Irresistible delicious charm – a fun visit to the Little Bear Biscuit Factory

This summer vacation, Xia’an’s mom had a wonderful time. In early July, she wandered around Tokyo, enjoying a rare few days of a “ditch-the-husband-and-kids” holiday. This time, invited by “Rakuten Little Bear,” she visited the “Rakuten Saitama Factory” located in the Tokyo suburbs to see firsthand how the beloved “Rakuten Little Bear” biscuits—long popular among Taiwanese children—are made.
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Early in the morning, our group of 12 set off for the Saitama Factory. As soon as we arrived, wow—the site is huge. In addition to the familiar “Rakuten Little Bear,” the factory also produces Gaha Chocolate, Toppo Chocolate Bars, Pie no Mi Layered Pies, and a variety of ice creams. The nearly 130,000-square-foot factory was built in 1964, so it has been serving consumers for as long as 52 years.

On the “Rakuten Little Bear” production line, we saw more than 200 different designs of “Rakuten Little Bear” biscuits being produced at the same time—it was like a “Rakuten Little Bear” carnival. The biscuit dough undergoes a special manufacturing process, transforming from a flat sheet into puffy Little Bear shapes, as if inflated, then baked in high-temperature ovens. Next, rich chocolate is injected into the biscuits. Throughout the process, the air was filled not only with the aroma of the dough but also the scent of chocolate—making it hard to resist sneaking a bite or two.
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Next, we visited the production line for “Gaha Chocolate Chips.” We watched as cocoa beans were melted into rich chocolate syrup, which was then poured into molds—resulting in delicious “Gaha Chocolate Chips”! What amazed Xia’an’s mom the most was that not just Gaha Chocolate, but all the chocolate fillings in Rakuten products—including those in Rakuten Little Bear Biscuits, Toppo Chocolate Bars, and Pie no Mi Layered Pies—are carefully crafted by specialists. Starting from the cocoa beans, they adjust the ratios to achieve the perfect taste and texture for each product. It's clear that Rakuten’s dedication begins with the ingredients, which made Xia’an’s mom want to give them a big thumbs up.

Next, the factory manager kindly invited us to the tasting room to sample both the unfilled and filled versions of the Rakuten Little Bear Biscuits and Pie no Mi, freshly taken from the production line. The unfilled biscuits are exclusive to the factory, and just tasting them on their own, the aroma of the biscuits was already captivating. No wonder they become so incredibly delicious when paired with the specially made chocolate filling—it’s simply perfect. No wonder Rakuten holds such a prestigious position in Japan’s snack industry; every product is a masterpiece crafted with care by the R&D team.

The enthusiastic factory manager also secretly told us that people who find certain designs are often considered very lucky. In fact, someone at the event actually found a Rakuten Little Bear biscuit with a cross-shaped mark, which made Xia’an’s mom extremely envious.

Beyond the dedication to product development, the factory manager’s introduction to production line management clearly reflected the world-renowned precision of the Japanese. Truly, with products from Rakuten, we consumers don’t have to worry about safety at all.
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In Taiwan, where food safety issues continue to emerge, what consumers value the most is food safety. And trustworthy manufacturers are few and far between. Thanks to Rakuten for the invitation, which allowed Xia’an’s mom to witness the manufacturing process of “Rakuten Little Bear Biscuits” with her own eyes—it really put my mind at ease. I was even happier to personally visit the Saitama Factory, and I hope Rakuten will continue to invite me to other factories. Xia’an’s mom would love to take photos at every Rakuten factory.