World Wide
Mottainai Rice Upcycling Project
Upcycling of Mottainai rice, which was created through the development process of electric rice cooker/warmers, into a variety of raw materials.
This is an initiative to create new value.
Considering Rice Cooked for Tasting as an Important Resource and Converting It into Raw Materials
For Zojirushi, which has worked closely with Japanese food culture, rice is extremely important.
We were wondering, “are there other ways to make use of it as an important resource when this rice remains uneaten even after our best efforts?”
That was when we came across a technology that converts it into unused resources.
To not waste the important rice to the end. That is the desire of Zojirushi, a company that loves rice.
Rice Upcycled Beer (ZO no Mai)
Upcycling Mottainai rice into a raw material for beer
Cooked rice
Raw material
for beer
Rice Koji Sweetener
Upcycling Mottainai rice into rice koji fermented sugar
Cooked rice
Rice koji
fermented sugar
Sterilizing Wet Wipes Made of Rice
Upcycling Mottainai rice into fermented ethanol
Cooked rice
Ethanol made
from rice
Rice Upcycled Beer (Hare to Ho)
Upcycling Mottainai rice into a raw material for beer
Cooked rice
Raw material
for beer
What Started the Product Development
This product began as a result of considering “Mottainai” at our company
Zojirushi conducts rice cooking tests on a daily basis in order to develop electric rice cooker/warmers that cook delicious rice.
Although we used to compost the uneaten rice from the tests in the past, this had raised an internal issue because it was considered “Mottainai” (a waste).
After meeting a company that upcycles rice into fermented ethanol, we were able to give a new life to the rice as sanitizing wet wipes and sell them.
We have also begun a new challenge to increase the amount of upcycling by co-creating with a company that is capable of utilizing rice as a raw material for craft beer.
In these efforts, we, who are fervent rice lovers, are working to reduce “Mottainai rice” first from within the company and then from society as a whole.
* “Mottainai” means... to feel regretful that something which still has value is left unattended and not being utilized, or is about to be thrown away
