With a vision statement of “Utilizing wood resources to protect water sources and nurture mountains”, QINO is a project that was founded by a company in cooperation with local communities.
The company behind the project is fabriq, and they are a creative services company that works mostly in advertising and production. For this project they produced a sparkling water beverage made with the fragrance of wood and named it QINO SODA.
In conjunction with our special feature “Drink the river and mountain”, we interviewed CEO Haruyasu Takahira of fabriq.
The QINO SODA has a deep flavor that is not easily found in non-alcoholic drinks. We asked how this unique woody scented soda made from the bounty of the forest came to be.
We also discussed what inspires their creative ideas for resolving environmental issues and how they design cycles of sustainable development.
How did an advertising company end up working in forestry?
fabriq is a creative services company based in Ebisu, Tokyo. In 2020, they co-founded the QINO project with the local region of Hakusan City in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Under their vision statement, “Utilizing wood resources to protect water sources and nurture mountains”, they kicked off their project with the production of QINO SODA. Since then, they have expanded to projects such as QINO Restaurant and QINO School to create a cycle of sustainable development.
We will introduce their story of how an advertising company became involved in forestry work such as cutting trees and planting forests.
“The launching of the QINO project was actually coincidental. We were working on a different project, making a commercial for an aroma company in Kyushu. Aroma oils are not cheap and I wanted to properly convey its value so I put the focus on its raw materials.”
“The aroma company we were working with purchased their essential oils from overseas through a trading company and blended them to make their products. I was curious to find out about the production of aroma oils, such as what kind of environment they come from and what kind of trees and plants are used. I suggested that rather than focusing on raw materials that we knew little about as the motif for their commercial, how about they consider creating a product that uses essential oils made from Japanese trees. They were interested in the idea and we moved on from there.”
After looking into distilleries in Japan that produce essential oils, they found EarthRing Mintreino Herb Restaurant and Aromatherapy in Onabara of Hakusan, Ishikawa.
“EarthRing is now our partner in the distillation process for QINO SODA. They have always sold essential oils for aromatherapy in order to utilize resources from the mountains. In other words, they were a competitor of my client at the time. Regardless, we told them about our vision and discussed a possible collaboration. They agreed and we completed not only the commercial, but also developed a new Japanese aroma oil product.”
“The product promoted the story of carefully maintained mountains and trees that are transformed into essential oils. While filming the commercial, we became close to the EarthRing staff and they invited us to help them with a project they were working on to utilize Japanese trees.”
Discovering ways to utilize trees by addressing issues surrounding woods and forests on a personal level
The QINO Project’s theme is “Finding extraordinary uses of trees”. However, when the project first started, Takahira says that the issues surrounding woods and forests did not strike a personal cord for him. Initially, he did not see it as directly affecting him.
“As someone who grew up in Tokyo, thinking about the use of wood and trees on a personal level was difficult for me. That was my honest opinion at the time, but I was asked to go back to Hakusan and talk directly with the local people there. So I took some personal time off to travel to Hakusan again.”
As Takahira began talking to the local people and entering the forests with the head of Shiramine Sangyo (a forestry company), he found himself moved by what they shared with him.
“The head of Shiramine Sangyo told me a lot about forest management. For example, he told me how they cut trees in order to preserve other trees and to grow the next generation of trees. He also told me that the forest is a valuable source of water, and they cut trees in a way that protects such water sources.”
“The Shiramine region makes up for 70% of Ishikawa Prefecture’s water sources and it is the forests that source the water we drink. The tap water is sourced from a dam that is filled from the rain and snowmelt from the mountains above.”
When Takahira learned about these water sources, he realized that the water he drinks and uses everyday is also connected to the woods and forests.
After World War II, Japan implemented a national policy to plant a large number of coniferous trees such cedar, cypress, etc and expanded their forestry industry. However, after the liberalization of lumber imports in 1964, the prices of imported timber was significantly lower, leaving the domestic trees untouched and abandoned.
We may think of cutting trees as destructive to nature, however, cutting trees is an important part of forest management and ensuring that forests remain healthy for the future.
“I learned from the forestry workers that the way light enters the forest differs greatly depending on whether the forest is well maintained or not.”
“In abandoned forests where the trees grow unmanaged, the bush gets overgrown and sun does not enter the forest. This impacts the biodiversity of the forest and the trees are unable to absorb a lot of water, which can lead to landslides and other disasters in torrential rains.”
QINO SODA succeeds in bringing out a “surprising” level of aroma and flavor from trees
For the first project to utilize trees and restore forests, they worked on thinning out the overgrown cedar trees and also collected Kuromoji (Lindera umbellata), an aromatic shrub that is often discarded, to use in the QINO SODA product.
The ingredients for their product QINO SODA Kuromoji Hakusanroku is very simple and only consists of kuromoji and water. There was a lot of trial and error that went into creating this flavor.
Product development manager Kouki Mitsuhashi told us about the process of distilling the kuromoji and turning it into the final drink.
“At first we were experimenting with adding multiple ingredients together, like craft cola drinks. However, as we became more involved in the project we realized the importance of people being able to really taste the trees when drinking QINO.”
“Rather than making a complex flavor made up of multiple ingredients, we used only wood and aimed for a drink that would surprise people as they experience the raw fragrance of trees.”
Their goal was to create a simple yet complex beverage that brought out the full aroma and flavor of kuromoji.
Mitsuhashi, who has worked in product development for various companies, has a background in working as a bartender and managing a bar. In the creation of this beverage, he says the biggest challenge was testing the countless possibilities by changing the variables little by little.
“Even when considering the use of the main ingredient kuromoji, we had to test what part of the plant should be used. Is it the branches, leaves or trunk? At which height should the shrub be when harvested? Should the ingredients be dried to bring out the aroma and if so, for how long? There were a lot of variables to consider in the distillation process as well, including how much of the distilled liquid should be mixed with the soda. The possibilities were endless.”
When you drink QINO SODA, you will find that the carbonated soda instantly carries the refreshing aroma into your mouth like a fresh forest breeze. At the same time, it is surprising to find how much the aroma of kuromoji can be experienced, even in an urban environment. From the fresh aroma that tickles your scent glands to the sweet flavor that lingers in your mouth, Mitsuhashi succeeded in creating the layers of scent that he was aiming for.
“I remember how fresh and intense the aroma of the kuromoji shrub was when I went to the mountains with the forestry people and snapped one of the kuromoji branches. My goal was to recreate that experience in the drink. There are multiple products in the market that use kuromoji, but I don’t think many succeed in recreating that experience of smelling a freshly broken kuromoji branch.”
“I explain to people who drink our QINO SODA in the city that this is the true aroma of kuromoji. I think it would be great if people would go to the forest to experience the fresh kuromoji themselves and find that our beverage was true to its aroma.”
QINO SODA is designed to be paired with food
Mitsuhashi also had food pairing in mind when he developed QINO SODA.
Kuromoji goes well with herb-based dishes so it pairs well with Asian cuisine such as green curry. It also compliments most Japanese dishes such as tempura of wild vegetables and soba noodles.
While Mitsuhashi worked as a bartender, he found that many alcoholic drinks were tied to local regions and ingredients, but non-alcoholic drinks were much more artificial.
That is one reason why he feels QINO SODA, which is made simply with wood and water, has so much potential.
As the second edition of QINO SODA, they developed a beverage called Sugi -Fuji Sanroku- made from a cedar tree in Yamanashi Prefecture. It features a spicy, smokey and highly palatable flavor. Cedar goes well with rich flavors and Mitsuhashi recommends pairing it with wild game meat.
In the Fuji Sanroku region of Yamanashi Prefecture, there are many parts of cedar trees that are discarding during the process of thinning and processing cedar trees. The trees used for this beverage are procured and distilled by a forestry company, FOREST TRIBES. The recipe was created in collaboration with Food Creation, led by artist Ayako Suwa.
The labeling, packaging and shipping of the products are assigned to Mikawa Anzunoie, a facility that provides employment for people with disabilities in Hakusan City. fabriq designed a system that allows easy and smooth operation for even difficult tasks.
Takahira shares, “If the workers become skilled through this operation, it may lead to more job opportunities for them so we were careful not to eliminate too many of the tasks that the people with disabilities are skilled at. Our challenge was to design efficient operational tasks.”
QINO as a local and circulation-based project that is connected by creativity
Hakusan City of Ishikawa Prefecture where QINO is based is the 10th designated UNESCO Global Geopark in Japan.
In order to promote their vision of “Utilizing wood resources to protect water sources and nurture mountains” in the rich nature of this region, they started the QINO RESTAURANT and the QINO SCHOOL projects.
“The QINO RESTAURANT is a two-day only restaurant that was held in the forest in the autumn of 2022. The concept was based on the cycle of water which was divided into seven parts. Ingredients from the Hakusan region, wood procured from forestry procedures, and the regional nature itself were used to express the seven parts in a seven dish full course menu.”
“The restaurant allowed guests to experience the full cycle of how water travels from the mountains to rivers and from the rivers to the sea. Each dish signified a part of the natural cycle of the forest.”
The QINO SCHOOL is a special course which aims to promote forestry and co-education. Professionals in the forestry industry visit schools to hold workshops and speak with students to share the importance of trees and using wood.
The forestry industry is facing the problem of an aging workforce and this project was started to address this issue.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for students to learn about forestry from a young age and see forestry as a “cool” occupation.”
“We acted as the producers of the project and we had those involved in the QINO project act as guest teachers, but now the project has taken off on its own and is run by the local community.”
QINO’s vision is dedicated to promoting things that can be achieved by the local community. Because Takahira’s projects are all centered around this unwavering vision, they connect with each other to create a cycle within the local community.
We asked what inspires his creativity when coming up with products and projects that become the center point of such movements that circulate in communities and society.
“Our inspiration when starting QINO was the element of surprise. Choosing things that are somehow “cool” or “luxurious” is not a good way to steady your footing and it can cause your vision to get lost in the process. We are inspired by things that surprise us and teach us something new.”
“Our current vision is to add an element of surprise in the use of wood. No matter what we do, if we can return to that point of focus, I think we will be able to maintain our creative inspiration.”
“Advertising and forestry projects share the importance of promotion”
We asked Takahira his ideals for where this project is headed in the future.
“Our wood products such as QINO SODA have added a creative quality to utilizing the bounty of the forest. It reaches people in the city and we also give back to the regional forests by sharing the profits to the forestry workers and buying seedlings to grow new forests.”
“Right now I am working on a new project where we create a “forest garden” where people can go to relax in wooden chairs, build fires to cook outdoor meals, make tea with wild plants, and more in the natural environment created by the cycle of forestry.”
“There is no point if the people who learn about forestry through our products cannot go to the forests themselves, so we want to create more opportunities like the QINO RESTAURANT or host a harvest festival that allows engagement. We have always envisioned our group as creating a project that connects and circulates in itself.”
“Rather than making this cycle about education, we want people to connect through fun and delicious experiences. Eventually that will lead them to enter the forests themselves and learn about forests from there. As a company that works in advertising, promotion is key and we feel that this is the best way to promote the forests.”
QINO brings an element of surprise to the use of wood.
Just as Takahira was surprised and inspired by his encounters with the local communities and forests, the QINO projects that started with QINO SODA will continue to surprise people and raise awareness for the forests.
After taking a food sensory test during university and discovering a keen sensitivity to “umami”, she traveled for food in and out of Japan for 25 years. While working at a publishing company, she was in charge of the gourmet food section of a fashion magazine. Later, she worked for an informational magazine before becoming independent in 2013. Now she writes articles and has a series on food for online and printed mazagines.
Editor. Born and raised in Kagoshima, the birthplace of Japanese tea. Worked for Impress, Inc. and Huffington Post Japan and has been involved in the launch and management of media after becoming independent. Does editing, writing, and content planning/production.