Mustering the frontier spirit instilled in him at college to take on infinite challenges Cherishing ties with people and the community
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HINATA Yu Laboratory of Seeds Discovery and Development School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy - Graduate School of Life Science Graduate
Dr. Yu Hinata moved to Rikubetsu Town in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, where he launched the Laboratory of Seeds Discovery and Development, or Tane Lab., a company that develops and sells products made with medicinal plants, herbs, and forest resources. The company is run by himself and his wife, his university sweetheart. The couple, who began their activities in their adopted hometown, talked to us about the circumstances leading to their relocation to Rikubetsu, memories of their school days, and their new business. (Y): Yu Hinata, (M): Mikie Hinata
aurumn, from a little past eight in the morning until late in the afternoon. From autumn to winter, we process, market, and sell the plants we harvest. Today, we grow 30 kinds of plants, engage in the development of food, cosmetics, and other products, and work to determine our flagship products going forward. With the motto I learned in my college days, "Try it yourself first," we hope to deepen our contacts with people in various fields and gradually increase those interested in our products.
What made you move to Rikubetsu? What are your most popular products tod ay? (Y) Essential oils from Sakhalin fir and Sakhalin spruce. They're popular for their pleasant forest scents.
What's your workday like? (Y) Our work centers on farming from early spring to
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Litterae Populi Autumn 2021
(Y) We used to work for a research laboratory at a pharmaceutical company in Honshu (Japan's main island). After we turned 30, we decided to rethink our future from scratch, giving thought to the possibility of using what we' d learned for work other than research. Under such circumstances, we began to think about moving to Hokkaido,
