If you come to Niseko Town, you must visit Niseko Takahashi Ranch!

A spot you should not miss when sightseeing in Niseko Town is Niseko Takahashi Ranch . It is home to a workshop that processes freshly squeezed milk delivered from the farm, a cafe where you can enjoy freshly made sweets and ice cream, and a restaurant where you can eat delicious fresh cheese and vegetables, making it a must-visit spot when you come to Niseko Town.

Photo courtesy of Niseko Takahashi Farm

Niseko Takahashi Ranch is visited by 300,000 people a year (before the COVID-19 pandemic). The reason it first became a place that attracts so many visitors was actually because the ranch was facing a crisis. "Due to production adjustments, we had a surplus of milk and we had no choice but to throw it away. But we wanted to somehow get the milk from the cows that we had carefully raised to our customers, rather than throwing it away. With that strong desire in mind, we started processing the milk into dairy products." Starting with ice cream and soft serve ice cream, they produced drinkable yogurt for takeaway. After that, they gradually increased the number of products that customers enjoyed, such as cakes, cream puffs, and Baumkuchen, a long-lasting product suitable as a souvenir.

If you visit Niseko Takahashi Farm, you'll want to try the freshly baked "cream puffs"

And, with the desire to let people enjoy the culinary blessings of Niseko, they opened restaurants PRATIVO , where you can enjoy local vegetables in buffet style while taking in the magnificent view of Mt. Yotei, and MANDRIANO, where you can enjoy pizza and salads made with fresh cheese made at Niseko Takahashi Farm. You can also enjoy the great outdoors of Niseko at these highly recommended restaurants.

PRATIVO restaurant where you can enjoy plenty of locally grown vegetables. Image provided by PRATIVO

Niseko Takahashi Farm has recently launched a new chocolate brand called "CACAO CROWN" that you'll want to send to your loved ones.

What is CACAO CROWN, the farm-based bean-to-bar chocolate brand?

CACAO CROWN is a chocolate brand launched in 2021 by Niseko Takahashi Farm , which continues to explore milk and dairy products. The name CACAO CROWN comes from the image of the crown that forms on the surface of milk when cacao beans are dropped into it! The cow depicted in the store's logo is also very cute.

There are many different types of chocolate, but CACAO CROWN is a brand that makes "Bean to Bar" chocolate, which involves all the steps from cacao beans to chocolate. We carefully combine high-quality milk from Niseko Takahashi Farm with high-quality cocoa from around the world to create flavorful, delicious milk chocolate and sweets that make the most of the ingredients' taste.

The stylish and luxurious packaging is a special design that makes it a great gift for someone special or as a treat for yourself!

"CACAO CROWN" carefully crafted chocolate made with our proud milk and carefully selected cocoa beans

Let's take a closer look at CACAO CROWN's commitment. First of all, the milk used is carefully selected. Niseko Takahashi Farm's milk is characterized by its sweet, thick and refreshing taste.

Image courtesy of: CACAO CROWN

"The taste of our milk is reflected in Milk Kobo's soft serve ice cream, which is light and easy to drink, and you won't get tired of it," says Takai. The rich sweetness and mellowness of this freshly squeezed milk is utilized in making chocolate. And our commitment to cacao beans: CACAO CROWN sources carefully selected cacao beans from all over the world through direct trade. Because they purchase from trusted farmers, they are able to pay a fair price for high-quality cocoa beans, and they are able to provide feedback to the farmers about the beans, which allows them to maintain mutually beneficial relationships.

Image courtesy of: CACAO CROWN

At CACAO CROWN, we combine the milk from Niseko Takahashi Farm with high-quality cocoa beans sourced from all over the world to produce our exquisite chocolate, using a "Bean to Bar" manufacturing style in which all processes are carried out in-house to create our exquisite chocolate.

The sugar used is beet sugar from Hokkaido, and the packaging is made from Ezomatsu craft using thinned Ezomatsu trees from Hokkaido, making this chocolate full of attention to detail.

Image courtesy of: CACAO CROWN

The birth of "CACAO CROWN"

So how did CACAO CROWN come about? Takai-san originally wanted to make chocolate using milk from Takahashi Farm. He says that what inspired him to do so was being impressed by the deliciousness of Swiss milk chocolate. "When I made sweets, I often ordered chocolate from all over the world. I found that Swiss milk chocolate was outstandingly delicious. When I asked the wholesaler why, they told me, as if it was the obvious answer, that it was because Swiss milk is delicious. That's when I started thinking about making milk chocolate in Hokkaido. I'd always thought it would be interesting if delicious craft milk chocolate could be made in Hokkaido."

Image courtesy of: CACAO CROWN

He also wanted to create a product that people would want to give as a souvenir to their loved ones. His desire to create milk chocolate that can be carried around at room temperature without taking up too much space, and that people would want to give to their loved ones, grew. This dream came true when he met Matsumuro, a chocolatier at Majes du Chocolat, a Tokyo chocolate shop that specializes in cacao beans.

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