"Olive Chocolat" is born, promoting new local attractions through student ideas

The finished olive chocolate

As part of the Regional Studies Collaborative Project D (Olive Production Support Project), an educational program designed to foster students' planning and creativity while working to solve local issues, 13 students from five faculties and six departments developed "Olive Chocolat," a chocolate made with olive leaves. This product was commercialized with the cooperation of Mochi Kobo Co., Ltd. (store name: Maybe... the World's Smallest Chocolate Factory), a popular local shop that has attracted national attention.

Togane City has been promoting its olive production since 2014, with approximately 2,000 olive trees currently cultivated. Our university has promoted the appeal of olives through harvesting experiences, events at the university festival, and the creation of olive crowns. In 2024, we launched the "Olive Production Support Project" as part of the "Regional Academic Co-Creation Project." In its second year, this year, we focused on the bitterness and spiciness of olive leaves and worked with local companies to develop olive leaf processed foods.

In April 2025, the students began developing food products using olive leaf powder (OLP*). First, they learned about Togane City's efforts to become an olive-producing region, local issues, and the benefits and characteristics of olives. They then tried the taste and aroma of olive leaves to deepen their understanding of their properties and potential. Starting with the collection of olive leaves, they continued to consider prototyping, tasting, and ways to use OLP at home, and have been discussing commercialization. *Olive Leaf Powder

When commercializing the chocolate, we conducted a taste comparison of chocolates with different blending percentages to find a blend that would best capture the flavor and characteristics of olive leaves. As a result, we selected two types, "1%" and "3%", which were evaluated as having the best balance of olive leaf's unique characteristics and ease of eating, and decided to commercialize them. We also worked on coming up with the product name and logo design, and creating hand-drawn pop-ups to communicate the product's appeal.

Students who participated in the project

Commercialization Meeting

Additionally, this project is currently preparing to commercialize "OLP Sticks," which are made from powdered olive leaves.

Through this project, the students learned practically how to promote the appeal of olives as a local resource while facing the challenges facing the region. We will continue to promote educational activities in collaboration with the local community, with the aim of realizing "healthcare town development" through support for olive production.

The students who participated in the project said, "We struggled with adjusting the ratio of olive leaf powder. We also tried and tested the design many times to make sure it conveyed its appeal." They also talked about their future involvement with Togane city, saying, "We want many people to know about Togane city and olives. While I'm a university student, I'd like to take part in many projects that will not only promote olives, but also Togane city."

The olive chocolate, which is packed with the students' ideas, went on sale from February 2nd at JOSAI Support (Sanyo Co., Ltd.) and the Lawson Josai International University Tokana store.

【商品概要】
商品名：オリーブショコラ　オリーブリーフ1％、
　　　　オリーブショコラ　オリーブリーフ3％
名称：チョコレート
内容量：3粒入／袋（1粒5.5g）
製造者：株式会社餅工房（たぶん… 世界一小さいチョコレート工場）
販売者：株式会社三燿
販売価格：150円（税込）
販売開始日：2026年2月2日
販売場所：ローソン城西国際大学東金店、オンラインショップ「JOSAIサポート」（株式会社三燿）