A British producer of luxury Japanese mochi has launched two product lines for the retail channel, after years of supplying the UK’s restaurant sector.
V&H’s Little Moons range of frozen mochi ice cream comes in six flavours – toasted sesame, vanilla, coconut, matcha green tea, mango, and raspberry – and has now secured a new listing with Whole Foods. Meanwhile, its Tsuki Mochi line of mochi truffles – available in yuzu lemon cheesecake and dark chocolate varieties – have been launched in Selfridges.
The listings are the start of a wider retail rollout for the business, as it seeks to enhance awareness of mochi and tap into the current strength in demand for chilled desserts, which is leading growth in the overall desserts market. The company already supplies 4m pieces of mochi to a number Japanese restaurants every year.
The company was founded by Howard and Vivien Wong, who left their jobs in the City of London to start the company and spent two years perfecting the technical process of making mochi.
Mochi is produced by skilfully steaming and then pounding rice flour until it gains its characteristically soft elasticity. The Little Moons and Tsuki Mochi ranges are made from scratch in London and are hand rolled according to the traditional method.
A company spokesperson said: “Mochi has iconic status in its home country of Japan, where it is a mass market product, and a celebrity following in the West, with A-listers from Harry Styles to Heidi Klum known as fans.
“The soft and bouncy, gummy bear-like texture of mochi is just as special as its delicious taste. Beloved in Japan and known as the ‘Q texture’ in the Far East, Q is to culinary consistency what umami is to taste and will be familiar to adventurous Western palates from the chewy tapioca balls found at the bottom of Taiwanese bubble tea. It is destined to become a staple for Britain’s gastronomic trailblazers.”
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