September 2019 NEWSLETTER Check out what we've been up to! |
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Hi Wagashilovers! Spring is almost here! It's probably our favourite time of the year for seasonal wagashi and designs (though not our favourite for hayfever!). In this newsletter we'll look ahead to the season's offerings including these new designs (pictured) and special events! It's been a busy winter season however, with MinnieSweets attending two amazing tea events: The Melbourne Tea Festival 2019 and the first Melbourne BrewIn! While both events centred around the wonderful world of teas, each event was focussed on different aspects of tea culture. The Tea Festival showcased an amazing variety of teas, vendors and experiences while the BrewIn focussed on deep and personalised workshops and tastings. Suffice to say we were very pleased to have been a part of both and meet so many new wagashilovers! Winter also saw a project we've been working on for some time come to life: Our very first run of MinnieSweets Nerikiri Experience Workshops! We would like to thank everyone who participated in our pilot workshop and all our workshop participants! It took a lot of preparation and planning, but the 2.5 hour introductory workshops were a smash hit and the quality of the work and feedback from our students is really giving us confidence to continue running them. You'll find out more later in the newsletter, but if you're interested, keep an eye on our website for workshops in the future! I also had the opportunity to be interviewed on community radio station 3zzz about what drives our passion for wagashi. The interview is only in Japanese but it's a great opportunity to find out more about MinnieSweets and our purpose and motivation. As always, please don't hesitate to drop us an email or DM on FB or Insta, about things you would like to see more of and we will try to include them in our updates. We love hearing from you! Yours, Minnie |
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Melbourne Tea Festival 2019 |
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Held at the incredible Meat Market venue in North Melbourne, the Melbourne Tea Festival 2019 was so popular they had to turn people away at the door! (Actually we think they could have absolutely fit more customers in but unfortunately we hear they were limited by venue policy!) A big thank you the organisers and volunteers of a very well run event. We not only had the opportunity to meet so many new wagashilovers, we were amazed at all the incredible vendors and serious experts that were there during both sessions. We loved seeing some boundary pushing new ideas like cold brewed teas, some insanely high quality teas and wonderfully matched sweets and treats. Every customer also received these little tasting cups that could be washed, which allow the ability to taste widely and thoroughly everything that was on offer. The festival itself is held every other year, alternating between Melbourne and Sydney and we do hope to attend another festival in the future! |
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The Melbourne BrewIn held in Collingwood was a wonderful change of pace to the bustle of festivals, with a real focus on the opportunity to get deep into leaf teas! We really appreciated the care and preparation by the all the organisers and vendors to create a calm learning environment in which to immerse into the experience of the various kinds of tea on offer. To ensure that we fit into the vibe, we were able to match our own wagashi flavours with several teas and found some amazing and unexpected pairings! For example, we found our red sweet bean paste really matched with some oolong varieties, but unexpectedly so did our yuzu flavour, which is typically quite strong! It's rare, but we relished the opportunity to have longer conversations with new customers and hopefully we created some new fans of Japanese confectionery! Massive shout out to the organising group for allowing us to be a part of the inaugural BrewIn - they ran a very successful event and we wouldn't hesitate to be a part of it again. |
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Nerikiri Experience Workshops |
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Our first Nerikiri Experience Workshops were an incredible opportunity to offer our participants a much closer, hands on experience with creating the confectionery typically matched as part of the Japanese tea ceremony! Everyone was so curious and open to learning and trying out unfamiliar techniques, and left with a greater appreciation of the delicate edible works of art. We loved that many wanted to keep on making even though we ran out of time! We can honestly say, at the start we underestimated how much time, preparation and planning was needed, but we are so thankful to our pilot and workshop participants for allowing us to test and learn with them. Due to the success of this first run of workshops, we are now busy planning for more: Keep an eye on our website but as a subscriber, you will be the first to know about them! |
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Product spotlight: Spring Nerikiri |
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Ah Spring! It's a wonderful time to enjoy warming weather and the burst of new life and blooms. You might say that nerikiri was born out of this love of immersing in the moment and season! Nerikiri translates to "knead" and "cut", which references the way these traditional sweets are made. Enjoying nerikiri with a good quality green tea is a must! It's the perfect time to showcase the designs and flavours we have on offer, from our simple white bean, yuzu and adzuki to the burst of flavour from passionfruit! |
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3ZZZ Radio interview We are so grateful to 3ZZZ, Midori and Toshihiro for hosting Minnie in their Japanese Program! We have learned so much while developing our business, and this opportunity to share our inspiration and passion for wagashi was absolutely a part of what we're about. Our sons also got the chance to see a fully working radio station and they loved it! Listen to the interview here (in Japanese only). |
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We're back at the wonderful Hank Marvin Market! They've had a venue change but it's still the same awesome hangout with the vibe and carefully curated vendors you know well. We'll be there Saturday 21 July at Elsternwick Primary School, 44 Murphy St Brighton 9am-3pm. Come along for your wagashifix and make a day of it! | | |
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We have to admit, there isn't a market quite like the Heidi Maker's Market! Such an incredible mix of vendors setting out in the outdoor sculpture part of the Heidi Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen. We had such a great time when we were last there but sold out way too early ;) This time we'll be better prepared! See us at the Heidi Market on Saturday 12 October, 10am - 3pm. Heide Museum of Modern Art - Sculpture Park 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen VIC 3105 | | |
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This wonderful event is all about Japan cultural exchange through workshops, performances, music, art exhibitions and food! We are so excited to be a part of this event as our purpose is to bring the joy of authentic Japanese confectionery to Melbourne! More information to come, but definitely one to mark out in your calendars: Japan Culture and Art Festival Sunday 27 October at Collingwood Town Hall | | |
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Until next time wagashilovers! |
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