The Tokucha Development Story

Overview of the Development
The Story Behind the Development

Sales top the ten-million-case mark in just eleven months!　Many years of passion and hard work by the Suntory team end up creating the Tokucha sensation.

This article is a re-edited version of an article that appeared on our corporate website in 2015. Job titles, department names, and photos are current as of the time of publication (2015) and may differ from the present.

Overview of the Development

The development of Iyemon Tokucha traces back to Suntory’s long-standing research on polyphenols, which began in the late 1980s.

Around 2003, as the market for body fat reduction products under the Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) program continued to expand, Suntory began pursuing a concept distinct from existing offerings—a FOSHU beverage designed to be enjoyed outside of traditional mealtime occasions. From among many potential ingredients, we succeeded in identifying quercetin glycosides—compounds that activate lipolytic enzymes—as the effective active component. Because this ingredient was the first submission under the FOSHU program, obtaining approval required long-term human efficacy studies as well as an especially rigorous review. Although the process typically takes about two years from application to approval, Tokucha required five years.

Later, when commercializing the product, we changed its original lemon flavor to a green tea beverage to better reflect consumer benefits and usage occasions. Tokucha was ultimately created through a commitment to scientific evidence and a deep understanding of market needs.

The Story Behind the Development

The development of Tokucha was a long journey involving many Suntory employees. From our early polyphenol research to the search for new functional ingredients, the Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) application process, and ultimately commercialization, team members who were part of each stage share the story from their own perspectives.