The 2nd Phase of Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture's Local Ice Cream 'Koga Craft Ice &' Has Arrived!
Koga City Regional Promotion Public Corporation will release collaborative ice cream flavors with Yamazaki Biscuits' 'Noir' and 'Lemon Pack' on April 27 as the second phase of 'Koga Craft Ice &'.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 10:46 (14 min after Collected)
Koga City Regional Promotion Public Corporation will launch two new flavors on April 27, 2026, as the second installment of the local ice cream brand "Koga Craft Ice &", which utilizes local ingredients. This time, collaborative flavors featuring Yamazaki Biscuits Co., Ltd. (hereinafter YBC)'s long-selling snacks "Noir" and "Lemon Pack" will be introduced, as YBC has its sole domestic manufacturing base in Koga City.
What is "Koga Craft Ice &"?
It is a project that delivers new value by "& (connecting)" creators in Koga City with carefully crafted items. Following the first joint development with HARIO Co., Ltd., this collaboration was realized with YBC, a company that symbolizes Koga as a "city of manufacturing."
Details of new flavors: Carefully selected "texture" and "balance"
For this development, gelato expert Kiyoshi Negishi participated as a supervisor. While making the most of the natural flavor of the base milk, ingenuity was applied to maximize the appeal of the snacks.
1. Noir (YBC collaboration)
Characteristics: Uses "Noir," characterized by its deep cocoa flavor and rich cacao feeling. Noir cookies use plenty of carefully selected black cocoa powder, and by adding cacao mass, they are finished with a deep taste and rich cocoa flavor.
Commitment: By mixing two types of cookies, "coarsely crushed" and "finely crushed," the texture and flavor of the cookies blossom with every bite.
2. Lemon Pack (YBC collaboration)
Characteristics: Uses the long-selling product "Lemon Pack," characterized by refreshing lemon cream and salty crackers. "Lemon Pack" features a refreshing sweet and sour taste combining moderately salty crackers with the crisp acidity of lemon cream.
Commitment: The light texture and toast-like aroma of the crackers harmonize with the sweetness of the milk in an exquisite balance.
Development background and thoughts
Yamazaki Biscuits Co., Ltd. Comment
"For our company, the Koga Plant is an indispensable and vital production base that has continued to deliver products to customers nationwide for over 50 years. We are very much looking forward to deepening our ties with the local community through this collaboration with the local government.
When I first tasted the finished product, I took the first bite with great excitement to see what new form our snacks had taken. When I actually tasted it, I was surprised by the 'unknown deliciousness' that was different from eating it as is, created by combining familiar biscuits and crackers with milk. It is truly a fresh sensation full of surprises that makes you feel the 'fresh encounter' between the ingredients and the ice cream.
Supervisor Mr. Negishi's expression of the exquisite 'balance' to bring out the texture and aroma of the ingredients feels perfectly suited for this taste. We hope that many people will experience this new way of enjoying it, either as a reward for themselves or as a souvenir for their loved ones."
Supervisor: Kiyoshi Negishi's Comment
"In developing these new flavors, what I valued most was how to bring out the appeal of the snacks, which are the main characters, while protecting the natural deliciousness of the base milk. By using natural and fresh ingredients and setting the gentle flavor of milk as the foundation, the best harmony with the ingredients is born for the first time.
Since this was a combination with 'baked sweets', I racked my brains on how to express their crispiness and aroma within the gelato. What I was particularly particular about was how to crush the snacks. I purposely adopted a method of mixing two types: 'coarsely crushed' and 'finely crushed'. By having fine particles melt into the base, you can feel the flavor of the ingredients from the first bite, and when a large piece occasionally enters your mouth, the texture and aroma blossom brilliantly. I aimed for a surprising finish.
Yamazaki Biscuits' 'Noir' and 'Lemon Pack' are familiar to Japanese people and have a perfected taste. For that reason, until I found the 'good balance' when mixed as gelato, I repeated trial and error many times while changing the amount and crushing degree. When I myself achieved a convincing balance, I was very excited to encounter this new deliciousness, and I feel that I have truly landed on a 'good balance'."
Recommended way to enjoy: Even more delicious with "additional biscuits"!
The ice cream is delicious as is, but we also recommend adding extra "Noir" or "Lemon Pack" as a garnish!
Recommended eating method 1: Scooping the ice cream with Noir or Lemon Pack makes the freshly made crispy texture stand out.
Recommended eating
What is "Koga Craft Ice &"?
It is a project that delivers new value by "& (connecting)" creators in Koga City with carefully crafted items. Following the first joint development with HARIO Co., Ltd., this collaboration was realized with YBC, a company that symbolizes Koga as a "city of manufacturing."
Details of new flavors: Carefully selected "texture" and "balance"
For this development, gelato expert Kiyoshi Negishi participated as a supervisor. While making the most of the natural flavor of the base milk, ingenuity was applied to maximize the appeal of the snacks.
1. Noir (YBC collaboration)
Characteristics: Uses "Noir," characterized by its deep cocoa flavor and rich cacao feeling. Noir cookies use plenty of carefully selected black cocoa powder, and by adding cacao mass, they are finished with a deep taste and rich cocoa flavor.
Commitment: By mixing two types of cookies, "coarsely crushed" and "finely crushed," the texture and flavor of the cookies blossom with every bite.
2. Lemon Pack (YBC collaboration)
Characteristics: Uses the long-selling product "Lemon Pack," characterized by refreshing lemon cream and salty crackers. "Lemon Pack" features a refreshing sweet and sour taste combining moderately salty crackers with the crisp acidity of lemon cream.
Commitment: The light texture and toast-like aroma of the crackers harmonize with the sweetness of the milk in an exquisite balance.
Development background and thoughts
Yamazaki Biscuits Co., Ltd. Comment
"For our company, the Koga Plant is an indispensable and vital production base that has continued to deliver products to customers nationwide for over 50 years. We are very much looking forward to deepening our ties with the local community through this collaboration with the local government.
When I first tasted the finished product, I took the first bite with great excitement to see what new form our snacks had taken. When I actually tasted it, I was surprised by the 'unknown deliciousness' that was different from eating it as is, created by combining familiar biscuits and crackers with milk. It is truly a fresh sensation full of surprises that makes you feel the 'fresh encounter' between the ingredients and the ice cream.
Supervisor Mr. Negishi's expression of the exquisite 'balance' to bring out the texture and aroma of the ingredients feels perfectly suited for this taste. We hope that many people will experience this new way of enjoying it, either as a reward for themselves or as a souvenir for their loved ones."
Supervisor: Kiyoshi Negishi's Comment
"In developing these new flavors, what I valued most was how to bring out the appeal of the snacks, which are the main characters, while protecting the natural deliciousness of the base milk. By using natural and fresh ingredients and setting the gentle flavor of milk as the foundation, the best harmony with the ingredients is born for the first time.
Since this was a combination with 'baked sweets', I racked my brains on how to express their crispiness and aroma within the gelato. What I was particularly particular about was how to crush the snacks. I purposely adopted a method of mixing two types: 'coarsely crushed' and 'finely crushed'. By having fine particles melt into the base, you can feel the flavor of the ingredients from the first bite, and when a large piece occasionally enters your mouth, the texture and aroma blossom brilliantly. I aimed for a surprising finish.
Yamazaki Biscuits' 'Noir' and 'Lemon Pack' are familiar to Japanese people and have a perfected taste. For that reason, until I found the 'good balance' when mixed as gelato, I repeated trial and error many times while changing the amount and crushing degree. When I myself achieved a convincing balance, I was very excited to encounter this new deliciousness, and I feel that I have truly landed on a 'good balance'."
Recommended way to enjoy: Even more delicious with "additional biscuits"!
The ice cream is delicious as is, but we also recommend adding extra "Noir" or "Lemon Pack" as a garnish!
Recommended eating method 1: Scooping the ice cream with Noir or Lemon Pack makes the freshly made crispy texture stand out.
Recommended eating