Creating Demand for Domestic Soybeans from "Sellable Tofu Yashima Foods, a long-established business in Shonan, launches five new "Shonan Tofu" products and seven new products through an Agriculture Ministry subsidy project. Shonan Tofu" 5 kinds of new products and 7 items on the market

Yashima Foods Co. (Head office: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Manufacturing plant: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Isao Takahashi) has been selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for the "Emergency Project for Promoting Cooperation among Production Areas" under the fiscal 2024 supplementary budget, and has invested in new facilities. We are pleased to announce that we have launched five new "Shonan Tofu" products, seven of which were developed using this equipment. These products are a series of tofu products that maximize the sweetness and flavor of Miyagi Shirome soybeans produced in Miyagi Prefecture.

Shonan Tofu 2026 Spring/Summer New Products

■Points of this release

Signed a cultivation contract with JA Shin-Miyagi and plan to trade approximately 100 tons of Miyagi Shirome soybeans produced in 2025.

New equipment investment by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will promote the development of products that bring out the best of the ingredients.

A long-established tofu manufacturer takes the opportunity of business succession to challenge the creation of demand for domestic soybeans and the elevation of value-added products in the tofu market.

Signed a cultivation contract with JA Shin-Miyagi

Through this grant project, we have concluded a cultivation contract with JA Shin-Miyagi and have started to establish a cooperative system with the production area to continuously expand the use of domestic soybeans. We will continue to expand our business with approximately 100 tons of Miyagi Shirome soybeans in the 2025 crop, and thereafter.

We aim not only to sell products, but also to create demand for domestically produced soybeans through products that are chosen for daily dining, to enhance the sustainability of producing regions, and to help improve Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio.

Creating demand for domestically produced soybeans through products that sell well

Tofu is a traditional food that has supported Japan's food culture.

However, soybeans, the main ingredient of tofu, are still largely imported from overseas. With growing interest in food security, it is essential for food manufacturers to create stable demand for domestically produced soybeans in addition to the efforts of local producers in order to expand production.

Yashima Foods is not simply switching raw materials.

By taking advantage of the unique characteristics of Miyagi Prefecture-grown Miyagi Shirome soybeans and delivering them to the market as products that are "chosen because they are delicious," we are communicating the value of domestically grown soybeans to consumers and linking this to continued demand.

The government's priority policy also indicates a policy to establish food security by strengthening both demand and supply in agriculture. Our initiative is to embody this policy theme from the private sector by developing and marketing high value-added products using domestic soybeans in collaboration with a food manufacturer in Shonan, a production area in Miyagi Prefecture.

Miyagi Shirome, a round soybean with a characteristic white sprout, and its cultivation scene

■A Second Foundation of a Long-established Tofu Manufacturer that Began with a Business Succession

Yashima Foods is a long-established tofu manufacturer that has been making tofu in Shonan Fujisawa for 70 years.

In October 2024, Mr. Takahashi, who became the representative of the company through a business succession using a search fund, studied at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Agriculture and gained management experience at a start-up in the IT and design fields.

Since the business succession, the company has been working to re-polish the value of tofu under the slogan "long-established technology x start-up spirit." In the spring of 2025, the company launched a new brand "Shonan Tofu" and released six products, including the signature product "Just Like Ootoro Thick Tofu. By reviewing the ingredients, manufacturing process, and communication method, we have proposed a new value proposition to the tofu market, which tends to be dominated by price competition.

This time, we are taking the challenge one step further with five new products and seven new items.

In collaboration with domestic soybean producing regions, we have improved our manufacturing technology by investing in facilities, and developed them into products that can be delivered to daily dining tables. This is a new challenge for Yashima Foods, linking local agriculture, local food manufacturing, and consumers' healthy eating habits.

Six products in the Shonan Tofu series launched in 2025

■About the 5 new products and 7 new products

(1) Hatake no Chatubourian Silk Honor

Hatake no Chateaubriand Kinu no Horeware (350g type per 1 chou)

(2) Chateaubriand Silk Honoré (200g mini)

Hata no Chatubourian" is cut tofu made from Miyagi Prefecture Miyagi Shirome soybeans, which are known as the "meat of the field" for their sweetness and flavor, which are brought out to the maximum extent possible.

While the Umisei bittern from Oshima, off the coast of Shonan, is excellent at bringing out the sweetness of the soybeans, it reacts quickly to coagulate, requiring advanced manufacturing techniques to ensure stable supply as cut tofu. In response, we have invested in new equipment to create a special structure with 36 nozzles that spray bittern in a three-dimensional manner. By instantly spreading bittern to every corner of the tofu, we have made it possible to produce cut tofu that makes the most of KAISEI bittern.

36 bittern spray nozzles instead of 1 nozzle

Instantaneous penetration of bittern to every corner

Silken-no-Honore" is characterized by the bean flavor of its oboro-like dough and its melt-in-your-mouth sweet aftertaste. The 1-chome type is a staple at the dinner table, while the mini types are available for individual servings or small meals to suit changing lifestyles.

(2) Hatake no Chateaubriand Cotton Pride

Chateaubriand of the Field: Pride of Cotton (350g type per pound)

Chateaubriand of the field: Pride of Cotton (mini 200g type)

Pride of Cotton" is a product that pursues a balance between the unique texture of cotton (momen) tofu and the sweetness and flavor of the bean. While maintaining the concentrated texture of silken tofu that is carefully broken down and then pressed with cotton (momen), it is soft enough to enjoy the sweetness of the aftertaste.

It is easy to use in daily dishes such as chilled tofu, tofu steaks, stir-fries, and simmered dishes, and adds a rich bean sweetness and flavor to Japanese cuisine.

(3) Thick Tofu 4P

As if it were big fatty tuna, thick tofu 4P (60g x 4P small portion type)

For a little something extra

Shonan Tofu's signature product, "As if Ootoro Thick Tofu," is now available in small 60g 4-packs. The sweetness of the bean and the melt-in-your-mouth texture can be enjoyed more easily.

This product is easy to use in a wide range of situations, from side dishes, breakfast, and sweets to baby food, responding to the needs of those who "can't eat a large portion of tofu at once" or "want to enjoy a little bit of tofu.

Production of this product has been made possible by the introduction of a new type of equipment that fills and packages tofu in special small packets. We will continue to develop new products such as flavored tofu. The facility is also equipped with equipment to break up 4-packs into smaller pieces, and we will continue our efforts to deliver Miyagi Shirome's flavor more widely through commercial demand from restaurants, medical and nursing care food, and other customers.

4P filling and packaging equipment

(4) Sweet Koji Tofu with Okinawan Blackstrap Molasses

Sweet Koji Tofu 1P (120g individually wrapped type with brown sugar molasses)

High-quality molasses made only from brown sugar and water produced in Okinawa

This dessert tofu is made with ingredients that are typical of Shonan Tofu, a popular Taiwanese sweet.

We pursued a natural sweetness using only two ingredients: the gentle sweetness of sweet yeast rice malt and the sweetness of Miyagi Shirome beans. Conventional dessert tofu and authentic tofu-flavored tofu are not sweet in themselves. However, if we are going to make a dessert with tofu, we do not want to give up both sweetness and healthiness. Since no sugar or other sweeteners are used, the healthy yet rich sweetness provides a moment of healing.

The individually wrapped packages are flavored with brown sugar made in Okinawa Prefecture. This special molasses is made from only brown sugar and water, and features the original aroma and gentle sweetness of brown sugar.

(5) Sweet yeast malted rice bean curd 4P

Sweet Koji Tofu 4P (60g x 4P small portion type)

Perfect with fruits and jams

This 4-pack type is perfect as an after-dinner dessert. The small 60g portion makes it a good snack for children.

We also recommend topping it with your favorite jam or fruit to make it look like authentic Taiwanese bean-flour pancakes. It is non-alcoholic, so it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and on all occasions.

Outline of new products (product name/specification/type/reference price: excluding tax)

Chateaubriand Silk Honor / 350g / cut silk / 300 yen

Chateaubriand Silk Honoré Mini / 200g / cut silk / 240 yen

Chateaubriand of the field: Pride of Cotton / 350g / cut cotton / 300 yen

Chateaubriand of the field: Pride of Cotton, mini / 200g / cut cotton / 240 yen

Thick tofu 4P/60g x 4/filled silk/¥250

The sweetness of the bean melts with natural sweetness: Sweet Koji Mamehana with Okinawa blackstrap honey/120g/filled silken/ 300 yen

Natural sweetness melting Sweet Koji Mamehana 4P / 60g x 4 / Filled with silken filling / 340 yen

Release date : March 2026 or later, in order

Sales area: Mainly at food supermarkets in Kanto and Chubu areas (some stores from Tohoku to Kyushu also carry the product)

Video related to "Shonan Tofu

Introduction of Shonan Tofu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8pTNpKmQgQ

Shonan Tofu Episode1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUiYBIXKAoU

Shonan Tofu Episode2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha4Acuab4zs

Expanding the production of products that are "chosen for their deliciousness" in cooperation with production areas

Yashima Foods Representative: Takahashi

Food security in Japan cannot be achieved by policy alone. In order to stabilize the supply of domestically produced foodstuffs, it is necessary to turn them into valuable products and create demand so that consumers will choose them.

In the case of tofu in particular, "domestically produced = safe and secure" is not a sufficient reason for consumers to choose tofu, as the quality of foreign-produced soybeans is also improving. We need to maximize the appeal of soybeans unique to the region where they are grown and deliver them to the table as delicious tofu.

We believe that the accumulation of such efforts will lead to increased use of domestically produced soybeans and sustainable management of the producers.

Yashima Foods will continue to improve the value of tofu, aiming to realize "Well-Beaning: Healthy Living with the Power of Beans" that satisfies both the consumer, the producer, and the production area.

Representative's profile photo

Company Profile

Company name: Yashima Foods Co.

Location: 6-212 Tobe-cho, Nishi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Manufacturing site: 2005-18 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa-ken

Representative: Isao Takahashi, President

Establishment : October 1959 (Founded in 1923)

Business : Manufacturing and wholesale sales of tofu, fried foods, konnyaku, etc.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shonan_tofu/