Dole and Kirin Brewery Company, Limited are teaming up to turn cosmetically imperfect citrus into a new canned chuhai. Kirin Hyoketsu® mottainai Shiranui, made with off-spec shiranui oranges grown in Kumamoto Prefecture, goes on sale nationwide from August 18, 2026.
Why Shiranui Became "Off-Spec"
Shiranui is a citrus variety created by crossing Kiyomi orange and ponkan, prized for its high sugar content and rich flavor. In the field, however, climate-related sunburn, disease, and appearance issues unrelated to actual quality have left a share of each harvest classified as off-spec — fruit that's perfectly fine to eat but hard to move through normal distribution channels.
From Bananas to Domestic Fruit
Dole has run its Mottainai Banana Project since September 2021, focused on off-spec bananas that go to waste somewhere in the distribution process despite being perfectly edible. The initiative now involves more than 200 partner companies and organizations and rescues roughly 5,000 tons of off-spec bananas a year (fiscal 2025 figures). In 2024, Dole expanded the project's scope beyond bananas to other fruit, broadening it into the Mottainai Fruit Project.
As word of the project spread, produce industry contacts in Kumamoto Prefecture reached out to Dole about the same kind of problem facing local shiranui growers. Dole took on the search for a new outlet for the fruit, working to connect the growing region with a manufacturer while keeping the growers' intentions front and center.
A Shared Direction With Kirin's Hyoketsu® mottainai Series
Kirin Hyoketsu® mottainai is a series built around using off-spec fruit to cut food loss and support fruit farmers. The direction behind that series aligned with Dole's Mottainai Fruit Project, and the collaboration produced Kirin Hyoketsu® mottainai Shiranui using off-spec Kumamoto shiranui.
Taste
The drink combines shiranui's rich sweetness and light acidity with the fresh fruit character and crisp carbonation the Hyoketsu® brand is known for.
The story behind the collaboration, including the people connecting the growing region to the finished product, has been published on Dole's official website.
Product Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Name | Kirin Hyoketsu® mottainai Shiranui |
| Availability | Nationwide |
| Sizes | 350ml can / 500ml can |
| Alcohol Content | 4% |
| Fruit Juice | 0.2% |
| Price | Open price |
| Launch Date | August 18, 2026 (Tuesday) |
| Where to Buy | Supermarkets, drugstores, convenience stores, and online retailers nationwide |
