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The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 1995

Calbee Jagariko: the snack born from imperfect potatoes

Calbee had potatoes unfit for regular chips. Engineers created a new product from them. The unique texture became a hit. Jagariko became a Japanese staple.

Calbee · 1995

What happened

Calbee was founded in 1949 in Hiroshima, Japan. The company became Japan's largest snack food manufacturer, holding approximately 70% of the potato chip market. The company's product development philosophy centered on 'utilization of untapped food resources' — creating popular snacks from ingredients and by-products that were not previously used as snack foods.

In 1995, Calbee launched Jagariko. The product was created using off-specification potatoes that were unfit for regular potato chip production. The off-spec potatoes gave Jagariko a firm, crunchy texture that was different from regular chips. The product was not a planned innovation — it was a solution to a supply problem. Calbee had potatoes that could not be used for their main product line, and they needed to find a way to use them.

Jagariko became a hit in Japan. The unique texture — firm and crunchy — was different from any other snack on the market. The product became a staple of Japanese snacking. Jagariko demonstrated Calbee's product development philosophy: turn a problem into an opportunity. The snack that was born from imperfect potatoes became one of Japan's most popular snack foods.

Why it happened

  • Jagariko was created using off-specification potatoes that were unfit for regular chip production — not a planned product innovation.
  • The unique firm, crunchy texture was a result of using off-spec potatoes, not a deliberate product design choice.
  • Calbee's philosophy of 'utilization of untapped food resources' turned a supply problem into a successful product.
What it costpotatoes too misshapen to sell as chipslucky mistake

The lesson

Calbee had potatoes unfit for regular chips. Engineers created a new product from them. The unique texture became a hit. Jagariko became a Japanese staple. The product was born from a supply problem.

Sources

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