On October 10th (Thursday), Torokuya Co., Ltd., a sweetened soybean specialty store founded in 1926 (located in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, CEO Takeshi Kondo) launched the concept of “hands on the blessings of nature”. ``SHUKA,'' a timeless confectionery brand made with only seeds and sugar, has debuted.

While making use of the ancient food preservation technique used to make amanatto called ``sugar pickles,'' the ingredients used include azuki beans and toroku beans, as well as cacao, pistachio, and other seeds that are loved overseas.The crowdfunding that preceded the debut has already attracted attention, such as achieving the target amount of 4 million yen in 150 days.We asked Takeshi Kondo, the producer, about the development story.

The road to the birth of SHUKA

　Amanatto is a Japanese confectionery that was developed in the Edo period, when sweets were still valuable, and craftsmen wanted to make sweets easy, focusing on cowpeas, which were not even considered as raw materials at that time.It is a food culture unique to Japan in that it uses beans for sugar pickling, which is one of the preservation techniques.

　After graduating from graduate school, I decided to take over the family business.In that process, I realized both the issues and value of amanatto, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.The problem is that it has a negative image of sweets for the elderly, old-fashioned, too sweet, sweet natto, etc. is not).

　On the other hand, it's very simple with only beans and sugar, and it's plant-based, so people with various dietary restrictions, such as allergies, religion, and vegetarianism, can eat it without worry.What I particularly valued is the attitude of respecting living things and nature, such as leaving the color and shape of the material in its entirety.

　In 2018, we exhibited at the Slow Food World Convention in Italy with the desire to disseminate amanatto and Japanese culture to the world.The results were not as good as we expected.What made me think here is what kind of sweets are loved all over the world?That's what it means.One of the answers was in the chocolate I saw on site.Taking this as a hint, in 2020, we announced Amanatto, a cocoa bean.

　However, although it was evaluated somewhat, it did not reach the point where it changed the image of amanatto so far.After all, it is necessary to create a brand that is higher than the product.With that in mind, I wanted to create a world-class brand, so I went to see Masashichi Nakagawa, the chairman of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, which is famous for branding.What I heard was a word, "Amanatto is basically seeds and sugar."From here, the seed confectionery brand “SHUKA” was born, which expresses it in a straightforward manner.

Shuka is a sweet made from only seeds and sugar, where you can fully enjoy the individuality of the ingredients, both old and new.

Inheriting Traditions and Taking on New Challenges

　I want to leave amanatto.In the amanatto industry that continues to go out of business, I wanted to entrust the old and new form of amanatto to "SHUKA".Our job as successors is to carefully inherit what was originally there and change it according to the times.Knowing which parts to keep and which parts to change, and not neglecting our ingenuity, has a great deal to do with the survival of the family business.

　So far, we have inherited our company's strength of making amanatto, but we have changed the concept so that more people can eat it regardless of age or nationality, and the future prospects have opened up. rice field.

Admiration for young people of the same generation

　In the future, we will first work on the development of seasonal products.For example, fruits are commonly pickled in sugar in the West, and they are originally intended to carry the seeds, which I think is typical of SHUKA.I also want people to enjoy pairing the seeds with different drinks.From next year, we will try to make Western sweets using seeds, and aim to entertain people from all over the world with SHUKA at the 2025 Osaka Expo.

　In addition, I would like people around the world to eat amanatto by developing new products related to seeds and expanding shops with an eye on overseas markets.
To put it in a slightly abstract way, through the production of amanatto, I want to contribute to the creation of a prosperous society in which people and people, and people and nature are in harmony.It's a very ambitious wish, but nothing would make me happier than if young people of my age develop a yearning for traditional industries while working toward that goal.

A concept shop that “makes you feel like a seed”

Message to high school and college students

　I believe that nothing I have done so far has been in vain.Originally, I had no intention of taking over the family business.As for how I feel now that I have become a manager, I can only say that the subject has changed.

　When I first took over the family business, I wanted to make up for my lack of practical experience with the scientific experiment methods I learned at university, and continued to digitize the work of my predecessor in detail.Thanks to that, we are now able to reproduce the techniques of our predecessors in a short period of time.Even if you can't see the future, devote yourself to whatever interests you at that moment.That way, even if you don't get what you're aiming for right away, it will eventually come to life.

　Also, I think it's important to do what you can only do at that time.After graduating from graduate school, I worked at a long-established confectionery store for two years.I didn't have any experience helping out in the family business, so I thought it would be useless to start working right away.At the same time, I thought that once I started the family business, I would continue doing it for the rest of my life.Looking back, I feel that the experiences I gained during those two years have been very useful to me today.