Shokubunka Co., Ltd., which operates the gourmet e-commerce site "Umai-mon.com," has released "Okinawa Kokuto Butterstangen" from Mehl, a German bread and confectionery specialty shop in Hiroshima, in January 2026. This product is the second installment of the "Kokuto Project," which was launched to promote the deliciousness of pure brown sugar from Aguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture.
About Mehl's "Okinawa Kokuto Butterstangen"
Mehl's Butterstangen is a baked confection featuring pretzel dough shaped into long sticks and filled with cream. The Okinawa Kokuto Butterstangen is filled with brown sugar cream.
The dough has a balanced saltiness and fragrant aroma, while the brown sugar is once simmered down into caramel to concentrate its aroma and richness. Additionally, almond slices coated with brown sugar are used as a topping, adding an accent of texture and flavor. From the first bite, the gentle sweetness unique to Okinawa brown sugar spreads, creating a deeply layered taste.
Using Pure Brown Sugar from Aguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture
This product uses pure brown sugar from Aguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture. This pure brown sugar, made by boiling down only sugarcane juice, is rich in minerals yet characterized by a smooth sweetness with minimal bitterness and harshness.
The natural umami and well-balanced flavor of brown sugar pairs excellently with baked confections and maximizes its potential as an ingredient.
Mehl – German Bread and Confectionery Specialty Shop
Mehl is a German bread and confectionery specialty shop located in Saeki Ward, Hiroshima City. The shop name means "flour" in German.
While cherishing authentic production methods such as pretzels and sourdough bread, the shop creates products that bring out the flavors of the ingredients. This Butterstangen, which highlights the appeal of Okinawa brown sugar, was realized with the cooperation of production manager Shigeki Okada.
Kokuto Project: Expressing the Appeal of Pure Brown Sugar from Aguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Through Sweets
The "Kokuto Project" is an initiative that expresses the appeal of pure brown sugar from Aguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture, across various confectionery genres to make it widely known. The first installment conveyed the sweetness of brown sugar from a French confectionery perspective, and this second installment expresses the profound flavor of brown sugar through German confectionery techniques. Moving forward, the project will continue to communicate the value of Okinawa brown sugar through diverse brown sugar sweets.
