Even though  we may not have the weather for ice cream these days, one Japanese company has launched an alternative flavour to cool down with that is soy sauce.

Even though most people associate soy sauce with savoury dishes. The salty and sweet ice cream launched by the confectionery company Hirota was originally designed as a filling for a new line of cream puff treats.

‘It’s a mixture of soy sauce and ice cream, producing a well-balanced salty, yet sweet, ice cream which is perfect for the summer,’ explained Tokyo-based developer Kunihiko Shirokawa.

‘We are planning another product for the autumn,’ he added.

The company has teamed up Yamani Soy Sauce Co for the project, a business based in Rikuzentakata, a city in northeastern Japan devastated by the March 2011 tsunami.

The collaboration is the brainchild of consultant Seki Kinya who was inspired to help the area having participated in the city’s clean-up efforts as a volunteer last year.

‘I was in Takata during the clean-up efforts, and happened to meet an associate of Yamani,’ revealed Kinya.

‘Afterwards, the mayor talked about his hopes of revitalising local businesses and creating job opportunities. It was all a coincidence, really.’

A portion of the profits from the exotic  venture will be donated to continuing building efforts within the area.