[Industry-Academia Collaboration] Hanamaruki x Kurashiki Sakuyo University x Tenmaya Store: Student-Designed 'Liquid Shio Koji' Winning Recipe Sells Out 200 Limited Packs!

Hanamaruki Co., Ltd., a miso and brewing product manufacturer, held a joint project with Kurashiki Sakuyo University (Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture) and Tenmaya Store Co., Ltd. (Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture) called the 'Liquid Shio Koji Recipe Contest.' The winning recipe from the contest was released as a deli menu item on Saturday, May 30, at Tenmaya Happytown Haraojima store, accompanied by an in-store event.

Limited Sale of Winning Recipe from 'Liquid Shio Koji Recipe Contest' This contest was targeted at students of the Faculty of Food Culture at Kurashiki Sakuyo University, who aim to become future food professionals. The goal was to discover new charms of Hanamaruki's flagship product, 'Liquid Shio Koji,' and to provide students with hands-on experience in the food business. Document and final screenings took place between December 2025 and February 2026. The winning recipe, 'Haruma-age,' which featured white fish made fluffy with Liquid Shio Koji, was awarded the grand prize, and as a prize, it was decided that it would be sold at Tenmaya Happytown Haraojima store.

Students Who Designed the Recipe Promoted It In-Store! 200 Limited Packs Sold Out Instantly. On the day of the sale, the five students from the team 'Shio Koji Uomi Shisho' (Shio Koji Fish Master) who won the grand prize stood at the store, holding their own pop displays and promoting the product energetically. Customers stopped and picked up the product in response to the students' calls. Hanamaruki Grand Chef Ryusaku Akiyama, who served as a contest judge, also supported the students at the store. The 200 prepared packs sold out by 1:00 PM.

Comments from Participating Student (Miwa Kambara, 3rd year student, Faculty of Food Culture, Kurashiki Sakuyo University) 'At first, there were few customers stopping, but by explaining the project content while using samples of Liquid Shio Koji, many customers stopped. Specifically, explaining the fluffy texture of the fish using Liquid Shio Koji and the crunchy texture of the batter made from arranged spring roll wrappers was effective. I was happy that people listened with interest and actually purchased the product. Through this series of initiatives, I deepened my understanding of Liquid Shio Koji by repeatedly prototyping recipes, and I also realized the importance of discussing with the group for store sales.'

Comments from Hanamaruki Co., Ltd. 'Thanks to the innovative ideas of the students, we were able to further expand the possibilities of our 'Liquid Shio Koji.' With the cooperation of Tenmaya Store, we were able to provide students with practical learning and give many customers a valuable opportunity to know the appeal of our product. We will continue to promote both the support for next-generation development and corporate growth through industry-academia collaboration initiatives.'