We are an importer of artisanal Japanese kitchen staples - rice, shoyu, tea, vinegar, and other ingredients. “Shokuya” means “food store.”
We are passionate about Japanese food, agriculture, fermentation, and other techniques. We connect markets, cultures, and levels of knowledge.
We are insatiable foragers. We research categories, regions, and suppliers. We develop relationships, learn, and share.
We are a team of creatives. We use design, photography, and communications to make producers, brands, and products accessible.
We operate at the intersection between makers and users. We act as a bridge. We rely on producers, buyers, and consumers to make the real magic.
We make artisanal Japanese ingredients accessible
Goals
We want to build a portfolio of delicious products.
We want to increase awareness of our producers, their products, and their categories.
We want to serve the novice and the expert by providing layers of information.
We want to make the experience of buying, using, and consuming our products a joy.
We carry products that are delicious on their own. We focus on their individual flavors and ways they are different. We also know that ingredients cannot be separated from their cuisine and cuisine cannot be separated from culture. However, we are trying to provide simple tastes that can open entire worlds.
Supplier selection
We believe that safety, health, sustainability, and renewal are the most important principles of any food and beverage business. We work with Japanese makers who practice high levels of safety, cleanliness, low waste, efficiency, environmentalism, and community development.
All of our suppliers are practicing some form of sustainability. Many of our suppliers use organic farming and production methods, even if they don't have certification. We are applying for organic certification as an importer so we can say "organic" on our labels when they are certified in Japan.
We have started with the southern island of Kyushu so we travel within a smaller geography. We also consolidate and ship from Kyushu. We try to shorten the supply chain in our route to market. We also manage packaging to use the most environmental material possible. For our tea, we are using one specific paper bag made of biomass across multiple products and producers. We will continue to aim for the best solutions in this area.
Most of our suppliers are small, multi-generational craftspeople, living in the countryside of Japan. Many of their local areas have seen depopulation due to rural flight and general aging trends. The average age of a farmer in Japan is around 65. We work with a number of young owners who are keeping their family businesses going and protecting their local environments and traditions. We try to place minimal demands on them so they can succeed in all areas of their businesses with limited resources.
Our Promise
We promise that we have studied every category, researched producers, and tasted and selected every product we carry. We have completed multiple areas of compliance on our own and with our suppliers. We all apply many quality controls so you get safe, consistent, fresh, and delicious products.
Founding Story
I incorporated Shokuya in 2020. I researched, tasted, and developed a team. We launched in early 2026.
