Hello, my name is Mr. Kumagai, representing K-corporation.
I have been involved in the restaurant industry for about 30 years across various genres. Currently, I am consulting for restaurant chain businesses and social venture companies, and I am also dedicated to new product development. I started my own venture in my thirties and gained experience in building and growing a company from scratch within the food and beverage industry. Despite the pressure of bearing all responsibilities, I have always considered the restaurant business, where I can directly feel the customer's reactions, to be my true calling, constantly pondering, "How can I lead a vibrant life?"
Over the decades that followed, I began to contemplate the question, "Why do people work?" Through various encounters and realizations, I now firmly believe that "companies are public institution for the betterment of society" aligns most with my convictions.
I have come to the belief that the formula of personal growth = company growth = sustainable societal growth is the ideal vision for the future. This is a theme that we also highly value in this project.
*For more details of Kumagai's biography, please click the link "K Corporation, Ari Kumagai."
What We Want to Achieve in the Project
Currently, our main focus is on the development of rice noodles in collaboration with rice farmers in Niigata Prefecture. We will provide more detailed information about what makes these rice noodles special shortly, but here is our goal for this project: "We want to popularize additive-free and gluten-free authentic rice noodles as a staple in Japanese cuisine and uplift rice farmers across Japan." By introducing these rice noodles to the market, we hope to bring happiness to everyone from consumers to producers and contribute to the revitalization of Japanese rice agriculture, which is currently facing a crisis. We consider this endeavor to be a significant mission for us as Japanese citizens.
We are proud to introduce the first-ever reproduction of authentic Asian rice noodles in Japan! We developed "Aroma of Asia" exclusively for rice noodles.
When you enjoy Asian cuisine, you may already be aware that the rice used is different from Japanese rice, with a slender appearance and a crisp texture.
Naturally, rice noodles are also made from long-grain rice, and the key point here is the high content of "amylose" in this long-grain rice. Due to its low stickiness when cooked, it results in a noodles with a great bite and a pleasant mouthfeel.
On the other hand, Japanese rice, which becomes sticky when cooked, has a low amylose content, and, in fact, is not well-suited for making rice noodles. Most rice noodles available in Japan use Japanese rice, resulting in a taste and texture that differs from the authentic experience.
- We want people in Japan to taste authentic rice noodles, just like in their home countries.
- Importing long-grain rice and using it as raw material to make the same rice noodles is challenging from a cost perspective.
To achieve and address these issues, we collaborated with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization and rice farmers in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture. Through extensive research and varietal improvements, we developed the Joetsu specialty rice variety "Aroma of Asia," which contains a significant amount of amylose, essential for delicious rice noodles.
Made exclusively from 100% Joetsu-grown "Aroma of Asia," rich in amylose content just like the authentic versions, this original rice noodle is the first of its kind in Japan, allowing us to faithfully recreate the taste of the region.
In Japan, most rice noodles available in the market are dry noodles due to the complexities of production and storage. However, in Asian countries, "fresh noodles" are the norm.
The main difference between dry noodles and fresh noodles is the "water content."
Typical dry noodles have a water content of 10% or less, whereas these fresh rice noodles have a water content ranging from 30% to 40%, resulting in a chewy and slippery texture that stands out even more.
Furthermore, these fresh rice noodles are gluten-free! Gluten-free diets have gained popularity for their perceived health and beauty benefits, with top athletes and supermodels adopting them. These rice noodles minimize additives, have excellent digestibility and absorption, are lower on the glycemic index than wheat noodles, and contain no preservatives. They are truly a "gluten-free" rice noodle for health-conscious individuals.
Our unique Thai-style noodle-making machine allows for high-quality and large-scale production.
Stable production of rice for fresh noodles is closely tied to the noodle-making machine's importance.
Authentic rice noodles are made using a method not found in Japan, where rice is crushed while adding water to create rice juice, which is then steamed and transformed into sheets. This method ensures consistent moisture retention, resulting in a consistently "chewy" and "slippery" texture even after cooking.
To bring our product as close to authenticity as possible, Natural Yamaimo Soba Co., Ltd., the manufacturer, imported a noodle-making machine from Thailand and made several unique improvements. They have successfully created Japan's only Southeast Asian-style fresh rice noodle-making machine.
Until now, finding fresh rice noodles in Japan meant using domestically produced rice as the raw material, resulting in a higher price and limited popularity compared to dry noodles. However, with the birth of this noodle-making machine, the production line has stabilized, allowing for large-scale production of fresh noodles.
The production of fresh rice noodles takes place in the dedicated rice noodle factory of Natural Yamaimo Soba Co., Ltd., based in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, under strict quality control.
These rice noodles are used by renowned Asian restaurants!
Due to the uniqueness of the rice used and the noodle-making machine, it is an unparalleled product that cannot be replicated elsewhere. This stability in large-scale production has led many restaurants to already use these fresh rice noodles.
<Featured Restaurants>
- "88 Asia" (Futakotamagawa)
- COMPHO (8 locations in Tokyo)
- THE PIG & THE LADY (Ebisu)
- Thai restaurant "Mango Tree" (18 locations nationwide)
This time, we wanted to make the rice noodles that professionals acknowledge and actually serve in restaurants more accessible for you to enjoy at home. That's why we've created a product that includes rice noodles and pho soup as a set!
★ 100% Joetsu-grown, safe, and high-quality
★ Ideal for beauty and health as it's gluten-free!
★ The noodles and soup set used by pho specialty shops and Asian cuisine specialists!
We've put a lot of effort into both the noodles and the three types of soup included in the set (Vietnamese pho flavor, Tom Yum Kung flavor, and sea bream dashi flavor)! They have a truly authentic taste and have been well-received by Asian food enthusiasts.
Please do enjoy an authentic pho experience in the comfort of your own home.
You can purchase it from Jinenjo Soba Co., Ltd.→ (Only in Japanese, so if you need any assistance to purchase, please feel free to contact to us through inquiries.)
Please put your "name (氏名)" and "email address(メールアドレス)", and press "send(送信)" button.
【Echigo Specialty】 Vietnamese Pho
【Echigo Specialty】 Tom Yum Pho
【Product Name】 Rice Flour Noodles - Vietnamese Pho with Soup
【Size】 One bag: Height 25cm x Width 15cm x Depth 9cm
【Contents】 100g of rice noodles x 2, 50g of soup x 2
【Shelf Life】 2 months from the manufacturing date