Over three articles, we’ve told the story of acerola — its extraordinary nutritional power, the two decades it spent forgotten, and the couple who built an industry from nothing. In this final installment, we’d like to share how acerola is grown in Motobu today, and why that glass you hold here is something you can only drink in this place.
■ The Trees Pruned into Donut Shapes
Visit an acerola farm in Motobu and you’ll notice something unusual: the trees are shaped like donuts, hollowed out in the center. This isn’t aesthetic — it’s about flavor. The shape ensures that every single berry receives an equal share of sunlight. It’s the result of careful, daily pruning. Bathed fully in Okinawa’s intense sun, the acerola turns a vivid red, its sweet-tart flavor concentrated to its peak. No pesticides. No artificial coloring. That red comes from nothing but sunlight and human care. The cultivation method itself was developed by Yasufumi Namazato through years of research during his graduate studies. His work is still visible in the shape of every tree on the farm.
■ Five Harvests a Year
Acerola can be harvested five times a year. For farmers, this means far more than simply a larger yield. In typhoon-prone Okinawa, any crop where a single harvest determines the year’s income carries enormous risk. But with acerola, even if one harvest is lost to a storm, the next one is already on its way. This was another reason Yasufumi saw such promise in the fruit. Because farmers can grow it with confidence, they tend it with care. Because they tend it with care, the fruit grows beautifully. That virtuous cycle is what sustains Okinawan acerola.
■ 1999: “Acerola Day” Is Born
In 1999, the Motobu town hall and local chamber of commerce designated May 12th as “Acerola Day,” timed to coincide with the start of the first harvest season. That same year, Tetsuko began donating acerola jelly to every elementary and middle school in Motobu for their school lunches — and she has continued, free of charge, every year since. Today, awareness of acerola among Motobu’s children is 100%. It has become a hometown flavor that local kids know before they can even remember learning about it.
Then in 2015, Acerola Fresh’s “Acerola Frozen” won first place at the National Local Snack Ranking — the first time an Okinawan product had ever taken the grand prize. The seeds the couple planted had finally spread across the country.
■ Come Taste It on Senaga Island
At SEE THE SEA, we serve drinks made with Okinawa-grown acerola. In every glass you enjoy on our terrace overlooking the Kerama Islands, there are donut-shaped trees, the Okinawan sun, and sixty years of a story that began with a couple who refused to give up. You don’t need to know the nutrition facts. You don’t need to know the history. If you take one sip and think “this is good” — that’s more than enough. But if, after you’ve finished, you happen to remember this article — the meaning of that tartness might change, just a little.