Just sprinkle on the amazing powder "POWDER 8" grown in the northern land..

that makes your cooking incredibly delicious.
"POWDER 8" - A revolutionary spice

Summer is almost over, and it's time for autumn. Many people who stayed home during the summer due to COVID-19 are probably looking forward to enjoying nature through outdoor activities and camping in the fall.
So, for those who have the chance to cook outdoors, and even for everyday meals, we'd like to introduce a unique item that's perfect!

As it's picked by "STEEP," it's naturally something related to snow-covered mountains, skiing, and snowboarding. It's a spice called "POWDER 8." Made in Hokkaido, its name and packaging are truly intriguing.

"POWDER 8" is an outdoor seasoning made in Hokkaido that is a blend of the spice garlic and the herb holy basil (tulsi). It's easy to use; just sprinkle it on your finished dish. It's said to make your food incredibly delicious. The unique flavor, a blend of the punchy aroma of garlic and the gentle fragrance of herbs, is an indescribable new sensation

It goes with anything! Amazing versatility

It goes well with a variety of dishes, including barbecue, smoked food, salads, paella, pasta, and ajillo. It's a staple in outdoor cooking and a great addition to home recipes.

Surprisingly, it's also delicious on rice with a raw egg on top. Sprinkling it on melted cheese is also a good idea. Furthermore, it enhances the flavor of convenience store foods like cup noodles, and even restaurant meals – the possibilities are endless! (It's palm-sized, so it's portable if you want to.)

How POWDER 8 was made

"POWDER 8" is actually a hot item that just debuted on August 1st, 2020. It was produced by Masashi Ikeda, who runs "Maruhachi Ikeda Farm," a tourist farm in Kuriyama Town, Hokkaido, that cultivates chestnuts and herbs. Ikeda

's farm specializes in growing herbs, and he and a friend who grows garlic discovered that "herbs and garlic, when mixed together, taste delicious on anything." He said that the product was developed with the idea that "the farm's name is 'Maruhachi,' and what we make is a powder seasoning, so let's incorporate the number '8' into the name and packaging!"

A meticulous process that farmers take pride in

All raw materials are produced on their own farm. No pesticides or fertilizers are used; everything is grown using natural farming methods. Everything from cultivation to processing is done by hand. "We are farmers, so we are extremely particular about this," says Mr. Ikeda.

The raw materials for GARLIC & TULSI, the first product in the POWDER 8 series, are naturally grown garlic, which is hard to find on the market, and tulsi (holy basil), which is called a miracle herb among herb enthusiasts.

The two are crushed into a powder and blended, with no other unnecessary ingredients added; it is a so-called additive-free dry powder. Yet, it spreads a deep aroma and flavor, and behind this is the development story of how they repeatedly made prototypes and tasted them to find the exquisite balance of ingredients.

In fact, there is another story.

Patrolling farms in the summer and snowy mountains in the winter

As the name suggests, producer Ikeda is, of course, a skier!
He's a farmer in the summer and a patrol officer at the nearby Mt. Racey ski resort in the winter. "I've been doing patrol work for 13 seasons because I can make a living doing what I love, skiing, and I feel like I might be able to help someone in some small way with the skiing I've done up until now," he says.

Since we had the opportunity, we asked Ikeda, who knows Mt. Racey inside and out, about its best features.

"The charm of Mt. Racey is undoubtedly the fun course layout. There are steep slopes with ungroomed snow, permanent poles, and a wide variety of forest courses, and the groomed runs first thing in the morning are also great. The best part is that there are never many people there! It's a hidden gem and I highly recommend it."

How to enjoy the rich aroma nurtured by Hokkaido's natural beauty

As it is a spice, it can of course be used as a seasoning during cooking, but Ms. Ikeda recommends "sprinkling it on your food just before eating." It pairs perfectly with meat, fish, vegetables, and a variety of other ingredients. Why not try it in all kinds of cuisine, from Japanese and Western to Chinese and ethnic? It would make a great

addition to your spice box for camping or barbecues, a souvenir that evokes the feeling of snow in Hokkaido, a gift for ski enthusiasts, or even for your own dining table at home. They plan to expand the flavor lineup in the future, so we can look forward to that along with the new package designs.