Our philosophy
on ingredients

Shiraken's call center and stores receive a lot of feedback from our customers everyday. It is our mission to continue providing the "Shiraken taste" that always satisfies our customers, while balancing the traditional taste, characteristic taste of the ingredients and changing customer preferences. We make sure to review the taste of every product, including our main products, 4 times a year in order to pursue the taste that satisfies our customers at all times.
We focus on the surimi, which is the main ingredient of kamaboko, and use only carefully selected ingredients such as salt and other seasonings. While remaining true to tradition, we continue our pursuit of the best taste.

In addition to our focus on the ingredients, we also work hard to train our young craftsmen. Although many of the processes have been mechanized, craftsmen still need to use their own eyes to determine the condition of the surimi and judge when to add the seasonings. Only craftsmen who are certified as Certified Skilled Professionals of Fish Paste Making by the national government and also by the company can make the subtle adjustments during various processes.
Only craftsmen who have acquired advanced skills can notice the slight differences in the season or the day and judge the correct timing.

It requires at least 5 years of experience to be certified as a grade 2 Certified Skilled Professional of Fish Paste Making and 10 years to be certified as grade 1. In the examination for the certification, in addition to the written test of knowledge such as sanitation, application of heat and bacteria, there is a skill test to "make kamaboko from raw fish using just one knife" that must be passed. Shiraken has 21 Certified Skilled Professionals of Fish Paste Making, placing us in the top class within the industry.