Toyota Motor Corporation’s Chairman, Akio Toyoda, has a passion for both donuts of the vehicular and edible kind. Toyoda found a unique way to enjoy both guilt-free with the assistance of hydrogen technology.
Toyoda is no ordinary executive. His passion for fast cars and vehicular stunts under his racecar driver pseudonym, Morizo, is widely known. His signature move, spinning his vehicle in circles or making ‘donuts’, has contributed to his popularity. But Toyoda’s love of donuts extends beyond the racetrack.
Toyoda’s fondness for the glazed treat started during his education at Babson College in the U.S., where he fell in love with authentic, coffee-dunked pastries. Toyoda’s love for donuts was so profound, that it became the sole focus of his 2019 commencement address at the college.
Toyoda yearned for a way to indulge more in his love for donuts, without the associated guilt. In his position as Toyota’s head, he had the means to realize this vision, with the help of Toyota’s hydrogen engineering team and Koji Fujiharu, the Epicure restaurant owner in Tokyo.
Fujiharu, known for making unorthodox dishes for allergenic individuals, devised a new, less decadent but equally palatable version of the donut. Utilizing syrup, soy milk, and konjac, with soy pulp (a byproduct from the tofu-making process), Fujiharu created a gluten-free, green donut that makes good use of otherwise wasted ingredients.
The donuts, while deep-fried, come out light and oil-free due to the hydrating rest period of the batter. The result is a guilt-free treat that still ticks all the taste boxes, impressing even Toyoda himself. The unique twist to the tale is that Toyoda’s guilt-free donuts are also made on a hydrogen-fueled truck. The truck, thus, adds no harmful emissions to the environment, truly living up to the ‘guilt-free’ label.
Now known as “Morizo Donuts”, these delights are set to tour across Japan, spreading the message that going green can absolutely add to life’s joy with the right innovation and creativity.
