CASE STUDY
Our machinery and equipment that manufacture food and sweets are adopted in various factories and shops in Japan and overseas. We introduce case studies of our customers who have adopted our manufacturing machines. In addition to the latest case studies, you can search into the past case studies depending on your purposes.
- どら焼き機
- どら焼き
Kasho KIKUTARO
Kasho KIKUTARO is a Japanese confectionery brand operated by the Retail Food and Beverage Division of SHINKO CO., LTD, a confectionery manufacturer celebrating its 70th anniversary. Takaharu Yamada, the manager, joined the company at the age of 28 after marrying President Shuji Koshino’s second daughter. After gaining experience in various departments, he has been overseeing the retail food and beverage business since its inception.
The founder, Kikutaro Koshino, began with confectionery wholesale and manufacturing karinto after World War II, establishing the company in 1954 and launching Koyanagi Karinto. However, due to declining sales, production of karinto was discontinued in 2007. Yamada was tasked with reviving the company’s original product, leading to the creation of KIKUTARO stores, named in honor of the founder.
To achieve this, Yamada developed a new product called Koyanagi, a karinto with a light texture and nostalgic flavor, made using “ra-mugi,” a specific type of wheat from Fukuoka Prefecture used for ramen noodles. The company expanded its variation, incorporating ingredients from Kyushu, and made Koyanagi its signature product.
The main KIKUTARO store features a café space that seats about 20 people. Popular items include Japanese sweets and drinks, skewered dumplings roasted on a shichirin, or a charcoal grill, and served with three types of bean paste, and lunch plates with a choice of salad or deli. Initially, the store’s salads gained popularity, leading to increased sales of Japanese sweets.
Continuing its innovative approach, the store introduced the Mochimochi Warabi Drink in 2019, sparking a nationwide trend in warabimochi drinks.
Anticipating a decline in store visitors and potential labor shortages, the company early on emphasized e-commerce, creating a system that integrates online and in-store experiences with promotional services like social networking.
KIKUTARO aims to continuously design customer contact points, build an adaptable organization, and apply the knowledge gained from the retail food and beverage business—such as market-driven product development and branding—to all areas of the company, striving to become a more creative enterprise.
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MASDAC NEWS trial version
Case studies are published in our PR magazine MASDAC NEWS delivered to users. In the magazine, we present various information related to sweets and food manufacturing, including an interview with our customers’ top management. Here, you can check out the trial version of the magazine. For periodical delivery of the MASDAC NEWS in a printed format, please send us a request via the following request form.
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