Contributed by Ms Rawipa Peeraphan, SCTL Food and Materials Dept

November 2023
Bangkok, Thailand

SCTL had the opportunity from Lawson Japan, the third-largest convenience store chain in Japan, to develop frozen “Ready to Eat” product with SC Foods. This category has been expanded in Japan due to the increasingly busy lifestyle of Japanese consumers seeking convenient and easily prepared meals.

Market research revealed that existing options in this category are primary use breast and leg meat. To differentiate our products, we sought a special cut. We decided to select Nankotsu (cartilage), also known as “Yagen” in Japan, a very rare item found only one piece per bird.

The rarity of the part (Nankotsu) posed a challenge in quantity sourcing for Lawson. However, thanks to the relationship between Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) and Sumitomo Corporation Group, our chicken supplier, CP Foods (the No.1 chicken packer and our main supplier of chicken business in Thailand), met Lawson’s demand.

We developed this product under the concept of “Ready to Eat” and “Everyone can eat”. The product takes the form of grilled Yagen with a distinct salty and sesame oil flavor. Lawson launched this product in November 2023, and received positive feedback from customers. This was our first contract with Lawson Japan in our chicken business. While our established partnership with Seven Eleven Japan (the largest convenience store chain) remains strong, we are now focused on further expanding our collaboration with Lawson Japan by developing a second product.

Next time when you’re at Lawson Japan, don’t miss your chance to grab Yagen and enjoy the taste!