Corporate
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Sales Pitch

Export of konjac products manufactured by OHARA CORPORATION Ltd.

[Business description and features]

　The Kanazawa Konnyaku Institute Co., Ltd. was established to export konnyaku-related foodstuffs produced by Ohara Co.,Ltd. internationally. Ohara Co.,Ltd. is certified as a company driving regional growth, with annual sales of approximately 1.2 billion yen (as of February 2020), with 50% of its sales related to konjac, 35% of sales related to jelly and pudding, and 15% of sales from primary processed products such as baked potato paste. Regarding konjac, our shirataki noodles for oden are sold in around 7,000 convenience stores nationwide. We manufacture around 300 varieties of jellies as OEM products for renowned pastry chefs nationwide. Last year saw the arrival of the tapioca boom, and we developed konjac tapioca that is heat- and freeze-resistant, which increased our sales significantly. Our main customers are major convenience stores and major ice-cream manufacturers that have the manufacturing capacity to deliver to approximately 50,000 stores and have obtained the JFSB quality standard in Japan.

[Outline of major products/technology/products/services/example cases]

　We developed our konjac rice using starch and konjac flour as the main added ingredients. Unlike our competitors’ products, which simply contain added konjac flour, a major characteristic of our product is its ongoing water retention. In addition, even if you wash it in water, soak it together with normal rice from the previous day and use it as the effect lasts, which makes handling it simple.
　Konjac rice provides excellent health benefits, being able to absorb 2.5 times as much water as ordinary rice. If you add 360 ml of water to 150 g of rice and 60 g of konjac rice (equivalent to 150 g of rice) and cook them the usual way, you will have 36% less intake of calories and 40% less sugar compared with ordinary rice.
　Similar konjac rice is imported from Indonesia as well; however, the konjac rice made in Japan is safe and provides peace of mind as the quality is properly managed. Moreover, the drying process is considerably labor-saving; therefore, the cost is similar to that of imported products, which is why it is competitive overall.

[Application/acquisition of intellectual property (patents and utility models)]

We have submitted a patent application (2018-69149) related to our manufacturing method.

[Track record of transactions and development with major companies]
The group company Ohara Co., Ltd. has a track record in supplying approximately 50,000 convenience stores in Japan with products such as tapioca-style konjac and baked potato paste.

[Track record of transactions and development with overseas companies]
The group company Ohara Co., Ltd. has a track record in exporting approximately 10 million yen of products such as jelly mainly to Hong Kong and China.

[Message from the representative (Initiatives for future market development with an intention to utilize J-GoodTech]
　Konjac is a traditional food of Japan that has been eaten since the Nara Period, around 1,500 years ago. Although konjac is a food with almost no calories or sugar that is rich in dietary fiber, conventional konjac products are no longer being sold amid the change in food culture in recent years. Conversely, we have discovered there is still demand when we were able to develop products that matched the times, such as our konjac jelly and the tapioca-style konjac that became popular last year.
　Owing to the fact that the industry itself is stagnating, we consider it our mission to take konjac products that have been handed down from ancient times, arrange them in a modern style, and sell them widely around the world. Through J-GoodTech, we have pursued the potential of konjac and manufactured products that suit new customers and the times we live in.

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Hokuriku Head Office, SMRJ