Bottle Innovations: Instant fresh tea

Written by: Rebecca Milner on March 31, 2008 at 8:25 pm | In 03 Fashion & Lifestyle Trends | 4 Comments

With “fresh” and “local” being key words for food products these days, manufacturers of pre-packaged items are seeking ways to change the image of their traditionally less than healthy goods. While bottled green tea might be one of the already acceptable convenience store products, CIC Co. goes the extra mile with its Kyo no Matcha.

With a twist of the air-tight cap, 1.4 grams of traditional Kyoto matcha (high-grade green tea) is released into the mineral water below, creating a serving of fresh (yet instant) tea with no added chemicals or preservatives. In the same fashion, CIC Co. also offers Ukon (tumeric) and Aoijiro (kale juice) health drinks.

Aojiru Tea is new from HW Styles and we had a chance to sample at a recent health expo. “Aojiru” just means “green juice” and has been a keyword for healthy drinks lately. Instead of kale, this version contains barley and uses the same unique bottle concept.

At ¥5,280 for a case of 24, Kyo no Matcha is nearly twice the price of regular bottled teas, but certainly within the acceptable range for products billed as healthy and natural.

Tags: Best Agers, beverages, Bottles, Drinks, Health Food

Placenta 10000 jelly drink is FOSHU for beauty

Written by: Michael Keferl on March 24, 2008 at 12:56 am | In 03 Fashion & Lifestyle Trends | 5 Comments

FOSHU (Food for a Specific Health Use) foods and drinks are quite popular these days, and the ever-changing Japanese beverage market is constantly bringing out new offerings to appeal to consumers who want to have some function with their food. Even products with ingredients that may seem unappealing can be easily sold, especially in the name of beauty. Need an example? How about the zero-calorie Placenta 10000 jelly drink?

We first encountered the Placenta 10000 (has 10000 mg of placenta) from Nihon Sofuken at an expo a few weeks ago and had the following conversation with their rep:

Me: This has placenta in it?
Rep: Yes!
Me: From…
Rep: Pigs.
Me: Oh.
Rep: You know how placenta usually smells really bad?
Me: Mmm…I can guess.
Rep: Well, ours doesn’t have any smell at all!

They don’t lie at Nihon Sofuken, because I didn’t taste or smell anything besides peaches, an important factor when selling to young women. For older people and men, the perception is that if a health drink tastes good, it’s not good for you. In fact, an Okinawan health drink maker at the same expo was actually disappointed when I said his product tasted good!

Placenta is said to have regenerative properties, especially concerning beauty, and can help with dieting as well. At about $8 per drink, it’s expensive, but Japanese aren’t exactly known for sacrificing their health and looks for a couple of bucks either.

Of course, if you want to make your own placenta cocktails, the Placenta 400,000 extract (above) might be more to your taste, but I have the feeling that it doesn’t smell much like peaches.

Tags: Drinks, FOSHU, Nihon Sofuken, Placenta 10000