Ahjikan has launched a new product in its roasted-burdock sweet “GOVOCE” line: “GOVOCE Milk.”
“GOVOCE” was commercialized last year as a sweet that uses roasted burdock in place of cocoa, achieving a chocolate-like flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture. It is non-caffeinated and characterized by its high dietary fiber content.
This time, “with the aim of having a wider range of generations enjoy it easily” (the company), Ahjikan added milk (whole milk powder) and vanilla aroma components to create a milder finish. In a pre-launch tasting survey, comments were received such as, “My child liked it and kept eating it,” and “I’m surprised this contains no cocoa.”
The company originally used large amounts of burdock as an ingredient for Japanese prepared foods, and in 2010 it launched “Roasted Burdock Tea,” growing it into a top product in the burdock-tea market. Sales of its health food business including that product totaled 3.585 billion yen (fiscal year ended March 2025). In 2023, it started the “Ahjikan Burdock Project,” which develops product planning featuring burdock.
