In SUGI BEE GARDEN 's own kumquat fields, the orange kumquats are starting to stand out.

Until around November, the fruit was still mostly small and green, but now they are fully ripe and there are an increasing number of large ones.

This year is a bad year,so the harvest is expected to be slightly smaller than last year. (A year with poor results and fruit set.)

Also, 2023 was an unusually hot year compared to normal. Even in November and December, there were days with little temperature difference.

Due to the nature of the plant, kumquats will not ripen unless there is a large difference in temperature.

The fruit and horticulture team members also worked hard on maintenance, checking the growth status every day.

Thanks to our efforts, the inside of the greenhouse is finally starting to come into color as December arrives.

It's going to get even colder in Kumamoto Prefecture from now on.

"We'll keep an eye on the situation for a while until harvest, continue thinning the fruit * and then make final adjustments," said a fruit and horticulture staff member.

(*Picking off excess fruit for better fruit.)

We are finally in the final stretch until the harvest at the end of January.

The employees are excited to see what this year's kumquats will taste like.

(Our mascot characters Appy and Kumquat)