A Remote Island’s Very Own Homegrown Craft Cola

Overview

TOBA TOBA COLA is a craft cola syrup made on Kikaijima Island in the southern part of the Japanese archipelago. TOBA TOBA means “exciting” in the local island dialect. The dialect of Kikaijima, where some 6,410 people live (as of the end of 2023), has been designated by UNESCO as an endangered language. On the island, the Kohara family has been making and selling TOBA TOBA COLA since 2020. It is a unique blend of shiku fruit (a native mandarin orange that is normally not eaten), the island’s cane sugar, and 14 types of spices and herbs. Through the sale of craft cola, the Kohara family’s company, Keithland, is working to revitalize the region, amid a population decline, by conveying the culture of Kikaijima to people outside the island and into the future.

Successful outcomes

• TOBA TOBA COLA is delivered to approximately 50 retail outlets, including grocery stores, across Japan.
• TOBA TOBA COLA has been featured in well-known magazines and newspapers, TV programs, and radio, including National Geographic France and ELLE Japan.

Conveying a remote island culture through craft cola and opening up local possibilities

As the new year starts, the shiku harvest begins in Kikaijima. At this time, Kohara family members meander the gardens of people’s homes, harvest and buy shiku, and then make and bottle craft cola at the town’s agricultural processing center. TOBA TOBA COLA takes around 11 hours to arrive on the Japanese mainland by ship and is then sent all across Japan.

Kikaijima, as part of Kagoshima Prefecture, is located approximately 380 km from the southern tip of mainland Japan. Most of the area of the island, which has a circumference of 48.6 km, is made up of raised coral reefs, and the average annual temperature is about 22°C. Native citrus trees are planted in various parts of the island, and shiku is one of them. Although shiku has a gorgeous aroma similar to bergamot, as it has many seeds and a strong sour taste, it is not widely distributed and has only been cultivated and consumed on Kikaijima Island.

Kohara family’s Kazunori and Naoko, who have both worked in Singapore before, were fascinated by the spice culture that they encountered while traveling in Southeast Asia. After the two returned to Japan, they saw shiku left uneaten in Naoko’s hometown of Kikaijima. They therefore decided to make and sell a special cola using the otherwise wasted shiku, using the island’s main sugar cane crop along with other spices and herbs.

Kazunori himself produced the original recipe for TOBA TOBA COLA. After experimenting with a range of methods, he created a craft cola syrup that perfectly harmonizes the refreshing sourness of shiku, the complex taste of spices, and the gentle sweetness of the island’s cane sugar. In addition to mixing the creation with carbonated water, it can also be mixed with milk to create a chai-like flavor, and it goes well with alcohol, coffee, and ice cream. The package design was created by Naoko, who is also a designer. The 115 g bottle sells for 1,100 yen including tax, while the 310 g bottle sells for 2,450 yen including tax.

Coincidentally, TOBA TOBA COLA was released in the spring of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. With restrictions on going out and business activities, Kazunori started his business by driving around Fukuoka City, the closest major city to the island, and selling his cola directly, one bottle at a time. At the same time, Naoko sent press releases to a range of media outlets. After that, they raised about 1.2 million yen through crowdfunding and were therefore able to overcome a difficult period throughout the pandemic.

Gradually, the media began to notice the product, and retail stores all over the country contacted them, increasing the number of sales locations. The Kohara’s sell their products through their own online shop and regularly participate in events held in urban areas. Now, they also produce craft cola made with substandard passionfruit grown on the island, along with making granola using recycled spices from cola production.

Since the cola’s founding, the Kohara’s have now aimed to deliver TOBA TOBA COLA to the world. In 2023, sales began at major Japanese retailers in Singapore, and the Kohara’s have also exhibited and sold the drink at events in Taiwan. Kazunori says: “From now on, I would like to focus on overseas expansion and work to achieve cross-border e-commerce.” Naoko says: “I think it’s difficult to do business from an island to the world, but by taking on the challenge and showing that it can be done even from a remote island such as ours, the number of people starting businesses on the island will increase, and the potential of the island and the surrounding countryside will increase. I would be very happy if we could convey this to people here.”

TOBA TOBA COLA

Keithland Co., Ltd.
https://tobatoba.jp/

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