Inflation brings end to beloved 114-year-old Japanese candy Sakumaseika
「サクマ式ドロップス」 110年超の歴史に幕へ
TOKYO, Nov 10 (theglobeandmail.com) -
A beloved Japanese candy eaten by generations, so iconic it even appeared in a hit anime film, has come to the end of the line, a victim of surging raw material and energy prices.
Tokyo-based Sakumaseika Co said on Wednesday that it would go out of business in January due to rising production costs, a labour shortage and a drop in sales of its main product “Sakuma’s Drops.”
The discontinuation of its trademark candy – hard, colourful fruit drops sold in a red steel can – threw Japan into mourning.
Sakumaseika said it hadn’t raised the price of the product, which consists of eight flavours such as strawberry and lemon, for years. Many Japanese firms remain hesitant to raise prices at all or fully pass on surging input costs out of fear of losing customers.
Established in 1908 by confectioner Sojiro Sakuma, Sakumaseika produced the candy through the air raids of World War Two, inspiring anime giant Studio Ghibli to immortalize it in its 1988 film “Grave of the Fireflies.” ...continue reading
Nov 10 (ANNnewsCH) - 「サクマ式ドロップス」で知られる「佐久間製菓」が来年1月に廃業することが分かりました。 ...continue reading
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