A “go-for-it” spirit and a company policy of not meddling in the creative process are behind the many flavors, successful or not, of the hugely popular “GariGari Kun” ice pop.

The square-shaped frozen desert has a 41-year sales history. It is the product that enters many Japanese people’s minds if they are asked how they cool off in the summer.

More than 400 million bars of GariGari Kun are sold annually. Summer sales are more than fivefold those in winter.

Since it hit the market in 1981, fans have tasted more than 160 flavors of GariGari Kun.

Its producer, Akagi Nyugyo Co., is based in Saitama Prefecture and employs around 400 people.

The company also sells soft cream products and other frozen desserts, but its annual sales of around 45 billion yen ($315 million) are mainly the result of GariGari Kun’s popularity.

In 2016, the company raised the price of GariGari Kun for the first time in a quarter of a century, from 60 yen to 70 yen, excluding tax.

But instead of releasing a dry corporate statement about the price increase, Akagi Nyugyo produced a humorous TV commercial in which the company’s president and employees apologized for the higher price.

The commercial was warmly received by fans, and it somehow worked to mitigate the impact of the price hike.

That type of corporate attitude has also led to the many flavors produced for GariGari Kun, no matter how inappropriate some of them may seem for a dessert.

Its staple flavors include soda, cola and grapefruit.

But around 10 years ago, a customer sent a letter to Akagi Nyugyo to express dissatisfaction with the ice bar.

“This is not what I want from GariGari Kun,” the letter said. “GariGari Kun should be more fun.”

After receiving the letter, Akagi Nyugyo employees decided to produce an unusual flavor that could be “a conversation starter,” according to Hideyuki Okamoto, the 36-year-old chief of the marketing unit at the company.

They started researching popular sweets and snacks at candy stores across Japan.

They found a flavor that few people disliked and believed it would be a success for GariGari Kun.

The flavor-development project at Akagi Nyugyo was strictly confidential.

Team members worked in the wee hours after their colleagues went home. They kept the windows open and used electric fans to make sure the flavor’s scent did not linger in the room.

The first unusually flavored GariGari Kun hit the market in 2012. It tasted like corn potage.

Despite doubts shared by many in the company, the product sold like hotcakes. The company was even forced to temporarily halt sales because supply couldn’t catch up with demand.

Riding on that momentum, Akagi Nyugyo produced a stew-flavored GariGari Kun in 2013, followed by a Napolitan spaghetti flavor in 2014.

However, the Napolitan spaghetti flavor was a big failure.

Those who developed the spaghetti flavor sought to mimic the texture of the dish, but few customers bought the product, and the company sank into the red to the tune of around 300 million yen as a result.

But that setback did not stop Akagi Nyugyo from creating new and unorthodox flavors for GariGari Kun.

Okamoto said there are two key reasons for why employees could keep trying even after failure.

One is that company managers do not interfere in the work of their young subordinates, mostly in their 20s or 30s, who develop products.

Second-year employees at Akagi Nyugyo developed the La France pear flavor for GariGari Kun that was marketed last year. Its sticky texture has made it popular.

Okamoto was part of the team that developed the corn-potage-flavored GariGari Kun. He was only 26 years old when it hit the market.

The company president praised the team’s effort, saying it was “very good.”

The second reason is that the workplace environment allows employees to “safely fail.”

Even a big failure like the Napolitan spaghetti flavor does not affect the assessment of the employees.

In contrast, any achievement, even a small one like improving work efficiency, is rewarded with awards and prize money.

However, some industry observers say the company has become more conservative, noting that its new GariGari Kun flavors in recent years are “normal,” such as Japanese apricot last year.

They say the company seems to be adjusting to consumers’ tendency to be less adventurous when prices are rising.

Okamoto flatly denies such speculation.

He cites the green smoothie flavor for GariGari Kun in 2017 and the fried-egg flavor in 2019.

Both flavors didn’t sell though, Okamoto says.

“We regret the failures, as in the Napolitan spaghetti flavor, but we somehow try to offer an unusual flavor again after three or so years (after a failure).”

This year’s GariGari Kun plum flavor has sold well.

When told that three years have passed since the egg-fried flavor failure, Okamoto said, smiling, “You might see some eccentric flavor now and again.”

Five best-selling GariGari Kun flavors in 2021

1. Soda

2. Pear

3 Kyushu mandarin

4. Cola

5. Japanese apricot

Source: Akagi Nyugyo Co.