YAHIKO Ave i Partners with Top Japanese Sausage Artisan to Launch Upcycled “YAHIKO BATON” Sausage

YAHIKO Ave i LLC, based in Yahiko Village, Niigata Prefecture and represented by Katsuhiko Warashina, has partnered with Takeshi Murakami, one of Japan’s leading sausage artisans and winner of the Crafted category at ICC Summit KYOTO 2025, one of Japan’s largest startup gateways. Together they will launch “YAHIKO BATON: Luxurious Sausage Made with Edamame from Yahiko Village,” an upcycled sausage designed to carry Yahiko’s prized branded edamame into the future. Sales begin on May 16, 2026, at Masuya Ajikata in Minami Ward, Niigata City. The product uses a generous amount of branded edamame from Yahiko Village, often called “phantom edamame” because it is so heavily consumed within Niigata that little reaches the broader market. Although the beans are premium in taste, some cannot be sold due to irregular sizing and other cosmetic reasons. Murakami’s craftsmanship gives new life to these out-of-spec ingredients. Made without any chemical additives and carefully balanced with free-range chicken, the sausage is designed as a product in which the ingredients speak for themselves. The initiative transforms a regional agricultural issue into the value of a high-quality dish and is part of a project aimed at improving producer income in Yahiko Village and promoting sustainable agriculture. The development began with the idea of turning “discarding” into “making use of.” Niigata Prefecture has Japan’s largest edamame cultivation area, yet ranks only seventh in shipment volume, largely because locals eat so much of it themselves. Yahiko Village edamame is a top brand known for its vivid green color and deep umami. However, around 50% is treated as off-spec simply because of uneven sizing, despite no difference in taste, and is discarded. To convert this waste into value, YAHIKO Ave i brought in Murakami, winner of the ICC Summit KYOTO 2025 Crafted category, to create an entirely new sausage starring edamame. Murakami said that the first time he tasted the edamame, he was left speechless by its vitality drawn from the earth and the overwhelming power of the ingredient itself. Wanting to deliver that impression as directly as possible, he began developing a sausage with edamame as the main character. He sees sausage not merely as food, but as a medium for conveying the story of ingredients. The resulting product is a dialogue between artisan technique and edamame grown in the soil of Yahiko. The product’s key features include a pure flavor with no chemical binders, color fixatives, preservatives, or amino-acid-based flavor enhancers; the use of free-range chicken instead of typical pork to let the delicate flavor and aroma of Yahiko edamame take center stage; and a creative upcycling concept that goes beyond reuse to create new value. Each sausage carries the aspirations of Yahiko’s producers and their challenge toward sustainable agriculture. The product is named YAHIKO BATON. Ingredients include domestic free-range chicken, pork casing, edamame from Yahiko Village in Niigata Prefecture, pistachio, rock salt, beet sugar, and cornstarch. Allergen labeling lists milk, wheat, and egg. The price is 2,000 yen before tax. Producer Takeshi Murakami is a modern sausage researcher. In 2009, he opened “haya i,” a shop for additive-free sausages and natural wine in Ebisu, Tokyo. He won a gold award at the 2023 DLG international competition and won the Crafted Catapult at ICC Summit KYOTO 2025. He regards sausage as “cylindrical cuisine” and continues to explore its possibilities. Masuya Ajikata is a long-established local supermarket with over 70 years of history and is now gaining attention as a destination for excellent foods from across Japan. Its manager personally selects seasonings found in upscale Tokyo shops, rare items limited to one store per prefecture, and ultra-fresh local vegetables purchased directly from farmers every morning. Known for handwritten POP displays and social media posts that passionately communicate product appeal, the store offers the excitement of discovering something delicious with every visit.