Fukushima firm supplies ice for 300 million Garigari-kun — The Japan Times

Japanese company Koriyama Reizo Seihyo, known as Gunrei, supplied enough ice as of 2024 to produce around 300 million servings of Garigari-kun per year. The company is located in the city of Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture and has operated since 1917, The Japan Times reports.

Garigari-kun is produced by Akagi Nyugyo, a company from the city of Fukaya in Saitama Prefecture. The product has been sold since 1981: it has a thin outer layer and a core made of crunchy crushed-ice granules. Gunrei was initially a wholesale seller of Akagi Nyugyo frozen sweets and later became an ice supplier for this dessert.

Ice plant near the production facility

In 2010, Akagi Nyugyo built a new plant in the city of Honjo, Saitama Prefecture. Gunrei then built an ice plant on an adjacent plot and began full-scale production of ice for Garigari-kun. As of 2024, the volume of supplies was equivalent to more than two servings of the dessert per person per year, based on Japan's entire population.

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Freezing for 48 hours

The company uses water softened through repeated filtration and freezes it slowly over 48 hours. Gunrei says this makes it possible to obtain clear ice free of air bubbles and impurities. Such ice is hard and melts more slowly, so its granules remain in the mouth longer and leave a refreshing aftertaste.

Gunrei President Noboru Ando, a 64-year-old fourth-generation leader, said that ice production and food storage methods change over time, but the commitment to ensuring food safety remains unchanged. The company will mark its 110th anniversary in 2027.