Currently 197 farmers are employed by Irodori. The average age is 70 and 90% of them are women. Irodori decides the shipping amount for the day based on the order amount by major consumers and sales trends from the previous day. This information is then sent to all the registered farmers and according to the specific orders (i.e. kind, size, and amount of leaves) made by the company, the farmers pick and deliver the leaves to the pick-up facility, where the quality is strictly controlled to maintain Irodori’s brand reputation. Once checked, the coloured leaves are shipped to 42 wholesale markets across Japan, where they are sold in their early morning auctions on the following day.
The “leaf business” is operated by Irodori Corporation in collaboration with the municipality, the Kamikatsu Branch of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives East Tokushima, and the local farmers. Irodori conducts the coordination of farmers, promotion, marketing, communication with customers, and management of orders. The agricultural cooperative operates the sales and shipping, while the farmers supply and package the leaves. Moreover, since 1999, Irodori is an independent semi-governmental corporation as the municipality is represented on the management board and supports the corporation’s finances.
Digitalisation was a priority of Irodori since its foundation and has been a key factor for success. After receiving funds from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry in 1999, Irodori began sharing information with its suppliers and markets via computers. To ensure accessibility for the elderly farmers, the company introduced easy-to-use trackballs for their computers.