Industries
The Mouth-watering Success of Japan’s Ice Cream Market
By Emma Regan
Ice cream has always been a worldwide favourite when it comes to the variety of delicious confectionery on offer. Believed to have originated circa 200BC, where Alexander the Great would enjoy a mixture of snow and ice, flavoured with honey and nectar, the milk-based ice cream we are familiar with originated from China during the Tang period. It spread through Europe between the 16th and 17th century and continued to grow into what we know it as today. Japan’s appreciation for ice cream occurred during the 20th century, yet was perceived as a luxury.
So how did Japan’s ice cream market open up and become known as the world’s top ice cream innovator? Here we give a cultural insight into the different types of Japanese ice cream brands, products, flavours, as well as opportunities within Japan’s ice cream market.
