One of the most popular “omiyage” from Okinawa is Beni-imo Tart, a pie based on the purple sweet potato grown on the island.

Now you can remember you four-legged family member with a similar treat as Homme femme Inc., a company that runs “PET BOX” pet shops and Okashigoten, a maker of beni-imo tarts and other sweets, introduced Tuesday a “Benii-imo Tart cookie for dogs,” their jointly developed new product.

The new product is a cookie for dogs under the brand of “Beni-imo Tart.” The cookie looks like a small Beni-imo Tart, and the two companies spent two years to develop the product. It’s baked using powdered “Okiyumemurasaki” purple sweet potato to reproduce the vivid purple color. So far there has been few Okinawa-made products for pets, and the idea is to explore a new market “gifts for pets”.

Tsuyoshi Nakamura, the CEO of homme femme Inc., held a press conference at Okinawa Bianco in Naha City, to state that, “We have developed this product in order to create a great cookie for your pet that is one of the members of your family. We developed it jointly with one of the most famous Okinawan brands to explore a new market.”

The product will go on sale from Saturday at the stores of the PET BOX group, Okashigoten retail stores, Naha Airport shop, and some convenience stores. The plan is to expand the market of the product nationally though pet-related wholesale stores.

The cookie contains powdered chicken for dogs, and rice powder made from Japanese rice instead of flour to prevent an allergic reaction in the dog. “It contains no colorings nor preservatives to make it a safe product for pets,” Nakamura added.

The product is packed in 30g packs priced ¥260 excluding tax. A case of three packs is costs ¥788 excluding tax.

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