Mitsuyoshi Kimura: A Complete Shift in Perspective on Milk! Grazing Milk

2022/12/22

Have you heard of grazing milk? When you think of milk, many people imagine cows walking through vast grasslands, but most milk sold in supermarkets is squeezed from cows tethered by their necks in barns. "Grazing," where cows are released into pastures to eat the grass that grows there, is not very common nationwide.

Fascinated by grazing milk, my father and I opened "Musashino Dairy CRAFT MILK STAND" in Kichijoji, Tokyo, this June, featuring milk from select farms focused on grazing. While delicious milk is often thought to be rich and sweet, grazing milk is actually light and has a delicate flavor. One sip will surprise you. It completely flips your perspective on milk.

I'm showing my love for milk now, but I hated it when I was a child. What's more, I hated it even though my family has run a milk shop for over 100 years since my grandfather's generation. I always left my milk unfinished during school lunches.

My dislike for milk changed in my late 20s after reading a book my father gave me about "Saito Farm," which started self-taught grazing dairy farming in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. I was moved by the story of creating a vast ranch in the deep mountains—an area said to be unsuitable for dairy farming—by harnessing the power of cows and nature. I immediately flew to Hokkaido and helped out for a few days. On the steep slopes deep in the mountains with a panoramic view of the city, the cows walked calmly and sturdily. I will never forget the milk I drank after work. It had no smell at all and went down smoothly. I was so moved that I gulped it down.

Since then, I have visited farms across the country and realized that grazing milk is delicious and can be enjoyed even by those who dislike milk. I began to want to open a grazing milk shop someday.

The plan took shape following my father's traffic accident. Last June, he was in an accident while driving a truck. Although he didn't suffer major injuries, at 77 years old, I felt it would be difficult for him to continue his current work of transporting goods. However, it isn't easy to make a father who has been self-employed for nearly 50 years quit working. So, we decided to start a milk stand together where he wouldn't have to drive.

It has been four months since we opened, and thankfully, many people have visited us. What makes me happy is when people who dislike milk tell me it's delicious. The dairy industry faces many problems, such as declining milk consumption and soaring grain prices, but I want to work with my father to communicate the new value of milk.