FUKUSHIMA, Japan - A concrete company in northeastern Japan has attracted consumer attention with a quirky way to promote the industry -- gray curry made to resemble ready-mixed concrete.
"We mixed in a sense of fun," said Yoshimasa Kuwahara, the 51-year-old president of Kuwahara Concrete Industry, based in Fukushima Prefecture. "I hope people pick it up, have a laugh and come away with a better image of the industry."
Last October, Kuwahara met a company producing unusually colored retort-packed curries, including blue and pink varieties, at a trade show in Osaka Prefecture, prompting the two companies to jointly develop the new product.
After repeated tasting sessions with his employees, Kuwahara completed the unconventional curry in February.
The package features an eye-catching design showing curry sauce flowing from one of the firm's mixer trucks onto rice on a curry plate. The package also includes humorous text reading, "It cannot be hardened or used for paving."
The initial batch of 2,000 servings quickly generated buzz through word of mouth and on social media, selling out within a month and a half. The company ordered more and had sold over 3,500 servings by the end of June.
The curry is spicy and rich, with a mild flavor somewhere between white stew and curry, while bamboo charcoal gives it the dark gray color of ready-mixed concrete, Kuwahara said.
"It is naturally derived, so I hope people feel safe eating it. It may not whet the appetite, but I can guarantee the taste," Kuwahara said confidently.
Although the product, priced at 540 yen ($3) per box, generates almost no profit, Kuwahara said he poured his passion into the project because he wanted to promote the industry and "provide something cheerful."
Because the industry is often associated with "3K" workplaces -- kitsui, kitanai and kiken, or physically demanding, dirty and dangerous -- Kuwahara said he wants more people to think, "Concrete companies are doing something fun."
Kuwahara is not only mixing ready-mixed concrete but also ideas for future products. He says he keeps coming up with "one interesting idea after another," such as cement-colored flour for making takoyaki, as well as pancake mix.
