Easy-to-Swallow Chocolate Conceived Out of Japanese Mother's Love for Son

Yomiuri Shimbun

20-07-2025

KYOTO — A Tokyo chocolate shop owner spent two years working with a Kyoto confectionery company to come up with an easy-to-eat chocolate for people who have difficulty swallowing.Nana Maeda, 47, used to be a businesswoman active in Japan and abroad. The chocolate is her brainchild, born of a desire for her eldest son, who has dysphagia, to eat delicious chocolate.
Chocolate is often considered to melt in the mouth and be easy to swallow. But Maeda said regular chocolate must be 'chewed a bit' in order to swallow it, and can stick in the throat when eaten by people with dysphagia, or difficulty in swallowing.
Maeda's chocolate, named Chocolat Doux, contains about 25% more moisture than regular chocolate, and thus more readily melts in the mouth and slides down the throat. It must be kept in the freezer and thawed before eating but maintains a rich cacao aroma and an authentic flavor.Sales of Chocolat Doux began online in December, and it has been well-received among elderly people whose ability to swallow has weakened.
Maeda, from Kyoto, graduated from Doshisha University in 2001 and moved to Southeast Asia to work in corporate sales for several Japanese firms. In 2009, she returned to Japan and worked for another company, where she was in charge of sales in North America. In 2015, she had a son who was diagnosed with dysphasia — a rare disease that affects one in 100,000 people. She quit her job to stay by his side and started her own business the following year.
Maeda launched a chocolate planning and sales company. Production is outsourced to Confiserie Furansuya, a company founded by her grandfather in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. In 2017, Maeda launched the brand Chocolate de Familia with the philosophy of 'chocolate for families.'
The gap between this philosophy and reality frustrated her. Her son, who cannot move his body as he pleases, cannot chew or swallow very well and can only consume food processed with a blender. Her challenge to 'make chocolate that is delicious and that my son can also eat' began in spring 2022.
It was a challenge for the confectioners at Furansuya, too.'It never crossed our minds that there are people who can't melt chocolate in their mouths,' Shinsuke Nakahara, section manager of the company's manufacturing department, said. 'We had to completely rethink the manufacturing process.'
Maeda sought advice from Kayo Shimizu, pastry chef who designs meals that are easy to eat for people with swallowing difficulties. Maeda asked Shimizu to create a recipe and then handed it over to Furansuya's manufacturing team.
Chocolate with a high moisture content is too soft to hold its shape, a challenge the team overcome by cutting the chocolate bars in the freezer. They also conducted many trials to balance the texture and flavor.
'We were very happy when we finally got the OK,' Hisataka Kato, head of the department, said.
'My son enjoyed eating it,' Maeda said. 'I want people to know that anyone, with or without disabilities, can share the joy of eating the same food.'
Chocolat Doux comes in packs of 20 pieces for ¥3,240 (tax included). Furansuya accepts reservations.