HISTORY OF COCO FARM & WINERY

Around 1950: Students who had been categorized as underachievers in the classroom were given the chance to develop the slopes of the mountains around COCO. These students had little motivation in their studies, but upon their arrival at COCO created something truly special. They cut weeds and grasses along the riverbanks under the burning sun during the summer, collected fallen leaves during the winter, and fertilized the soil in the hills. They connected themselves with nature, and succeeded in planting around 600 of COCO's first vines. Around 1980: After years of nurturing the vines, COCO produced their first batch of wine using their own grapes. With this initial experience in harvesting grapes, COCO took the first step towards quality wine making. This small amount of wine was fermented and aged in a small tank in the tiny grape cottage located next to the students' residence

(COCOROMI Gakuen's Wine Making & COCO Farm and Winery) the farmers dug through soils frozen hard, and created compost piles along the steeply angled slopes. They then carried heavy loads of compost up these steep slopes. The days have come to be a flow of seasonal chores: as the sun rises on the ripening grapes, the students start banging bells and empty cans to chase away the unwanted crows. Later in the day, under the hot summer sun they tend to the care of the vines and grapes. During the fall season, they pick clusters of grapes using their hands, crush the grapes, and then bottle the wine. After this is done they put labels on the bottles, finishing the crafting of COCO's wine. During this entire process of "wine growing", the farmers spend day after day working closely with nature. Once called mentally disabled, these skilled farmers have earned their titles and positions and our thanks without even thinking about it. Their extremely hard work and dedication have yielded many returns, most important being a sense of dignity and honor. They are the farmers of very few words, allowing the fruits of their labors to speak on their behalf.

	In 1989: These humble farmers traveled to California to visit COCO's Sonoma vineyard. During the stay, they were able to participate in the vineyard's grape growing work. In 1995: With the money they personally earned, the farmers invited their own families to take part in a memorable trip to California to visit the vineyard. Around 280 people ended up going, and it was a rewarding trip for everyone.
Okinawa Summit Text In 2000: We were extremely honored by the inclusion of our sparkling wine, Novo, in the proceedings of the G7 summit in Okinawa. A panel of sommeliers, led by world-famous wine expert and master sommelier Tasaki Shinya, chose our Novo sparkler to be used as the wine with which Prime Minister Mori toasted the heads of state of Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States of America at the final evening's State Dinner. This is the first time that a domestic Japanese wine has been used for such an occasion. We are proud to have played a small part in such a prestigious event, and thank all of our supporters who have made this possible.
｜NEXT｜ COCO FARM & WINERY 611,Tajima-Cho,Ashikaga-City,Tochigi.,326-0061,Japan Phone.(81)284-42-1194 Fax.(81)284-42-2166 mail to:office-m@cocowine.com Copyright (C) 1999 COCO FARM & WINERY. All Rights Reserved.