Sweets, raw milk, and butter made from raw milk are inseparable. Only 4% of butter comes from cow's milk, and 90% comes from fat-free milk. This fat-free milk is sold as cheap skim milk powder. There was a problem that the business was unstable because it was sold as cheap skim milk powder. The production of high-quality butter had become unstable. Luckily, there's a sweet that solves this problem. This sweet is a "butter cousin." “Butter Cousin” was released in 2018. A box of 3 pieces comes in at 972 yen, which is not cheap at all. Generally, the star of sweets is rich butter. But this "butter cousin" is dominated by the troublesome fat-free milk.
In this situation, the fact that "Butter Cousin" is sold out is a bright spot. The driving force behind this is Goichi Miyamoto, a Tokyo native who started his own business in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture. Mr. Miyamoto heard from dairy farmers who run farms about their concerns about handling non-fat milk that is generated during butter refining. So he turned to a friend who is a pastry chef and was able to find a way to solve the "90% problem." After much trial and error, they succeeded in making jam with a milky flavor using non-fat milk. The sweets are made with jam made from non-fat milk and sandwiched between waffle dough. The soft dough is topped with coarse cane sugar and ``melty'' jam. An exquisite sweet with a buttery flavor and three textures was born. He decided on this name because he considered non-fat milk to be a "cousin" to butter.
``Butter's cousin'' is causing a bit of a boom. Products and organizations that solve social problems are praised. Elements that influence sales have also been added to this "solving social issues." When it comes to making butter confectionery, it seems that the recent media coverage of raw milk waste has had a big influence. A popular confectionery was born to solve the problems faced by dairy farmers. This seems to have increased consumer confidence. There seems to be a growing interest in dairy farming issues, as well as expectations for the sustainable development of dairy farming. Furthermore, this sweet has ingenuity in product development and another contribution to welfare. The staff who support the production of ``Butter's Cousin'' include people with disabilities. The production is supported by staff who are raising small children.