Product Development
Morinaga Aloe Yogurt
The development team's path toward aloe began with its search for a new ingredient
New project team with women at the helm
Morinaga Aloe Yogurt was born in 1994 when the nata de coco boom that had swept through the world died down. Until then, we had been making hit products by combining yogurt with tropical ingredients such as yogurt with large pieces of fruit and nata de coco. In their quest for finding new ingredients, our development team, mainly composed of women, set out to generate new ideas for the yogurt market.
The team wanted to find ingredients that they had never eaten before, that have an interesting texture, and that were trendy in the minds of young consumers. With these conditions in mind, the team members narrowed down their choice to aloe in syrup, which had not yet been widely recognized as a food product at the time. Aloe was then available only in some food shops; nonetheless, the team took on the challenge of using it as an ingredient in yogurt.
In Japan at that time, aloe was mainly used as a folk remedy for burns and cuts, or as an ingredient in beauty products such as shampoos and soaps. It was thought of as being bitter and was not common to consume it. However, since aloe is a natural substance that contains well-balanced vitamins, minerals and other components, the team thought aloe would be accepted by young, health and beauty conscious women who would perhaps accept the idea of aloe being akin to cosmetics that can be eaten.
Aloe yogurt at the time of launch
Emphasizing the appeal of aloe as a new ingredient in a delicious yogurt product
The aloe in Japan originally was krantz aloe (Aloe arborescens), and was often cultivated at home. For our yogurt product, however, the aloe vera variety was selected as it has a less bitter taste. Since aloe vera itself does not have a strong flavor, all the team members surveyed the food sections of the department stores to identify which food items had flavors that could be added to the aloe yogurt to make it more appealing. By mixing and matching various types of fruit yogurt with aloe, the team found that well-known fruit flavors such as apple or orange detracts from the novelty of aloe.
Aloe harvesting
The next step was to experiment by creating yogurt of a unique flavor but with a healthy, natural aroma.The result of those efforts was the creation of a tasty product that the entire development team was convinced was exactly what they had been searching for - a fruity flavor with a refreshing tropical image. This flavor, they discovered, was the best match for our yogurt and aloe.
Smooth and rich yogurt available only from Morinaga Milk
The most important factors in determining the characteristics of yogurt are the dairy ingredients and lactic acid bacteria. Several types of lactic acid bacteria with different properties are used in the production of Morinaga Aloe Yogurt. In order to maximize the characteristics of each lactic acid bacterium, we carefully control each step of the production process – temperature, for example. Yogurt is a very delicate product and easily affected by even small differences caused by the activity of lactic acid bacteria, changes of the season, and the production line equipment, so the control of each step of the production process is very important. We triple check all raw materials at the manufacturing plant as a part of our system to ensure that only safe and high quality ingredients are used in Morinaga Milk products. In addition, taste and aroma inspections are carried out at each step of production to ensure that the finished product is as delicious as possible.
The smooth, rich yogurt, made with high-quality milk ingredients and selected lactic acid bacteria, has a moderate viscosity that allows the aloe to mix evenly with the yogurt. The refreshing aloe flavor blends into the yogurt to create a pleasing harmony that cannot be found in the products of other yogurt manufacturers.
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The aloe vera used in Morinaga Aloe Yogurt is grown in the sunny fields of Thailand. The thick aloe leaves are carefully raised and harvested in only selected farms then taken to a designated processing plant while still fresh. Next, the flesh of the leaf is cut into easy-to-eat bits and sent to Japan. Through a strict selection process from harvesting through processing, Morinaga Aloe Yogurt maintains the fresh, unique, and elastic texture of the aloe vera.
Aloe processing plant in Thailand