Kita-kyushu Company Knows the 'Nuts and Bolts' of Selling Chocolate

Everyone knows about chocolate nuts, but how about chocolate screws? These novel creations, made from 3-D-printed molds, are proving a huge hit as souvenirs from the World Heritage attractions of Kita-kyushu. Facilities related to the Imperial Steel Works in Kita-kyushu gained World Cultural Heritage status last year, and a confectionary store here responded by putting "neji choco" (screw chocolates), inspired by the Steel Works, on sale. The nuts-and-bolts-shaped chocolates fit together like the real thing, and sales have been brisk since the product's release on Feb. 3.

The idea was conceived by Futoshi Yoshitake, the 43-year-old president of OA Center Co., a communications device seller in Kita-kyushu's Kokura-kita Ward. Yoshitake said he began developing the product in October 2015 because he "wanted to make a souvenir that represents this city of steel and craftsmanship, and that little kids can enjoy, too."

"They have a unique shape, and I would like people to try these chocolates made deliberately by pastry chefs," said Yoshitake. "I hope these ‘neji choco’ inform a lot of people that Kita-kyushu is a city with a World Heritage status."