Kinjirushi's commitment to "Wasabi"

Freshly grated sawa-wasabi (wasabi) has a great flavor, but it is so expensive and supply is very limited. Also, a quality of wasabi may vary from time to time and production area. A product development of Kinjirushi is based on the goal of supplying wasabi products with flavor and pungent taste as close as freshly grated does. In order to offer a high-quality wasabi products with a reasonable price, Kinjirushi's commitment has extended to a development of a new breed of wasabi.

Characteristics of new breed "Mitsuki"
• Stronger flavor
• Very bright green color
• Increase production
• Contracted farming in Japan
• Suitable for field cultivation

Kinjirushi have also developed another new breed of wasabi "Misawa" in 1995. "Misawa" was the kind of breed that is suitable for wasabi products, because this particular wasabi does not contain the pigment anthocyanin, which tends to darken the color of wasabi products.

It takes about a year to a year and half for Sawa-wasabi to be harvested. Kinjirushi wasabi has been choosing fresh ingredients with good flavor in order to make a fine wasabi products. Also, in order to stabilize a quality and quantity of wasabi, Kinjirushi would expand contracted farming.

Commitment to Horseradish

• Kinjirushi use domestically grown horseradish from contracted farmers as an ingredient for wasabi products.
• Contracted farmers grow horseradish in Abashiri, Hokkaido-prefecture, Northern part of Japan, which climate is suitable for cultivation of horseradish.
• Kinjirushi RD has successfully created superior bleed, Hakuho, which contracted farmers cultivate.

Freshly grated wasabi has wonderful flavor, but it is extraordinary expensive and supply of fresh wasabi is very limited. In addition to high price, quality of wasabi may vary depending on production area and season. So, using a freshly grated wasabi is more like a gamble. Kinjirushi devoted to produce a decent horseradish as an ingredient in order to offer a high quality wasabi products.

Commitment to the Manufacturing of Wasabi products

Wasabi has an image of "the hot stuff", but freshly grated wasabi contain "a sweet flavor" in addition to hot flavor.

Wasabi does not have a hot flavor until it is being grated. Wasabi's hot flavor would be created by enzyme reaction from being grated, and this flavor and hotness would be evaporated within a very short period. In order to keep as much flavor it could get; Kinjirushi has been manufacturing wasabi products with a "Flash-Frozen Grating" method.

Characteristics of "Flash-Frozen Grating" method

• Grating wasabi under the temperature at -320°F
• Keeping a flavor before it perished
• Flash-Frozen Grating method capture the flavor of Wasabi, which is perishable

After grating, grated wasabi is transfer to a high-speed filling instrument though a well-sealed tube. Packed and boxed wasabi products is stored at -4°F until shipping out.

Kinjirushi's commitment to the environment

Harvested wasabi is covered with soil, and still attached to leaves and roots. Up to couple years ago, these residual by-products have simply been disposed as garbage, but our studies on microorganisms have successfully turned garbage into compost. Recently, at an experimental field near the Okhotsk factory (in Hokkaido), we grew agricultural products grown in this compost, which actually taste better than those grown in conventional compost do. In this way, we are not only able to reduce the trash output, but we also have been making a great contribution to agriculture in the Okhotku area.