top of page
ZINE/ZAKKA/FREE PAPER/GALLERY/RISO GRAPH
Valentine's Day is a day to give a thoughtful gift to someone special.
SUT offers food and drinks that reflect a deep passion and dedication. My first drink was 'KIMINO'. Inspired by Japanese yuzu, a German created this sparkling drink using only fruit juice, carbonation, and a tiny bit of brown sugar. It's a surprisingly simple yet delicious drink that lets you truly appreciate the ingredients.
It was my first slow food experience that made me conscious of the concept of "additive-free."
From that encounter, I began to collect items with themes related to "slow food," such as additive-free, organically grown, environmentally conscious, and fair trade. And the encounter with SHIO CHOCOLATL marked a truly impactful turning point for SUT.
SHIO CHOCOLATL's chocolate is now a mainstream Bean to Bar product, and it was the first in Japan to start with a style of manufacturing chocolate entirely from cocoa beans. They visit the production areas of the cocoa beans, share meals and conversations with the farmers, and feel the vibes of the surrounding environment, creating a "food" that embodies the "background of the cocoa beans" in every bar—a product that truly reflects their passion and dedication.
This event also features items that are born from meticulous attention to detail, from ingredients and manufacturing methods to design and distribution. We hope that through the stories behind these "foods," people will consider "what slow food is" and be inspired to seriously engage with food. And we think it would be wonderful if this event inspires you to embark on a journey to explore each of these brands.
Because it's a gift to convey your feelings to someone special, you want to give "food" or "drinks" that are made with carefully selected ingredients and design.
SUT VALENTINE
USHIO CHOCOLATL FAIR 2024
~Give the gift of slow food~
February 1st (Thu) - 18th (Sun), 2024
12:00-19:00 / Until 18:00 on the last day
line up
USHIO CHOCOLATL (Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture)
This chocolate maker is located on the mountainside south of Mukaijima Island in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. They primarily make simple chocolates using only cocoa beans and sugar, and also create original chocolates by combining them with local produce they have personally visited and understood. In order to create a chocolate that does not yet exist in the world, they explore unknown worlds, meet many people and things, return to Japan, combine various ingredients, and color them with jackets created by various artists before delivering them to you.
ROSA Coffee / LaROSA Roasting Plant (Miyazaki Prefecture)
This coffee shop has its own roasting machines, both old and new, made in Germany: a 1954 PROBAT and a 2019 PROBAT. They are particular about their bean sourcing, carefully selecting only those beans that they have personally negotiated with the producers, and roasting them with the goal of making a delicious cup of coffee for everyone. This brand aims to encourage people to enjoy coffee freely and without overthinking it. Furthermore, their decaffeinated coffee, which has had its caffeine removed through the Water Mountain Process, is recommended for those who are more health-conscious. It has a rich body and aroma, and you can enjoy a taste that you wouldn't expect from a caffeine-free coffee.
KIMINO (Kochi x Hyogo)
A Japanese farmer and beverage manufacturer based on a philosophy of simplicity. Kimino Drink uses hand-picked seasonal fruits and water from springs in the Kansai mountains to enhance the taste and texture. A naturally delicious juice made with only yuzu sourced from a pioneering nature conservation farmer in Shikoku, carbonated water, and a little brown sugar. Enjoy the deliciousness of ingredients that are used without anything else.
Daichi no Oyatsu (Gifu Prefecture)
"Daichi no Oyatsu" is a series of sweets born from a collaboration between wagashi (Japanese confectionery) craftsman "Matchin" and the long-established oil shop "Yamamoto Sataro Shoten". Aiming to create sweets that will be loved by everyone for 30 years to come, the ingredients used are carefully selected to be gentle on the body, and sweets are made without unnecessary additives, allowing the deliciousness of the ingredients to shine through. In 10, 20, and 30 years, when today's children become adults, our sweets will always be close at hand and can be eaten with the same peace of mind. These are timeless sweets delivered from a small oil shop in Gifu City to people all over Japan.
DENEN / Okunoto Shio Chips (Ishikawa Prefecture)
DENEN's salt is made using the "agehama-style salt production method," which has been passed down in the Noto region for over 500 years. During the Edo period, encouraged by the Kaga Domain, "rice fields" for salt production were developed along the coast. The method involved drawing up seawater, spreading it to dry, and then extracting the salt, hence the name "agehama-style salt field." DENEN's Oku-Noto salt chips are seasoned only with salt from DENEN, which has preserved this salt production method and the landscape of the salt fields, which have been passed down by our ancestors. Domestic potatoes are cut slightly thicker than usual and fried to a firm texture using the traditional kettle-frying method that has been passed down through generations. These chips taste just like you're eating a potato itself.
Yuki no Sato / Shimanami Citrus (Ehime Prefecture)
This fruit farm is a next-generation "part-time" farming model, where people who aren't full-time farmers contribute their skills little by little to run a farm, utilizing their individual strengths to secure food. The farming industry faces a serious aging problem, with those in their 70s considered young. At the same time, abandoned farms are becoming a significant issue. While it was difficult for newcomers to enter the field, this group of diverse individuals interested in agriculture—those skilled in farm work, those interested in processing, and those who handle sales—have come together to run the farm. Because of this diverse group, unique and unprecedented products are born. The TOROTORO series uses a special method to create juice from fruits that cannot be distributed due to their commitment to organic farming. Just watching the juice pour from the bottle into a glass evokes a sense of its deliciousness—a truly special citrus juice.
Hōzenji Arare / Additive-free, simple-tasting rice crackers (Osaka Prefecture)
Hozenji Arare, a long-established company, preserves and nurtures authentic flavors across generations. "Authentic flavor" means not only ensuring safe and reliable food, but also striving to create a taste that is loved by people and worthy of being passed down to future generations. While perfecting taste and quality, they continuously cultivate new rice cracker fans by developing innovative products. Their additive-free, simple-tasting arare rice crackers are a perfect food that combines deliciousness and safety, and have been loved for generations.
DADA NUTS BUTTER (Kochi)
Located on the second floor of a red reinforced concrete building in Tosayamada Town, Kochi Prefecture, is a nut butter shop. Nut butter is made by roasting nuts to enhance their aroma, then grinding them in a stone mortar to create a smooth paste. "We want people to experience the joy of thinking about playful possibilities from the blank spaces," and to that end, we are particular about the origin and variety of our ingredients, carefully crafting several kinds of fresh nut butter while cherishing their individual characteristics.
We embody the joy of engaging with, learning about, and tasting diverse living things and cultures, so that we can live in harmony with them.
We also offer our own unique products, such as the "Traditional Series," which focuses on native Japanese nuts, and the "Oriental Nut Sauce Series," an original condiment line using nuts with a "travel" theme.
AOSHIMA BOOKS & PINEAPPLE (Aoshima, Miyazaki Prefecture)
In a secluded house on Aoshima Island in Miyazaki Prefecture, under a vast blue sky, lies AOSHIMA BOOKS & PINEAPPLE, filled with the sweet and sour aroma. Books and pineapples. Why pineapples? After a moment's thought, the answer lies in memories. Long ago, this was the place that popularized chilled pineapples in Japan. The granddaughter of the surfer who brought pineapples back to Japan started a pineapple juice shop. One of the shop's signature items is jam. By simmering ripe pineapples and coconut milk in a low-temperature vacuum cooking pot, the fruity and juicy flavor remains, resulting in a rich milk jam. With its refreshing sweetness, you can enjoy a taste of the tropics unlike anywhere else.
bottom of page