{"id":4629,"date":"2026-04-30T16:55:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriture.jp\/industry_news\/keipe-whey-gelato\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T16:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T07:52:23","slug":"keipe-whey-gelato","status":"publish","type":"industry_news","link":"https:\/\/agriture.jp\/en\/industry_news\/keipe-whey-gelato\/","title":{"rendered":"The Day Discarded Whey Met the Peach | The Challenge of Yamanashi's KEIPE and Kiyosato Milk"},"content":{"rendered":"

The gelato \"Nora Jealousy<\/strong>,\" jointly developed by KEIPE Inc. of Kofu, Yamanashi, and Kiyosato Milk Plant Co., Ltd. of Hokuto, launched on April 28, 2026. It pairs \"whey,\" a byproduct produced in large volumes during cheese making, with off-grade Yamanashi-grown fruit that couldn't be shipped for its looks. It is sold year-round at the nouto factory outlet in front of Isawa-Onsen Station, priced at 450 yen for a single and 550 yen for a double (tax included). It is drawing attention as a case in which discarded materials gave rise to a new regional flagship product.<\/p>\n\n

What Is \"Nora Jealousy\"\u2014Starting with Two Flavors, Peach and Strawberry<\/h2>\n\n

The \"Nora Jealousy\" lineup has two types: peach-based\"Momo Mo Moo\"<\/strong>and strawberry-based\"Ichi Chigo\"<\/strong>. The dairy base uses \"whey\" that inevitably arises when Kiyosato Milk Plant makes cheeses such as Gouda and mozzarella. In cheese making, about 90% of the raw milk is said to remain as whey, and though it is rich in nutrients, it has long been known as a material that takes effort and cost to process.<\/p>\n\n

At launch in April, the peach flavor uses 100% Yamanashi-grown peach juice, with plans to switch to off-grade peaches once fresh fruit is available from July onward. The strawberry flavor uses off-grade Yamanashi-grown strawberries. Fruit that couldn't reach the fresh-eating market for being \"misshapen\" or \"undersized\" combines with whey's light, lactic tang to create new value.<\/p>\n\n

Keisuke Isobe, sales-planning manager at Kiyosato Milk Plant, commented, \"The gelato we developed through repeated prototyping is a finish we can proudly call delicious.\" Yumi Amemiya, general manager at KEIPE, also said, \"Whey\u2014nutrient-rich yet never fully used\u2014is a treasure into which new value should be breathed.\"<\/p>\n\n

The \"Whey Problem\" Behind It and the Shrinking of Japanese Dairy Farming<\/h2>\n\n

Whey is rich in protein and minerals, but it has a high concentration of organic matter, and releasing it directly into sewers degrades river water quality\u2014so proper treatment has long been a challenge for cheese workshops at home and abroad. Overseas, use as feed, powder, liquor, and cosmetics materials has advanced, while in Japan small workshops make up the majority, and the barrier of capital investment means disposal or paid processing stands out.<\/p>\n\n

Another backdrop is the rapid shrinking of dairy-farm management. According to MAFF livestock statistics, the number of dairy farms has kept falling from about 420,000 in 1963 and is nearing a level below 10,000 in recent years. As closures mount amid high feed costs and milk-price issues, the move to commercialize the \"byproduct\" of cheese making\u2014which uses raw milk to the last drop\u2014carries meaning as a way to support dairy farming's sustainability too.<\/p>\n\n

The same structure applies to off-grade fruit. Yamanashi is a major producer of peaches, grapes, and strawberries, but at harvest time large volumes of off-grade goods arise daily, and it is not unusual for fruit to flow to disposal or cheap trade. In Agriture's experience facing Kyoto's producers in the dried-vegetable business, using off-grade goods is a difficult theme that works only when both a \"pickup mechanism\" and an \"exit product\" are in place.<\/p>\n\n

Product Specs and Sales Terms<\/h2>\n\n
Item<\/th>Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Product name<\/td>Nora Jealousy<\/td><\/tr>
Flavors<\/td>Momo Mo Moo (peach) \/ Ichi Chigo (strawberry)<\/td><\/tr>
Price (tax included)<\/td>Single 450 yen \/ Double 550 yen<\/td><\/tr>
Release date<\/td>April 28, 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Where sold<\/td>nouto factory outlet (5-5 Isawacho Ekimae, Fuefuki, Yamanashi)<\/td><\/tr>
Sales period<\/td>Year-round<\/td><\/tr>
Main ingredients<\/td>Whey from Kiyosato Milk Plant \/ Yamanashi-grown fruit (peach is juice as of April, switching to off-grade peaches from July onward; strawberry is off-grade)<\/td><\/tr>
Hands-on experiences<\/td>\"Maki-Maki Machine\" (self-serve plating) \/ \"Rainbow Bagel Drizzle\"<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Similar Cases Using the Same Materials\u2014A Nationwide Movement<\/h2>\n\n

Upcycling whey and off-grade fruit has spread nationwide in the past few years. On an Agriture reporting basis too, cases like the following can be confirmed.<\/p>\n\n