Jumonji University Department of Food Development Students Win Grand Prize at "Sayama Tea Drink Recipe Contest 2025"

Students from the Soya Seminar in the Department of Food Development, Faculty of Human Life Sciences at Jumonji University (Niiza City, Saitama Prefecture; President: Kazutoshi Adachi) have won the Grand Prize at the "Sayama Tea Drink Recipe Contest 2025" for their "Fukumikan Scented Tea Leaf Enjoyable Jelly Drink." The contest, organized by Saitama Prefecture, aims to propose new charms and ways to enjoy Sayama tea and promote it to a wider audience. This year, their creation was selected as the Grand Prize winner from 82 entries.

Professor Soya and the winning students.

A scene from the award ceremony at the prefectural office.

The winning entry features a jelly made from ground Sayama tea, allowing the entire tea leaf to be savored. It also incorporates "Fukumikan," an underutilized agricultural product from Tokigawa Town, Saitama Prefecture, in powder form, sprinkled over a milk foam topping. The judges highly praised the recipe for its ability to fully capture the rich flavor of Sayama tea, its effective utilization of regional resources and contribution to reducing food loss, its originality in leveraging the taste of Sayama tea, and its ease of preparation.

Furthermore, in response to a suggestion from President Adachi during the "Go, President's Office!" interview series that the winning entry should be introduced on campus, the university will offer the award-winning drink to students and faculty members, limited to 100 servings.

At Jumonji University, we promote practical learning that leads to the resolution of social issues through collaboration with communities and companies. By offering this award-winning drink, we aim to widely disseminate the appeal of regional ingredients and the results of our students' learning, while also increasing interest in Sayama tea and Saitama Prefecture's agricultural products.

At our university's open campus event in August, we plan to offer the award-winning drink to high school students and their parents. By allowing them to taste it, we hope to provide an opportunity to widely share our university's practical learning and community collaboration initiatives, as well as to promote the charm of Sayama tea and the value of the prefecture's agricultural products.

Campus Distribution Event Details

Date & Time: July 7, 2026 (Tue) 12:20 PM - 1:00 PM

Location: 1st Floor, Building 1, Plus Lounge

Target Audience: Jumonji University students and faculty

Number of Servings: Limited to 100 (will end once supplies run out)

Award-Winning Product Details

Product Name: "Fukumikan Scented Tea Leaf Enjoyable Jelly Drink"

Developed by: Jumonji University, Faculty of Human Life Sciences, Department of Food Development, Soya Seminar

【Features】

・A recipe that uses ground Sayama tea to make jelly, allowing the entire tea leaf to be savored.

・Utilizes "Fukumikan," an underutilized agricultural product from Tokigawa Town, Saitama Prefecture.

・Considers effective utilization of regional resources and reduction of food loss.

・A drink that offers a delightful jelly texture and the refreshing aroma of Fukumikan.

About the "Sayama Tea Drink Recipe Contest 2025"

This recipe contest was held with the aim of creating new charms and ways to enjoy "Sayama Tea," a brand Saitama Prefecture is proud of nationwide, and to promote its consumption to a wider range of generations. Original drink recipes using Sayama tea were solicited from across the country and judged on aspects such as appearance, taste, usability, and originality.

Sayama Tea Special Website: https://www.saitama-sayamatea.com/

Prefectural Government News (Press Release): https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/a0904/news/page/news2026031101.html

About Jumonji University

Jumonji University is a private university founded by the Jumonji Gakuen Educational Corporation in 1922. The university's founding spirit is embodied in its school song, "Cultivate the body, cultivate the mind, and live as a person of value to the world." Cherishing the spirit of nurturing women who have their own purpose in life and can contribute to society through their own abilities, the university aims to foster women who can act proactively and contribute to society even in a rapidly changing world.

Starting April 2027, the university will be upgraded to a 5-faculty, 9-department structure.

※Scheduled to open in April 2027 (under development). This is a plan and may be subject to change.

Jumonji University HP: https://www.jumonji-u.ac.jp/

・Department of Food Development

This department cultivates highly skilled professionals who can develop and provide foods with excellent safety, functionality, and taste, based on the "science of food."

※Foods developed to date

We have developed and sold products such as "Carrot Field Dressing" and "Burdock Field Dressing" using local vegetables harvested in Niiza City, as well as "Fukumikan Cola," a craft cola developed in participation with the Saitama Prefecture's "Hometown Support Team" for mountainous and rural areas.

※Various communications regarding the department

Official HP: https://www.jumonji-u.ac.jp/humanlife/development/

Official X: https://twitter.com/shokuhinkaihatu?s=20