Butter’s Cousin: A Sweet Innovation Transforming Japanese Dairy Waste into Delight

Crafting Delight from Dairy Byproducts

In a bustling Osaka shopping center, a pastry named “Butter’s Cousin” has created long queues of eager customers. This confection, known for its moist texture and exquisite taste, combines high-quality waffle batter with skim milk jam, a testament to innovative culinary creativity. Despite its premium price of 972 yen for a three-piece box, it quickly sells out, raising the question: what’s in a name? Good News Corporation’s CEO, Goichi Miyamoto, devised the clever moniker to ensure immediate consumer acceptance, leveraging the product’s main ingredient — a byproduct of butter production from milk, which typically goes unused by dairy farmers.

A Win-Win-Win Business Model

After learning about the surplus skim milk from a farmer friend, Miyamoto pondered a business model beneficial for all parties involved. Consulting with a French dessert chef in Tokyo led to the revolutionary idea of blending skim milk with jam for a filling, encased in crispy waffle shells. This resulted in a triple-layered sensation that became an instant hit. Naming the product “Butter’s Cousin” and marketing it cleverly amidst a butter craze in Japan was a strategic move that set this sweet treat apart…