Tokushima Prefectural Federation of Small Business Associations, which acts as the administrative authority.
Contact information for press inquiries on this matter：
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project Platform Office
（At All About Life Marketing, Inc.）
Spokespeople：Kashiwabara, Onuki
TEL：03-6362-1309 FAX：03-6682-4229
E-mail：pr@staff.allabout.co.jp
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project (representative: Toshiro Kohama) is a public-private consortium, centered on Tokushima Prefecture-based companies, that promotes the creation of products using Tokushima’s special local resource, namely Tokushima (Awa) indigo. The consortium will be rolling out a networking platform called YORIAI, specializing in support for the creation of indigo-related products, with the goal of generating new business using Tokushima indigo. Additionally, with today’s opening of the official website for YORIAI, the consortium will begin receiving applications from companies and organizations interested in using the platform. The website will also be used to share information about innovations using Tokushima dye.
■YORIAI URL：http://yoriai-blue.org
Tokushima is a major production area for indigo in Japan. Sukumo, a dye made from fermented indigo leaves, is produced using traditional methods and the Awa indigo grown in Tokushima. It is highly regarded as an ingredient for indigo dye worldwide. The companies participating in this project have been jointly undertaking various activities for some time now, including the securing of large yet stable quantities of Tokushima indigo supplies, and the development of new products using indigo.
Now, with the establishment of the YORIAI networking platform, Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project is aiming to promote indigo-related product creation that goes beyond just dyes for clothing, by planning the facilitation of exchanges on a personal level and commercialization assistance alongside Tokushima-based manufacturing companies with their own indigo processing technologies, as well as enterprises of various types from outside the prefecture that are looking into developing new products using indigo.
Enterprises using YORIAI can benefit from not only the procurement of high-quality materials through our partner farmers, but also the use of the technological prowess of YORIAI’s participating companies, who can respond to needs in a wide range of fields, including food products and furnishings. Additionally, when it comes to product development, we will be using the facilities of institutions including universities to conduct collaborative research regarding indigo. We will also be offering support on the marketing front, with undertakings such as original consumer research.
Through YORIAI, we are now moving toward the development of unique brands and the establishment of quality standards to match the world-famous, unparalleled color of Tokushima indigo, much like how our fellow Shikoku region residents in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture have striven for a high quality standard and differentiation from similar products with the Imabari towel. By creating a unified brand for the area of production, we hope to further extend the reach of Tokushima indigo, while contributing to the stimulation of the regional economy.
■Regarding Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project
Tokushima’s regional special resource, Tokushima (Awa) indigo, is a natural dye with a long history and an elegant blue color and quality that have fascinated people around the world. Using this Tokushima indigo (JAPAN BLUE) that has come to represent a very Japanese sense of beauty and elevated spirituality, we are aiming to acquire new overseas markets, to raise its value as a Japan-branded product, and to collaborate with several different kinds of businesses involved in the manufacturing, processing, and marketing of dyeing materials. We are undertaking a comprehensive marketing strategy to sustainably improve our capacity to get our message out from Tokushima, the sacred place of JAPAN BLUE. This project was selected as the recipient of a support program for small-to-medium manufacturing enterprises for the 2015 fiscal year by the Tokushima Prefectural Federation of Small Business Associations, which acts as the administrative authority.
Contact information for press inquiries on this matter：
Tokushima JAPAN BLUE Project Platform Office
（At All About Life Marketing, Inc.）
Spokespeople：Kashiwabara, Onuki
TEL：03-6362-1309 FAX：03-6682-4229
E-mail：pr@staff.allabout.co.jp
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