When you’re craving something with a kick, the drink that comes to mind is cola!
Its fizzy carbonation and distinctive, nose-tingling aroma are enough to clear your head with just one sip.
But some people may find its flavor a little too intense, don’t you think?
Tsuchiya Cola is a craft cola made by web designer Tsuchiya Ryosuke, who doesn’t like cola.
With its subtle spice aroma and mellow sweetness, Tsuchiya Cola is easy to drink even for people who don’t like commercial cola, with a gentle flavor unlike anything they’ve tasted before.
Tsuchiya has also been active as the chair of the organizing committee for Rintetsu Garden, a market event held beneath the elevated tracks of the Mizushima Rinkai Railway in Mizushima, Kurashiki City.
His experience at Rintetsu Garden had a major influence on his decision to make craft cola.
In this interview, we introduce why Tsuchiya, a web designer and chair of the Rintetsu Garden organizing committee, started selling Tsuchiya Cola.
The information presented here was accurate when this article was published in February 2022. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Tsuchiya Cola
What is Tsuchiya Cola?
Tsuchiya Cola is a craft cola made by web designer Ryosuke Tsuchiya, who is based mainly in Okayama City and Kurashiki City.
Tsuchiya doesn’t like the widely available Coca-Cola, so he developed Tsuchiya Cola to make a drink that even people who don’t like cola can enjoy.
Commercial Coca-Cola is known for its strong kick, while Tsuchiya Cola has a mellow, gentle flavor.
He makes the concentrate by adding thinly sliced Setouchi lemons to caramel sauce simmered with six spices, including cardamom, cloves, and coriander, then letting it rest in the refrigerator.
Its main sales location is Public Counter, a rental shop in Ishizekicho, Kita Ward, Okayama City.
He also sets up at market events held in Okayama City and Kurashiki City.
Check the Tsuchiya Cola website for information about upcoming events.
It is not sold in bottles or cans. After an order is placed at the shop, sparkling water is poured into a cup containing the concentrate and served to the customer.
Ryosuke Tsuchiya’s background
Tsuchiya is from Okayama City, but since his university was in Kurashiki City, he has been active mainly in Kurashiki City since his student days.
He chairs the organizing committee for Rintetsu Garden, a market event held beneath the elevated tracks near Sakae Station on the Mizushima Rinkai Railway.
Rintetsu Garden began in September 2017 as a market event with just three vendors.
However, by inviting shops offering local and organic products and continuing to hold carefully curated events, it grew into a large-scale event that welcomed more than 2,000 visitors in November 2021.
Tsuchiya Cola was a new venture Tsuchiya launched as he sought to expand his activities in his hometown of Okayama City.
At Rintetsu Garden, he learned that if you offer carefully selected products, people will support you even when you start from scratch. He began selling Tsuchiya Cola to put that lesson into practice in his hometown of Okayama City.
Interview with Tsuchiya
What makes Tsuchiya Cola special
What makes Tsuchiya Cola special?
Tsuchiya (name omitted)
Its defining feature is that it’s a cola that even people who don’t like commercial cola can enjoy.
Many craft colas have a strong spice aroma and a kick in the throat, but Tsuchiya Cola has a mellow flavor.
Like other craft colas, it uses six spices, including cardamom, cloves, and coriander, but in amounts that keep the aroma subtle.
He also adds thinly sliced Setouchi lemons to the concentrate made by mixing the spices with caramel sauce, then lets it rest overnight.
The sweetness of the Setouchi lemons infuses the mixture, giving it a mellow flavor.
Because I didn’t like cola, I was able to develop a new one from the opposite perspective.
Was there anything difficult about developing it?
Tsuchiya
I struggled to recreate the flavor I had in mind.
I had never even made curry, a dish typically made with spices, so I really had to learn everything from scratch.
Even a slight change in the amount of spice or the way it’s heated can change the flavor.
One amusing mishap was that it ended up tasting like curry soup.
I also decide how much to prepare based on the market event I’m attending, but simply adjusting the spices in proportion to the amount I make doesn’t produce a consistent flavor.
It’s not as simple as just adding more when making a larger batch; I had to make final adjustments by taste.
It took six months of trial and error to achieve the flavor I had in mind.
Why he started Tsuchiya Cola and what he achieved
What led you to make Tsuchiya Cola?
Tsuchiya
Five years had passed since I started Rintetsu Garden in September 2017, and my connections with people in Kurashiki City had grown.
On the other hand, I had few connections in Okayama City, where I was born, and many people didn’t recognize the name Rintetsu Garden.
So I started Tsuchiya Cola as a way to expand my activities in Okayama City.
Since starting Rintetsu Garden, I’ve learned that if you keep running a business with care and commitment, people will support you.
At the first Rintetsu Garden in September 2017, there were only three vendors and about 50 visitors.
But at the most recent Rintetsu Garden, held in November 2021, more than 2,000 people attended.
At Rintetsu Garden, we sell products focused on local production for local consumption and organic ingredients, and I’ve also realized how important it is to care about the ingredients.
I thought that even people who don’t like cola might be drawn to a cola made with carefully selected local ingredients, which led me to start selling Tsuchiya Cola in Okayama City.
How has Tsuchiya Cola been received?
Tsuchiya
I sell Tsuchiya Cola in the mornings at Public Counter in Ishizekicho, Kita Ward, Okayama City.
To start with the more critical feedback, I’ve heard people say, “Cola first thing in the morning is too much.”
However, compared with typical craft colas, it has less spice, and the mellow sweetness of the Setouchi lemons comes through. I’ve also heard comments like “It’s perfect as a morning cola” and “It has a gentle sweetness.”
People on their way to work have also told me, “It’s a lovely drink to have before work.”
Public Counter is a place for trying new ventures, and I can feel that many people are cheering me on.
Did the challenge go well?
Tsuchiya
Building connections with people in Okayama City was one goal, but since I was starting a business, I also aimed to make it profitable.
I didn’t need to make a large investment in manufacturing equipment, but selling craft cola still involved upfront costs for ingredients such as Setouchi lemons and spices, as well as bottles and promotional flyers.
In fact, when I started selling Tsuchiya Cola in April 2021, I decided I would quit if I couldn’t make it profitable by the end of September, six months later.
I had recouped my initial investment by August 2021, and achieved the goal I had set.
I not only started a business selling craft cola in my hometown of Okayama City, but also made it profitable, which gave me confidence.
What helped you achieve your goal?
Tsuchiya
I value the idea of “starting small and growing big.”
Rather than taking on an enormous business, I chose an approach that suited my means.
So when I first started selling Tsuchiya Cola, I was operating at a loss because I hadn’t yet recouped my initial investment, but I was able to keep going without undue pressure.
Because I could calmly tell myself that I just needed to turn a profit within six months, I had room to focus on publicity and adjust the flavor.
It was a small business, but I feel that setting a goal and steadily working toward it is what enabled me to make it profitable.
Tsuchiya Cola and Rintetsu Garden
Why did you start Rintetsu Garden?
Tsuchiya
I attended a university in Kurashiki City, and after graduating, I worked mainly in Kurashiki City as a freelance web designer.
I wanted to learn more about Kurashiki City’s history through my work, and when I was invited to a study group on revitalizing the Mizushima area of Kurashiki City, I went along.
Rather than a study group, it was a place where we were confronted with issues such as the aging population in the Mizushima area and the decline of its shopping streets.
Some people may have a negative impression of port towns, but when I actually ventured into Mizushima, I found stylish, tucked-away bars and delicious izakaya scattered around. I also discovered that there were many restaurants and businesses active at markets around the prefecture that were not well known in Mizushima.
Mizushima has a distinctive urban layout, with more than 12 parks next to one another. I thought that if the hidden local stars I mentioned earlier took the lead in making use of vacant spaces around town, it could bring them to life and transform the area.
With these ideas in mind, we launched Rintetsu Garden in September 2017 under the banner of “revitalizing the Mizushima area.”
For various reasons, the first event was held beneath the elevated tracks of the Mizushima Rinkai Railway rather than in a park. We gradually expanded the area, and events are now held both beneath the tracks and in parks.
What have you learned through Rintetsu Garden?
Tsuchiya
At Rintetsu Garden, we’ve offered products made with carefully selected ingredients, with organic products and local production for local consumption as our key themes.
Local production for local consumption also helps circulate Okayama’s regional economy. Okayama has a favorable climate, so it offers wonderful ingredients from both the mountains and the sea.
I continued Rintetsu Garden because I believed that if you focus on a target audience and communicate your key themes, people will support you.
As a result, it grew into a bustling event, and I learned that with care and commitment, a business can succeed even when starting from scratch.
How Tsuchiya Cola helped him grow
How has starting Tsuchiya Cola changed your relationships with people?
Tsuchiya
Although Okayama City is my hometown, it was a place where I had few connections with people.
As I continued selling Tsuchiya Cola, not only did people stop by on their way to work, but former classmates from my student days also came to see me. Then local teachers and the parents of my former classmates began visiting too.
I hadn’t expected to reconnect with these people, so it was a welcome surprise that came from taking on a challenge in my hometown.
What would you like to do going forward?
Tsuchiya
For now, I only sell it by the cup, so my goal is to offer it in bottles.
As I’ve continued making Tsuchiya Cola, I’ve realized that many customers say, “I love your craft cola.”
Many repeat customers have said they want to enjoy it at home with their families.
I’ve also often been unable to serve customers who wanted to take it home, which has been frustrating.
To reach more customers, selling it in bottles is my next goal.
Trying Tsuchiya Cola
I assumed Tsuchiya must love cola to the point of making his own craft cola, so I was surprised to learn that he doesn’t like cola.
It’s important to look at things from a different perspective when coming up with new ideas, but I found it novel to turn a negative impression—“dislike”—to your advantage.
Also, starting a business from scratch and making it profitable is no easy feat.
It was likely because they had experience launching events like Rintetsu Garden that they were able to develop a concrete game plan and steadily move the business forward.
Tsuchiya Cola was a gentle cola with a subtle spice aroma and mellow sweetness, but it was packed with outlandish ideas and concrete strategies you would never guess from its mild flavor.
Knowing the story behind Tsuchiya Cola before you drink it may add even more depth to its mild flavor.
Be sure to pick up some Tsuchiya Cola and enjoy its gentle flavor.
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