A Long-Established Japanese Confectionery Tackles 'Zero-Waste Community Building' – Transforming Substandard Vegetables, Damaged Fruits, and Unused Resources into 'Wagashi You Can Only Eat Here'

Okamedo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture / Representative Director: Takahiko Mori), a long-established Japanese confectionery maker that has been creating wagashi in the Higashi-Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture for over 75 years, is announcing the 'Sustainable Wagashi Project' to coincide with 'Wagashi no Hi' (Japanese Confectionery Day) on June 16th. This project utilizes substandard local agricultural products and unused resources from local businesses.

Vegetables that cannot be sold to the market just because of their shape.
Fruits that are discarded just because they have blemishes.
Unused food resources generated during the manufacturing process.

Things that would normally be considered 'valueless.'
However, Okamedo sees in them the 'potential to connect to the future of the region.'

Using the skills and creativity of wagashi artisans, they transform the individuality of these ingredients into 'new deliciousness.'
And they connect the feelings of producers and local businesses to the next generation.

This is not just product development.

Through wagashi,
creating 'a society that makes full use of local resources' –
This is Okamedo's new challenge for regional revitalization.

■ Farmers' 'Problems' Become Wagashi's 'New Deliciousness'

The Higashi-Mikawa region is one of Japan's leading agricultural areas.
However, behind the scenes, many agricultural products are discarded daily as 'substandard' and unable to enter the distribution channel.

'The taste is the same, but we can't sell them just because of their shape.'
'They don't fetch a price just because they have blemishes.'

Hearing these voices from producers, Okamedo thought.

'Can't we use these ingredients for wagashi?'

Wagashi doesn't require ingredients to have a uniform shape.
Steaming. Boiling. Kneading. Wrapping.
Through the artisan's skill, the very individuality of the ingredient can be transformed into an attraction.

So far, Okamedo has developed numerous products utilizing local ingredients.

■ Substandard Sweet Potatoes → Higashi-Mikawa Local Confectionery 'Oni Manju'

Using Toyohashi-grown sweet potatoes that were too deformed to be sold on the market.
Leveraging their chunky texture and natural sweetness, this has become a popular local confectionery that is 'old-fashioned yet new.'

■ Blemished Figs → 'Fig Galette' and 'Jelly'

Transforming blemished figs, which are difficult to handle on the market, into sweets full of fruit pulp.
Many have expressed surprise, saying, 'This is the first time I've had a product with such a strong fig flavor.'

■ Small Strawberries → 'Fresh Strawberry Milk Chunk Bomb Daifuku'

A bold product that wraps strawberries, which are difficult to distribute due to their small size, 'whole.'
It became a topic of conversation for its visual impact and overwhelming juiciness.

What all these products have in common is
that they don't 'hide the ingredients,' but rather 'make the ingredients the star.'

Ingredients that were meant to be discarded
are reborn as 'popular products you can only buy here.'

■ The Umami of Tsukudani in Mitarashi Dango?

A 'Miraculous Sauce' Born from Collaboration Between Local Businesses

In the spring of 2024, Okamedo collaborated with a long-established local tsukudani (food simmered in soy sauce) shop to develop a product rare even nationwide.

That product is –
a special Mitarashi Dango that uses the 'umami seasoning liquid' generated during tsukudani production.

This seasoning liquid would normally have been discarded.
But it was concentrated with the deep umami of kelp and soy sauce.

'Wouldn't this go well with Mitarashi sauce?'

With this playful idea, they began prototyping.

Through repeated trials,
they completed an 'addictive Mitarashi sauce' with umami spreading behind the sweetness.

This project was realized because Toyohashi Shinkin Bank sympathized with Okamedo's desire to 'connect local businesses and create new value' and acted as an intermediary.

It became more than just a collaboration product;
it was a 'product connecting local sentiments' and generated a great response.

■ Wagashi is Inherently a Very Sustainable Food Culture

Wagashi has long been built on the wisdom of 'living in harmony with nature.'

Using up seasonal ingredients.
Creatively utilizing leftover ingredients.
Preserving deliciousness through artisan skill without relying on preservatives.

Okamedo also continues to make confections that bring out the natural deliciousness of ingredients, minimizing the use of preservatives and sterilizing agents.

That's why,
instead of thinking 'we can't process it, so we discard it,'

the idea of 'how can we make the most delicious use of this ingredient'

is naturally ingrained.

Local farmers.
Local businesses.
Local financial institutions.
Local children.

Reducing 'mottainai' across the entire region
and creating 'value that can only be born here.'

That is the 'regional revitalization' that Okamedo envisions.

■ On the Occasion of June 16th, 'Wagashi no Hi'

June 16th is 'Wagashi no Hi' (Japanese Confectionery Day).

It is said to originate from the Heian period, when confections were offered to the gods to pray for protection from epidemics and good health.

And in the modern era.

The wish we want to put into wagashi is
'to connect the life of the region to the next generation.'

Breathing new life into ingredients that were meant to be thrown away.
Local businesses supporting each other and creating new value.
Increasing smiles in the community through wagashi.

Okamedo will continue to
remember the spirit of 'challenge and innovation,'

and continue its challenge as a 'company that energizes the region through wagashi.'

[Company Overview]
Okamedo Co., Ltd.
Location: 164 Minami Koike-cho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
Representative Director: Takahiko Mori

Website: https://okamedo.jp/
Online Shop: https://okamedo.jp/online-shop/
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/okamedo_jp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okamedo_jp/