Kameda's 60-Year-Old Kaki no Tane Keeps Top Spot with Dough-Making Precision

Kameda Seika's flagship product "Kameda no Kaki no Tane" marks its 60th anniversary this year, maintaining its position as Japan's top-selling rice cracker with annual sales exceeding 100 million bags. The company attributes this success to its meticulous manufacturing process at its Kameda factory in Niigata City. The production process begins with steaming and kneading rice flour into approximately 300-kilogram batches of dough, with careful moisture adjustment. The kneading process incorporates air particles that create the cracker's crispy texture, followed by an 18-hour cooling period and high-speed cutting into 1.6-millimeter slices at 1,500 pieces per second. Factory officials emphasize that dough preparation is the "heart" of the product, determining quality before further processing. After cutting, the pieces undergo drying and a three-hour resting period to ensure uniform moisture distribution, preventing cracking or improper expansion during baking.