Creating New Food Value from Akita's Own Factory. 'Honke Abeya', the Store of the Hinai-dori Production Manager, Launches New Brand 'HINAI75' Specializing in Functionality. Redefining the Value of the Hinai-dori First-Generation Crossbreed 'Rooster'.

Honke Abeya Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shinya Ogasawara), which operates 'Akita Hinai-dori Production Manager's Store Honke Abeya', announces the official launch of its new brand 'HINAI75', specializing in the functionality of the 'rooster' from the first-generation crossbreeding of Hinai-dori.

This brand originates from research and development at the 'Hinai Food Factory', a food exploration hub in Odate City, Akita Prefecture, and aims to maximize the potential of nature's blessings and life. It seeks to explore new value in life and establish a sustainable food business model.

The Value of 'Zero-Order Processing' from a Biological Rationality Perspective, and the Role of the Hinai Food Factory

We established the 'Hinai Food Factory', a food exploration hub, by repurposing the former Oozuna Elementary School building in Hinai Town, Odate City, Akita Prefecture. We define 'zero-order processing' as the process where nature itself brings out the potential of ingredients before any artificial cooking, through the blessings of nature: 'high-freshness chicken', the 'extractive power of Hinai natural water' that maximizes the life of the ingredients, and the 'fermentative power of indigenous koji (rice malt)' cultivated in the same terroir. We have applied this 'zero-order processing', which is only possible at the production site, backed the cooking philosophy of 'Wind, Water, Fire' with the latest science, and proven the artisan's intuition with evidence.

This production-area-focused research hub is the source that gave birth to the newly launched brand 'HINAI75'.

Background of the Brand Establishment

Hinai-dori is characterized by the umami of its reddish meat and the deep flavor of its yellowish fat, and has mainly been distributed centered on hens. While respecting its history and strict brand certification standards, Honke Abeya's daily engagement with chickens led to the discovery that unique nutrients accumulate during the rooster's particularly vigorous growth process.

The certification standard for Hinai-dori stipulates that 'males must be raised for 100 days or more'. Our verification using component analysis confirmed that when focusing on 'functionality' such as collagen and amino acid content, roosters show unique potential at the stage of '75 days (to 80 days)'. Although they cannot obtain brand certification as 'Hinai-dori' because the rearing period does not meet the standard, this brand adopts cooking at 75 days (to 80 days) from the unique perspective of prioritizing functionality above all else. The brand name 'HINAI75' incorporates regulations for bloodline, rearing methods, cooking timing, etc., to ensure this quality.

Visit the official brand website here.

The Appeal of 'HINAI75' Nutrients

CROWN COLLECTION Functional Product: 'Whole Chicken Boiled Extract (Milky White)'

The core basic lineup, 'Whole Chicken Boiled Extract (Milky White)', is a natural functional body soup made through 'zero-order processing', using only 75-day-old young roosters and Hinai natural water, boiled whole without any additives. Its greatest appeal lies in its nutritional specifications, which, despite being made through a natural process, surpass even commercially available functional products.

'HINAI75' will offer the 'Whole Chicken Boiled Extract' for directly ingesting these rare components, and a meal kit collection that combines the powerful essence as 'dashi' with brand ingredients.

'Batch Sales Method' to Savor Nature's 'Fluctuations' and Enjoy the Experience

To honor the life that grows over 75 days, we have adopted a sales method for each batch (rearing lot). The finish of the 'rooster' ingredients and the materials used for cooking will vary slightly each time depending on Akita's natural environment during that period. 'HINAI75' affirms these 'fluctuations' as a law of nature and hopes customers will enjoy the experiential value that can only be tasted under the specific conditions of each batch. We also design highly transparent communication, including personalized notifications about the chicken's growth process until the ordered batch arrives, and announcements about new batch plans and limited lineups, allowing customers to enjoy the experience.

First Batch Theme to Mark the Launch

BATCH spécialité Batch Limited Product: 'Senshu Matsunami Cabbage Crystal Soup'

BATCH # 001 'Budding in Spring, Ripening in Early Summer.'

This batch, raised healthily under the spring sun and ready for shipment in late May amidst fresh greenery, is now on sale on the official brand website. As a limited-quantity item exclusive to this batch, we have prepared a limited-edition soup featuring 'Senshu Matsunami Cabbage' with its outstanding sweetness, simmered into a melt-in-your-mouth crystal soup with a special broth. Only natural salt is used for seasoning, creating a flavor unique to this season where the umami of the ingredients complements each other.

In addition, we propose 5 types of REGULAR LINEUP standard products.

'Inaniwa Udon with Chicken Paitan Broth'

'Hinai-dori Mizutaki (Hot Pot)'

'Akita Komachi Kiritanpo Nabe (Hot Pot)'

'Hinai-dori Oyakodon - Charcoal-Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with Egg Yolk'

Maximizing Regional Resources and Future Prospects

Many resources in rural areas possess excellent quality but do not receive the attention they deserve. This issue is no exception in Akita, and we have faced this reality through our deep involvement with the production area. This project is a challenge to redefine the value of such 'resources' and create new markets.

This project is promoted based on a strategic partnership combining our company's strengths in food R&D and cooking techniques with the expertise of Traspect Co., Ltd., which excels in business planning and marketing. We focus on the essence of value in regional resources, combine optimal planning and customer experiences, and work to redefine that value. By delivering value directly to the market through a D2C model, we aim to give back to the production area and achieve sustainable regional growth, establishing a new standard for regional revitalization from Akita.