A Japanese candy company has been making national news headlines for its idea to produce gummy candy that tastes like an ‘imaginary fruit’ called Kiraspika (キラスピカ).

Last year was a great one for gummy candy producers, and the market continued to expand throughout 2023, with fruit-flavored gummies being the most popular. While there are plenty of fruit flavors to choose from, including intriguing fruit combinations, companies are still limited to the fruits available in our world. But what if someone broke down barriers and started making candy that tastes like imaginary fruits? That was the genius idea that Japanese sweets maker Kanro recently came up with. Last month, the company launched a new type of gummy candy that tastes like ‘Kiraspika no Mi’, a made-up fruit with an original flavor, design, and even an origin story.

According to the Kanro official website, the star-shaped Kiraspika only grows in the mountainous region of Blue Knife, where temperatures drop to -50 degrees Celsius in winter. It is very difficult to obtain, as when the fruit ripens, on a full-moon night around the winter solstice, the fruit explodes as a mechanism to spread its seeds. Pieces of the fruit fly at a speed of 300 meters per second, and a direct hit can be fatal.

Everything about Kiraspika was invented in Kanro’s fruit lab where its flavor experts combined various existing flavors to create an entirely original one that tastes like nothing you’ve ever eaten. According to its designers, the Kiraspika-flavored gummy candy has a mysterious sweetness combined with a sliced sourness, but many of those who have tried it have their own description of the taste.

To some, the Kiraspika flavor can be compared to that of an energy drink, others say it tastes a bit like a spicy apple, while some compare its sweetness to that of cherry gummies, combined with a tongue-numbing spiciness. It is the mystery of the flavor and the personal interpretations that make Kanro’s product so popular. Having been launched last month in the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, Kiraspika gummies have been selling out like hotcakes, and the Japanese company is already working on new creations in its Fantasy Fruit Lab.