House Foods Group is advancing a sansho production-region development project in the Takachiho-go area of Miyazaki Prefecture and Oku-Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, and began test marketing “Seasonal Harvest Takachiho Sansho” at Mirai House in mid-September. The product is sold in a dedicated presentation box containing sansho berries and a mill, in limited quantities.
House Foods Group has fully launched a project aimed at developing sansho production areas together with Sugimoto Shoten, Minami Kyushu University and producers, and the number of participating producers has grown to approximately 80. As it broadly explores sansho’s potential and the possibilities for product development, the company is aiming for full-scale product sales in 2027.
For this test-marketing initiative, the company uses sansho harvested in Takachiho Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, selecting green berries harvested in June from among those harvested between June and August. The berries are processed to retain their color after drying and sold in a dedicated presentation box containing 14g of sansho and a mill. The suggested retail price before tax is ¥3,222, and the product is presented as allowing consumers to enjoy its aroma and numbing sensation each time they grind the sansho.
Japanese cuisine chef Hiromitsu Nozaki (野﨑洋光) also proposed recipes using the product, while local sweets shops in Miyazaki and Kumamoto prefectures launched limited-quantity sweets featuring sansho. Videos and usage instructions were provided to make it easy to use sansho at home, along with initiatives including an online fan community and “Talk Room” on Kamon House.
To coincide with the start of test marketing in mid-September, opportunities were provided for sansho exchange events and introductions to sansho knowledge by spice masters, while campaigns and recipe information were offered to purchasers. The company plans to continue developing sansho as a regional brand and take concrete steps toward full-scale product commercialization in 2027.