The SanRiku Gelato series is produced in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, which is located in the central part of the Sanriku Fukko (Reconstruction) National Park, which was created after the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 as a way to help revitalize the local region.
It comes in a total of nine flavors, each made only with well selected locally sourced ingredients. “Kasshi Kaki” is packed with the sweet flavor of the “phantom persimmon” only available in Kamaishi; “Amazake” with a natural sweetness; “Ikura soy sauce” made with salmon roe produced in Sanriku; “Sesame” that uses a popular sesame paste from traditional mochi store; “Daiginjo” flavored with Hamachidori Daiginjo sake with a mild taste; “Mishio Vanilla” accentuated with seaweeds produced in the rich sea of Kamaishi; “Kama dango” that reproduces the taste of the local sweet made with miso and kuromitsu syrup; “Caramelized apple” developed together with local farm and high school students; and “Matcha” that uses tea from a purveyor to the Kamaishi branch of the Urasenke school of Japanese tea ceremony. All of which made with flavors unique to the Sanriku Kamaishi region. In addition to a complete set of nine flavors, a set of three flavors (Daiginjo, Mishio vanilla and Matcha) is also available.
“SanRiku” was launched in 2020 amidst the ongoing recovery efforts from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Since then, it has been striving to deliver the local tastes from the small port town produced painstakingly by the locals to a wider audience.