Rooted in the inherent way of life and soil of Okinawa, Wellness East has practiced ethical and sustainable harvesting of our ingredients since day one. Honoring how the people and farmers of Okinawa cultivate the land, grow and utilize their plants with intention is a massive inspiration of why we initially started Wellness East and continue to work so closely with our resources on the island.
Farming for Okinawans is not separate from nature, but a beautiful expression of it. Sustainable farming is more than just an economic activity, it’s a cultural expression and relationship with the land. As global agriculture faces mounting environmental challenges, Okinawa offers a compelling example of how ancient wisdom and modern innovation can come together to create resilient, regenerative food systems.
The Shikuwasa lime used in our Daily Vibrancy and Glow Shikuwasa Powder is indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands. Today, it’s grown primarily in the lush northern region known as Yanbaru where rich soil, abundant rainfall and a subtropical climate create ideal growing conditions.
Because of this evolved environment. Shikuwasa requires less artificial inputs than non-native crops. This natural resilience makes it especially well-suited to sustainable and organic farming practices. Like many of the Shikuwasa farms across Okinawa, our resource is a small, family-owned operation that takes tremendous care with their product and relies on manual harvesting and organic soil enrichment.
The Japanese sweet potatoes in our Daily Immune Defense Support Purple Sweet Potato powder are grown intentionally and sustainably in Okinawa. Packed with anthronyacin, the pigment that gives antioxidant rich foods like blueberries, blackberries, and red grapes their color. Okinawan sweet potatoes contain 150% more antioxidants than blueberries and deliver a daily dose of defense. The Okinawan way of growing these purple sweet potatoes is a naturally sustainable method. Instead of using seeds, farmers use cuttings (slips) from established vines to produce new plants. This vegetative propagation method is highly efficient, allowing for continual harvesting from a single crop, which reduces waste. Because these sweet potatoes are well-suited to Okinawa's warm and humid subtropical climate, they are highly robust and suffer from few pest issues, reducing the need for pesticide application. After harvest, the potatoes are cured (stored warm for 5–7 days) to heal skin bruises and increase sweetness. This curing process enhances the shelf life of the potato, reducing food waste by allowing them to be stored for extended periods.
