<h3><strong>We make croquettes from anything edible!　Osaka &#8220;Godo Shokuhin&#8221; saves the world with croquettes</strong></h3>
<p>When you go to highway service areas or roadside stations, you buy local croquettes such as &#8220;Shirasu croquette,&#8221; &#8220;Tanba black soybean croquette,&#8221; and &#8220;Yonezawa beef croquette.</p>
<p>I used to admire how such ingredients were made into croquettes, but did you know that <strong>all of them are actually made in Osaka</strong>?</p>
<figure id="attachment_259095" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1200px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259095"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5e705797"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/e3c4205bb4766ac402e1f168a88ea3a6.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259095" class="wp-caption-text">(quoted from Night View Fan).</figcaption></figure>
<p>(quoted from &#8220;Night View Fan&#8221;) As I mentioned above, some of you may already know about this. After all, there has been a lot of talk on TV and the Internet recently about how &#8220;Godo Shokuhin&#8221; in Osaka makes almost all of the croquettes in Japan.</p>
<p>The reason why I wrote this article is because I, Shigeru Nekota, saw the <strong>president of Godo Shokuhin wearing a croquette headdress</strong> at a food-related exhibition, and I felt that he was not just an ordinary person, but also a man of eccentricity.</p>
<p>I wrote &#8220;all of them&#8221; at the beginning of this article, but that is an exaggeration; it would be more accurate to say that the company manufactures most of the croquettes in Japan. The company is located in Toyonaka City, Osaka, and specializes in croquettes.</p>
<h3><strong> It is probably the only company in Japan that specializes in additive-free and organic croquettes.</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_259096" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259096"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2c5933d6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/29651dbc38023bce9638b769837a93ec.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259096" class="wp-caption-text">The exterior depicts the president of Korokke. The name of the company, &#8220;Godo&#8221; is also strange since they only make croquettes.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>The company is located along the highway about a 20-minute walk from Shonai, a maniacal (but quite fun shopping street) station. I think I&#8217;m the only person who walks this far.</p>
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<figure id="attachment_259097" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259097"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b676551b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/f426cfc440613d7bd42eb6da29f980ce.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259097" class="wp-caption-text">Mr. Wada, the president of the company. This croquette hair was custom-made for him.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_259098" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259098"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4afbce19"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/97ba2503325b2c159f25399a7de77330.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259098" class="wp-caption-text">The employees also had croquette hair. Oh, they don&#8217;t wear it while working.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Mr. Tomohiro Wada&#8217;s father originally ran a small croquette maker, and Mr. Wada, who had no interest in croquettes, started working for an IT company after graduating from university. However, about 20 years ago, his father became ill and he decided to take over the company.</p>
<figure id="attachment_259100" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259100"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="917f0c36"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/f4b41eaae687e8526ea63cf1033f10fb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259100" class="wp-caption-text">Potatoes (left) and onions (right) are carefully selected and grown using natural and organic farming methods!</figcaption></figure>
<p>At that time, croquettes were usually full of additives, and with inexpensive croquettes on the market, it was difficult to survive in the industry. However, Mr. Wada began to think about the importance of food safety, saying, &#8220;I want to make croquettes that even children can eat with peace of mind,&#8221; and turned his attention to making additive-free, organic croquettes. This is written on the company&#8217;s website, so I will omit it.</p>
<figure id="attachment_259101" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259101"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0d3d3cb7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/a496721719731ef001bfff2dcf20f78b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259101" class="wp-caption-text">The batter has a good texture by twice dipping the croquettes in &#8220;fine breadcrumbs&#8221; and &#8220;coarse breadcrumbs.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Around 2006, when the company launched its website using his IT experience, he began receiving requests to make croquettes like these. He sometimes receives orders for 2,000 units, which is a small lot in the industry, and the OEM of local croquettes has expanded rapidly.</p>
<figure id="attachment_259102" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259102"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="27c70f3e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/0cd4e7a103505a1f60985d41d5c3d3a7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259102" class="wp-caption-text">The finished croquettes are checked one by one with a foreign matter inspection machine. That looks like an expensive machine!</figcaption></figure>
<p>So far, about 1,000 kinds of local croquettes have been released to the world. That&#8217;s amazing! We asked him about the story behind it.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Items that did not make it into croquettes for unexpected reasons"></div>
<h3><strong> He said he would do anything, but for some unexpected reasons, he could not make croquettes&#8230;</strong></h3>
<p>Cat = me, Wa = President Wada</p>
<ul>
<li>Cat: What kind of unusual croquettes have you made so far?</li>
<li>Wa: Tea croquettes, pineapple croquettes, hatahata croquettes, chocolate croquettes&#8230; I <strong>make croquettes from anything edible!</strong></li>
<li>Neko: Of all the croquettes, this one was the most difficult to make! What is your favorite croquette?</li>
<li>Wa：I think it&#8217;s Miyagi Prefecture&#8217;s old-style natto (fermented soybeans). Natto is fermented and aged again, and when the enzyme is heated, the smell is very strong. When the enzyme is heated, the smell becomes very strong. The whole factory smells terrible.</li>
<li>Neko: I heard on TV that if you drink cider after eating natto, the enzyme changes and it smells like an old man&#8217;s worn-out socks. Natto&#8217;s enzyme is a deadly weapon, isn&#8217;t it?</li>
<li>Wa: There was also a request for bear meat croquettes, but <strong>I declined because bears are sacred in the mountains</strong>.</li>
<li>Neko: Oh, for that reason&#8230;</li>
</ul>
<figure id="attachment_259104" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259104"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5e5b8fd4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/2f9e91b9920b8af76d83de7e8b444c82.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259104" class="wp-caption-text">The &#8220;croquette dojo&#8221; that we did not miss. Employees were rushing in and out with croquettes that day!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_259490" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5440px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259490"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ef643d1c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/B.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259490" class="wp-caption-text">Tasting the new croquette prototype. The kitchen looked like a home kitchen!</figcaption></figure>
<ul>
<li>Kazu: You could also <strong>change the breadcrumbs to buckwheat flour, or sprinkle Baby Star Ramen on the batter</strong>.</li>
<li>Neko: So, some people have started to work not only on the filling but also on the batter? However, Mr. President, do you eat croquettes every day because of your job?</li>
<li>Wa: Not really. <strong>On a high day, I eat 10 croquettes, and at least 1 or 2.</strong></li>
<li>Neko: I think he eats more croquettes than most people think. You are still full of croquette love, aren&#8217;t you?</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong> I&#8217;m out at concerts with croquette singing and dancing.</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_259106" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4320px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259106"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b2197b1f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/6d5319e868c17b437e8b4c5a9868f07b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259106" class="wp-caption-text">The president&#8217;s hair is a little disheveled because he&#8217;s after taking off his croquette. I regretted my lack of consideration, saying that I should have taken a picture of him in his normal state first!</figcaption></figure>
<ul>
<li>Wa: We even made a <strong>song and dance called &#8220;Croquette↑↑Ageageage SONG&#8221; and produced a crowdfunding video of</strong> it. I will be a guest performer at the concert and will sing and dance with him. The video I made will also be posted on YouTube and SNS, so stay tuned!</li>
<li>Cat: Heh~ A concert! I&#8217;ll go see it if I&#8217;m free!</li>
<li>Wa: Everyone loves croquettes, from children to adults, and they are a dream food with many possibilities. The song is not just about croquette croquette. <strong>It contains a message that we want to make the world a better place through croquettes!</strong></li>
<li>Neko: Indeed, croquettes are a wonderful food that can be made to taste any way you want depending on the ingredients, and can also convey the appeal of local ingredients!</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong> We don&#8217;t want to just wait and see, we want to attack from our side!</strong></h3>
<p>Mr. Wada is bursting with love for croquettes, but he is not only making rare croquettes and singing croquette songs, he is also making his own brand of regular croquettes. In fact, that is his main business, wholesaling to supermarkets and restaurants.</p>
<p>Also, we are currently putting a lot of effort into the &#8220;47 Prefectures Croquette Project,&#8221; in which we will spend a year making croquettes using ingredients from each of the 47 prefectures in Japan. In the past, local croquettes were made by the client, who asked us to &#8220;make something like this,&#8221; but this is an initiative in which the company proposes croquettes to the client.</p>
<p>We hope to contribute to local development, regional revitalization, and measures to address the declining birthrate and aging population by discovering ingredients buried in the local area and local dishes that would otherwise disappear and turning them into croquettes. We started this project with the hope of returning the favor we have received from the past with our local croquettes. Of course, the croquettes are additive-free and organic, which will realize the health of people and the earth in the future,&#8221; he said enthusiastically.</p>
<p>They have already launched a 100-set limited edition of croquettes made from &#8220;Izumi Dako&#8221;, &#8220;Yuba, Tofu and Soy Milk&#8221;, &#8220;Omi Beef&#8221;, &#8220;Tanba Black Beans&#8221;, &#8220;Yamato Pork&#8221;, and &#8220;Kishu Mikan Chicken&#8221; from the Kinki region.</p>
<figure id="attachment_259107" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1920px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259107"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c9c6cb40"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/e183c74e7f5f7e3dd2662cf312ccd6fe.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259107" class="wp-caption-text">These are their own brand of high-end croquettes called &#8220;Summit Series. Kobe beef steak is included in the katamari.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_259108" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1426px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259108"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="02758d25"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/aef224f6ecf07f7f61d3daba775e54a1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259108" class="wp-caption-text">This is the &#8220;Gotochi Hyogo Tanba Sasayama Black Bean and Fermented Butter Cream Croquette&#8221; from the Gotochi series. Sounds delicious just by listening to it!</figcaption></figure>
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<p>I suggested that he try my favorite &#8220;Tofu Takewa&#8221; croquettes from Tottori, and he was more interested in Tofu Takewa than I had expected (he immediately ordered them).</p>
<figure id="attachment_259109" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 480px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259109"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f92ef582"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/0df103bde66b77f94e97fe939f1d9616.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259109" class="wp-caption-text">I will leave it for another time because it is a long story about &#8220;Tofu Take-wheel&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_259306" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259306"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="06edf189"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/A.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259306" class="wp-caption-text">He sent me this picture! Nice guy!</figcaption></figure>
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<h3><strong> You can eat freshly fried tofu at our directly-managed store!</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_259110" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 675px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-259110"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="da7ea608"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/94757c60190bfb2f5b713ae7474c98de.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-259110" class="wp-caption-text">At the directly-managed store &#8220;mago koroku,&#8221; the president himself sometimes stands at the cash register. The customers are surprised!</figcaption></figure>
<p>Oh, I didn&#8217;t get a croquette&#8230; (laughs). You have to go to &#8220;mago koroku,&#8221; the only directly-managed store in Toyonaka, to buy them. You can enjoy freshly fried &#8220;Kuroge Wagyu Croquettes&#8221; and &#8220;Omochizu Croquettes&#8221;. They are also available online. Also, during the bimonthly factory sale, you can buy croquettes at about half the regular price, and rare items are also available. I have to go there. I have to go.</p>
<p>In the future, the croquette president will visit various places in his kitchen car to interact with producers, make croquettes, and sell them, using a drone to broadcast the event on SNS&#8230; He also plans to use the croquettes to promote the region and stimulate the economy. If you are interested in running for office, please contact us. If you are interested in running for office, please do so!</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.godo-foods.jp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Click here for the website of <strong>Godo Shokuhin</strong></a></p>
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 Born in 1979. Worked as an editor and writer for town magazines, travel books, and recipe books. Currently, as a web writer, he writes on a wide range of topics from decadence to traditional crafts. He loves to drink despite his weakness, and his life motto is "Sake is best drunk while walking. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>Another blog<br />
Shigeru Nekota's food blog "I love quirky restaurants! http://nekotashigeru.site/

 Shigeru Nekota

 Local croquettes" can be found at highway service areas and roadside stations. I used to wonder how such ingredients were made into croquettes, but did you know that they are all made in Osaka?

How Did a Former IT Employee Become President of a Company That Makes Croquette All Over Japan?

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