Iwate

Food

The long-established sake brewery “Seiki no Ichishuzo” develops new non-alcoholic products! “Koharu Coke”

2021.01.17

The long-established sake brewery Seiki no Ichishuzo Co., Ltd., located in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, will release a new non-alcoholic beverage craft cola “Koharu Cola” on January 18, 2021 (Monday), which is rare in sake brewing.

Shipments of sake and craft beer to restaurants fell due to the corona sickness, and while the local cuisine restaurants we are developing were hit hard with less than 50% compared to last year, we found a way out in new product development and craft cola “Koharu” “Coke” has been released.

>Click here for details

What is craft cola "Koharu cola"?

As the name suggests, it is a local cola (sparkling drink). Craft Cola “Koharu Cola” is a locally produced beverage with handmade craftsmanship brewed by our company.

Development history of craft cola

Since 2009, after the earthquake, we have been conducting research on making beer using locally produced malt under our local beer brand “Iwate Kura Beer”. In the process, I was actually researching local cola by applying beer brewing technology in 2010 to develop soft drinks.

Product development was completed to some extent, and it was well received at exhibitions, etc., but from the middle of the development of cola, local beer, which is an existing product, has a craft beer boom, and beer brewing (production of existing products) is full. It was temporarily suspended.

In 2020, the coronavirus issued a state of emergency, and shipments to restaurants nationwide stopped, leaving the factory with extra capacity. In particular, the demand for alcohol in restaurants at night has decreased, and we have entered a difficult time. Due to the time and spare capacity of the factory, product development was resumed around April 2020, and “Koharu Coke” was completed.

By brewing not only alcohol but also non-alcoholic drinks, we will protect the family business by acquiring new sales channels as well as beer bars and taverns.

Features of "Koharu Coke"

Koharu Cola is a sparkling beverage brewed using only natural ingredients and no sugar.

The main ingredient of Koharu Cola is “Koharu Nijo Barley” grown locally. Koharu Nijo Barley is saccharified to give it a sweet taste. This goes along with the process of brewing beer and making starch syrup.
In addition, various spices are used for Koharu cola, such as nutmeg, coriander, and ginger, which also utilize beer brewing techniques.

The result is a sparkling beverage that uses only natural ingredients, without any sugar or flavors.
It is a product that can be provided with peace of mind to children who were not targeted by long-established liquor stores.

"Koharu Coke" design

The design of Koharu Coke is based on the image of Kokeshi dolls in order to become a local cola that represents the Tohoku region. There is only one flavor, but there are 6 types of kokeshi doll faces and 6 types of the same label, so there are 36 combinations.

It’s a time of corona and stress, but I chose this design because I want it to be a drink that is relieved not only in taste but also in appearance.

Before the sale, we won the "Special Backorder Award" at the 7th New Tohoku Souvenir Contest!

The “New Tohoku Souvenir Contest” is a contest to support product promotion and market development for buyers and consumers. This time, the 7th time, we received the largest number of applications for 273 products in history.

Among them, 54 award-winning products were selected by the screening, and “Koharu Coke” received the “Special Order Award” from among them, and it is attracting attention from all sides.

>New Tohoku Souvenir Contest Online Exhibition

Koharu Coke Sales Strategy

It will be sold online at its own company, supermarkets for natural foods, home delivery companies, organic cafes, interior shops, etc. In addition, we are planning to sell it in places where we can sell non-alcoholic drinks, such as highway service areas and roadside stations, which we could not associate with.

Koharu Coke

Capacity: 330ml
Price: 450 yen (excluding tax) / 495 yen (tax included)
Ingredients: Malt, apple juice, lemon juice, coriander, nutmeg, ginger
How to save: Store at room temperature
Best-by date: 6 months
Manufacturing company: Seiki no Ichishuzo Co., Ltd. (5-42 Tamura-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture 021-0885)
TEL: 0191-21-1144

>Sales site
>World Happy Ichishu Brewery Homepage

New

New

Featured articles

Hiroshima

Art

The Most Beautiful Museum in the World: Simose Art Museum Wins UNESCO’s Prestigious Versailles Prize!

--

Food

[ Kimuraya (department store)]Snowman’ is available only during the Christmas period. Japanese Stollen, made with traditional sake-type dough and Japanese ingredients, is on sale again this year.

December sees the arrival of a number of Christmas breads. The Snowman with his cute smiling face is a sweet loaf with two different flavours: pudding cream and chocolate cream. It is a heartwarming treat with flavours that both children and adults can enjoy.

Also back this year is the popular Japanese Stollen, which was a big hit last year. This is a special cake that can only be tasted at Kimuraya, using Japanese-inspired ingredients such as persimmons, figs and koshi-an (sweet bean paste). Please take this opportunity to try Kimuraya’s limited edition Christmas bread.

Hiroshima

Art

ZIPANGU Contemporary artists who have run through the Heisei era” Takashi Murakami x Sueo Mizuma dialogue: ‘Beyond the Theory of Artistic Entrepreneurship’ / Interview with Mr. Mizuma: ‘Rediscovering the Value of Japanese Culture by the Japanese People

The Hiroshima Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition “ZIPANGU: Contemporary Artists Who Defined the Heisei Era” (November 2, 2024 – December 22, 2024). This showcase brings together works by some of the most prominent figures in Japan’s contemporary art scene, including Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Makoto Aida, Yoshitomo Nara, Chiharu Shiota, Izumi Kato, Akira Yamaguchi, and Miwa Komatsu. The exhibition has already garnered significant attention, exceeding 10,000 visitors.

HYAKKEI covered the dialogue between contemporary artist Takashi Murakami and Sueo Mizuma, the curator of this exhibition, held at the RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima. We also conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Mizuma.

The discussions centered on the aspirations behind the ZIPANGU exhibition and offered forward-looking insights, not only into Japan’s art world but also into the rediscovery of value within Japanese culture by its people.

Hiroshima

Travel

Culture

Two types of autumn-only red seals, ‘Chrysanthemum and Tanzaku’ and ‘Autumn Leaves and Candles’, are now available at Daisho-in Temple, Miyajima, a World Heritage island.

Two types of paper seals made exclusively for autumn, ‘Chrysanthemum and Tanzaku’ and ‘Autumn Leaves and Candles’, have been available since Monday 9 September at Daisho-in Temple on the World Heritage island of Miyajima. Quantities are limited and will run out as soon as they are gone.

Pick Up

Pick Up