Hirao Residents Produce Olive Oil from Locally Grown Olives; Yamaguchi Pref. Town Working to Rejuvenate Local Economy

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, February 18, 2025

HIRAO, Yamaguchi — A new brand of olive oil has been developed by residents of Hirao, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Produced from locally grown olives, the product is part of an effort to create a new local specialty.

The olive oil was developed by Yusuke Yamane, 47, and Kumiko Sugano, 47, who cultivate olives in the town and are members of a group working to revitalize the local community.

As a first step, the pair will get restaurants and other establishments in the town to use the product, with the hope of commercializing it next fiscal year based on their feedback.

Since 2018, the town has been promoting “Italiano Hirao,” a campaign to rejuvenate the local community. The name of the campaign comes from the fact that the Murotsu Peninsula, where the town is located, is shaped like the Italian Peninsula. The group has been growing the crop since February 2020 and now has about 400 olive trees of five varieties at a site measuring about 1.4 hectares.

Both Yamane and Sugano moved into the town from outside the prefecture two years ago. Yamane is from Onojo, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Sugano is from Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture. They commissioned the Kyushu Olive Association in Fukuoka City to press olives they harvested in autumn last year, producing 100 bottles of olive oil each measuring 100 milliliters.

The product is called “Hira〇live,” a play on the English word “live” and a circle, which connotes “something good.” The name conveys hope that olive oil, which is believed to have anti-aging effects, will help people stay healthy with a smile. Yamane designed the label on the bottle.

“I think it’d be delicious poured over some local fish,” said town Mayor Kunihiro Asamoto, who tasted the oil at the town hall on Jan. 31.

Yamane said, “It has a mild taste and can be enjoyed as is or as a seasoning.”

Sugano said: “We grew the olives with great care. I hope many people will enjoy the oil.”