【FOCUS IT.]Coca , slaps down a challenge to Pepsi! What is the goal of Ira Cola, a manufacturer specializing in craft colas .

Nowadays, craft beverages are not a passing trend, but an ever-evolving one. Following craft beer and craft coffee, craft cola is emerging as a new trend. Craft cola refers to "cola made by artisans in small workshops using natural ingredients," and has successfully overturned the image of cola as "not handmade" or "bad for your health,Iyoshi Cola.It is.

Ira Cola started as a single food truck in July 2018 . As the world's first manufacturer specializing in craft colas, it immediately attracted attention, and in February of this year, it opened the "Ira Cola Sohon Shimo-Ochiai" (Ira Cola Sohon Shimo-Ochiai). Furthermore, the momentum continues to build, with 20,000 reservations for bottled colas scheduled to go on sale at the end of July this year.

Although the road seems to be smooth sailing, Takahide Kobayashi, the president of Irakura, says, "We are still far from the vision that I envisioned. So, what is it that "Ira Cola" is aiming for? We interviewed Mr. Kobayashi, the man behind Kraft Cola, looking back on the path it has taken so far.

At the age of 30, Takahide Kobayashi is the president of Irakora.

How did you start Irakora?

I have been a huge cola fanatic since I was a child, and as an adult I drank colas from all over the world. Then one day, I stumbled across a recipe on the Internet for an original cola that was over 100 years old. I was so shocked that I immediately gathered all the ingredients and started making cola. But even though I followed the recipe exactly, it didn't taste very good.

When I was about to give up, I was sorting through the belongings of my grandfather, who was a Chinese herbalist, and found the recipes and tools he left behind. I thought, 'I might be able to make use of this in making cola,' so I changed the process and the way the fire was set. I changed the process and the way I put the heat on, and the flavor and taste improved dramatically. It was two and a half years after I found the recipe before I was satisfied with the taste. . Soon after that, I started mobile sales with my food truck, the Kingfisher.

When you started making cola, you were an office worker, right?

Yes, that's right. . In the beginning, I worked double shifts, working at the office during the week and selling on the weekends. I traveled around Tokyo on the "Kingfisher," visiting places such as the Aoyama Farmers' Market. As we continued our activities steadily, we were picked up by various media and placed in mini-theaters such as "UPLINK. As I became more and more well-known, I gained confidence that only I could make this cola, and I decided to live by it alone.

His partner, the "Kingfisher," is imbued with the idea of overturning preconceived notions and common sense, just like the kingfisher, which dives into the water to catch fish as well as in the air.

In February of this year, you opened "Irakora Sohonten Shimo-Ochiai," which is equipped with a workshop. What was your intention in choosing Shimo-Ochiai, far from the city center?

This restaurant in Shimo-Ochiai was originally my grandfather's place of business. So, rather than sticking to Shimo-Ochiai, I wanted to preserve the place that my grandfather had cherished so much. . Another reason was to atone for my grandfather's sins.

What do you mean by atonement?

When I was little, I used to help my grandfather at this place. But as I grew older, I began to question my grandfather, who was doing a different kind of work, making Chinese herbs. . Then I gradually drifted away from it.

Looking back, I realize that at the time, I was only able to see things through the lens of entrenched stereotypes and preconceived notions of value. It was not until I became an adult that I realized how great my grandfather was. I finally realized that pursuing what I thought was cool was the coolest thing I could do.

I see. It's certainly cool to see someone who is working on one thing with conviction.

Yes, that's right. Take, for example, Yuta Shinohara, an entomophagy evangelist. He, too, has overturned the image of insects as grotesques, and is communicating the value of insects as "food" to the world.

And then there is Steve Jobs . His pursuit of what he was good at, turning ideas into new value, and changing the world overlapped with what I was aiming for. I have been grinding, grinding, grinding my soul, and the result is the iPhone. I don't know if that's the right way to put it (laughs). . I think the soul is refined in the process of doing so.

. It's about how much passion you can put into it.

If you are making things with an appropriate feeling, the customers will see right through you. . Not only in food and beverage, but also in movies and music. That's why I don't want to cut corners either.

The cola syrup is based on a 100-year-old recipe, but with Mr. Kobayashi's own twist.

What makes you so passionate about cola?

When I started making cola, I was very excited. Partly because I simply loved it, but also because I liked the romance of cola, its potential, and all the other things that make it so good.

I studied biology in college, and there are two types of consciousness in human beings: manifest and subconscious, and the manifest consciousness is the one we usually use when we think. But that is only 10% of the total consciousness. The remaining 90% is the subconscious. When we act on our intuition or feel attracted to something, it means that this subconscious mind is being used subconsciously. In that sense, my excitement was the result of my brain's 90% calculating the possibilities and development of Kraft Cola.

. Not just because you like it, but you have a clear rationale for it.

Yes . Oddly enough, I have always wondered what cola is in the first place. Coffee and orange juice are drinks where you know exactly what they are made of. . But cola is a mysterious liquid, and yet it has earned a right to citizenship, doesn't it? It's such a mysterious liquid, and yet it has become a household name. That's what makes it interesting. When I looked into it more closely, I learned that cola was originally developed by an American pharmacist to help cocaine addicts, and that the cola nut is called "a gift from God" in Ghana. The more I learned about it, the more profound the world became.

Kraft Cola "Magic Syrup" S size (100 ml) ¥1,200 in TAX , M size (250 ml) ¥2,950 in TAX.
According to Mr. Kobayashi, the best way to drink it is to mix it with milk and soda water.

Craft beer, craft gin, and more recently, craft coffee have become popular, but craft cola is still a rarity.

. Actually, the number is increasing little by little. However, we do not have our own workshop or store. It is difficult to reach a level where we can sell our products. There are difficulties in mixing the spices and adjusting the heat, and more than that, there is the correct answer, which is "Coca-Cola. So, when compared to that, even craft cola cannot be easily marketed. That is a hurdle to overcome.

What is Irakura's commitment to overcoming these barriers?

. The most important thing is the production method. Normally, we cook a variety of ingredients all at once, but we have a special way of heating them, which gives them a completely different aroma and flavor. . We also go to Ghana to purchase cola nuts by talking directly with the growers.

I think the most important thing about craft colas is that the craftsman's face is visible. What kind of workshop, what kind of craftsmen, and how they make their products. That is also why we opened this shop.

I think it is very important to be able to see the face of the maker, not only of cola, but also of any other product. On a different note, "Ira Cola" has been talked about for its ability to relieve fatigue, hasn't it?

The benefits of spices. Spices are near equal to medicines. For example, cinnamon has a warming effect on the body. People have the image that cola is bad for you. I would like to overturn such stereotypes and make something healthier.

The preparation room is made visible so that customers can feel the story of the manufacturing process.

. This month you released a new product in collaboration with Maruyama Coffee. It was an unexpected combination, and to be honest, I was surprised. Will you continue to develop this kind of collaborative series in the future?

Yes . Thankfully, Maruyama Coffee asked me to make a syrup to mix with their coffee.

Other planned products include cacao cola with Dante Lion Chocolate and cola shochu with Oyama Jinshichi Shoten. I believe that I am the core target of Ira Cola (laugh), so as long as it is something that I would like to drink and that would please my customers, I would like to actively collaborate with them.

. They are all unexpected combinations that I would like to try. In Tokyo, where else can I drink it besides the Shimo-Ochiai store?

Except for Uplink, there is Anjin at Daikanyama Tsutaya. And from July, the number of stores will increase by about 100 at once. We have also started doing business with select stores in London.

. We have been selling mainly syrups until now, but from now on, we will mainly sell bottled cola. We are also preparing vending machines exclusively for bottled cola, which will be installed at our storefront and at Ikorando, a select store in Layard Miyashita Park.

Coke in a bottle ¥540 in TAX.
. 20,000 reservations have already poured in for the upcoming main product.

. What are your future plans?

. First, we would like to expand our wholesale distribution of bottled cola throughout Japan, and then to the world. Also, we would like to open several cola stands where people can drop by casually to let people know about our existence. We would also like to create a café that focuses on cola, and in that case, we will also need to provide food. It would be interesting to make alcoholic drinks such as Ira Coke high. Eventually, I would like to open a facility that integrates a workshop, food court, and direct sales center. In my image, it would be like Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo in Nakameguro.

Left: Kraft Cola ¥500 in TAX , Right: Milk Cola ¥600 in TAX.
One is a Kraft cola with a sweet cinnamon flavor and a spicy kick. The other, while also spicy, has a mild mouthfeel due to the milk and microcarbonation.

What is the goal you are aiming for?

Ultimately, my goal is to be called "Coca", "Pepsi", and "Iyoshi". . And I want to be a part of the national power and to be able to transmit Japanese culture to the world. . Above all, we want to give children dreams by challenging the world.

In Japan today, it is considered a good thing to go to an excellent school and get a job at a big company. However, I think that is just walking on the rails, and is not the answer to the reason for working or living.

. Because of that kind of society, I feel that many people do not challenge themselves even if they have a job they want to do. I think this is because they think of the world in terms of zero or one, black and white. In reality, there is a gradation of gray areas. . That's why I can work at a company and make a cola at the same time. I believe that nothing is impossible if it does not deviate from the laws of nature.

It is impossible to become Superman and fly, but to create your own brand and become the best in the world is not out of line with the laws of nature or human society. By proving this, I hope we can be a role model for children to have dreams. Through "Irachora," I hope to break down the stereotypes and common sense of the world. I believe that is my destiny.

Photo_Tatsuya Michishita