News 'Cocoa Cigarettes' popular for their Aimyon effects, candy made in Yao

Cocoa cigarette packaging is growing in popularity

　Cocoa Cigarette is a long-selling sugar confection that everyone knows. Actually, it is manufactured at a factory in the Yao area of ​​Toyama City. In 2019, singer-songwriter Aimyon introduced it on a membership exchange site (SNS), and its popularity expanded. This year's sales are expected to be the highest ever due to the demand for stay-at-home orders under the coronavirus and the Showa retro boom. A person involved in the project is ambitious, saying, "I want to boost Japanese candy culture from Toyama." For children who admire adults who smoke. 70 years ago in 1951, cocoa cigarettes were born with such a catchphrase. It has a stick shape similar to cigarettes, and features the flavor of cocoa and the scent of mint. At that time, the price was 5 yen per piece, and has not been raised since 1991 when it reached 30 yen. Originally, Orion (Osaka City), a long-established confectionery maker, produced and sold the products themselves, but since 30 years ago, Hamada Food Industry Co., Ltd.'s Toyama Factory (Honai, Yatsuo-cho, Toyama City) has been commissioned to handle the production. .　February 2019 saw the popularity of classic cheap sweets catch fire. Singer-songwriter Aimyon, who is loved by a wide range of generations, posted a photo on Instagram of a cocoa cigarette sandwiched between her fingers like a cigarette. It became a hot topic among many followers, and sold so much that the stock temporarily ran out. Orion Managing Director Goro Takaoka, 67, said with a laugh, "At first I thought, 'What's going on?', but now it's a good memory." In response to the growing popularity, Hamada Shokuhin Kogyo introduced a packaging machine for about 100 million yen in March last year. The manufacturing efficiency has increased by 30%, and it is now possible to produce more than 1.5 million units per month on average. Makoto Soejima, 49, deputy manager of the company's manufacturing section 4, said, "I want more people to know that familiar sweets are made in Yao."　In 2019, due to the "Aimyon effect", the current price was reduced to about 16.8 million units sold annually. It is said that it will be updated this year. Managing Director Takaoka said, "In addition to stay-at-home demand due to the new coronavirus, the Showa retro boom may be a tailwind." Disposable cameras and cassette tapes are popular among young people because they "feel warmth." It is analyzed that the package design full of retro feeling and the nostalgic taste of cocoa cigarettes are also having a positive effect. From next year, we are considering adding Toyama water to the raw material powder. Managing Director Takaoka said, "I want to make Japan more energetic with cheap sweets."