About

伝統や歴史のみに寄り掛からない日本食を、世界の人々へ。

A Creative Japan Inspired Food Brand.

Heritage Inspired And Driven to Innovate.

Jess and Fumi

Our Story

Abokichi is dedicated to sharing the creativity which can emerge when different cultures interact. Abokichi means "Fortunate Avocado," a coinage from "abogado", a South American fruit which has found a place in cuisines all over the world, and "kichi" which means fortunate in Japanese, to express the blessing of the diversity of different cultures in the world.

Our story began when Abokichi co-founder Jess first encountered onigiri (Japanese rice balls) as a healthy and convenient snack or meal while living in Tokyo. After returning to Canada, Jess had difficulty finding healthy, natural, and minimally processed food to eat on the run. As a result, she decided to introduce onigiri as a healthy option for busy people in Canada, selling at farmer’s markets in the Toronto area with her business and life partner, Fumi. Bobby, focusing on operations, joined the team as a partner in 2018.

Today, the three of us entrepreneurs work tirelessly, along with our dedicated team, to deliver you healthy and delicious Japanese food.

Story of OKAZU

We wanted to add chili oil to our onigiri but soon realized the products shipped from Japan usually contain a lot of chemicals such as preservatives, msg and stabilizers. So we decided to make our original all natural OKAZU condiment and started to use it in our onigiri. And that was a big hit! So we started to put it in jars.

Today we sell three varieties of our miso-based sesame oil condiments: OKAZU Chili Miso, OKAZU Curry Miso and OKAZU Spicy Chili. All have been featured by major media outlets, including Chatelaine, the Globe and Mail, CBC, Edible Toronto, Toronto Life and more! (See our Media page)

OKAZU was chosen as a Gold Winner for the 2020 sofi Awards. Out of 1800 marinades, dressings and condiments, OKAZU was deemed the tastiest! Read more about it here.

Story of Instant Miso Soup

Abokichi instant miso soup is our newest product. Our instant miso soup is non-GMO, gluten-free and 100% vegan — unlike traditional miso broth which is made with katsuo bushi (fermented tuna flakes). Abokichi instant miso soup is made from organic soybeans, garlic, spices and sake kasu — the fermented, pressed rice leftovers from sake brewing.

Abokichi instant miso soup is available in three flavours: Original, Chili, and Black Pepper - all natural sources of healthy enzymes and prebiotics – good bacteria that promote healthy digestion.

Abokichi is a member of;

Mottainai (もったいない)! It means "What a waste!" in Japanese, so, lets up-cycle!

In 2020, our instant miso soup, containing sakekasu (sake lees) diverted more than two tonnes of nutritious byproduct from becoming food waste.

If you are a food entrepreneur with a byproduct that you're not sure what to do with, please get in touch. We would love to get creative with you and rethink our food system.

Tell us about your food byproduct at info@abokichi.com

Abokichi - Upcycled Food Brand

Globally, if food waste was a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. In Canada, over half the food we produce in the country is being thrown away. This costs billions each year, and the environmental and social impact is really unthinkable, particularly when over 4 million Canadians are food insecure.

Abokichi believes in saving food waste by using upcycled ingredients in their products. Reducing and diverting waste is a core value of the company. For the sake of the earth and future generations, the entire food industry should care about the current wasteful standards and strive to do better.

Media

My favourite miso soup

Absolutely delish!

I haven't tried everything yet but so far I am quite satisfied! Worth every penny!

Hi Guylaine,

Thanks a bunch for the awesome feedback! Can’t wait for you to try the rest — it’s all worth it! Keep enjoying! ✨

Amazing quality

Tasty and hearty! Outstanding quality!

Hi Guylaine,

Thanks so much! 😊 We’re glad you enjoyed the Sanshō Pepper Miso Chili Crisp! ️ It’s packed with great flavors and healthy ingredients. Stay spicy and healthy! 💪

Love it!

This miso sauce is so delish on anything! I thought a case would be too many but am already on my second jar so glad I have a lot stocked up.

Hi Kelly,

Yesss! 🙌 So glad you’re loving it! It really does go with everything, right?! Thanks for stocking up and spreading the miso love. #TeamOKAZU

I love this sauce so much! Small complaint with the order - one of the jars arrived unsealed/spilled. Otherwise would be 5/5, so tasty!

Hi Emily,

So glad you like the sauce! We're really sorry one jar spilled. Please send us a message so we can fix it for you! Thanks again for your support! 😊

Always good.

All the products are good. Like the Curry the best. Have yet to try the ginger.

Thanks so much for the love! ❤️ So glad you’re enjoying the Curry — can’t wait for you to try the Ginger next! Let us know what you think!

So tasty

This miso chili oil is packed with flavour, and not too spicy. I love it on top of eggs in the morning or a spoonful on top of homemade ramen. Highly recommend!

Hi Julie,

Totally hooked. Eggs, noodles, toast... it really works on everything! I Appreciate you sharing this!

Yummy!

I've used your Okazu Chili Miso for several years and love it, finally decided to try other flavours as well. Not being able to get other flavours in local grocery stores I went ahead and ordered the set. Omg, no regrets! So far the Ginger Miso is my favourite, soooo good with a nice ginger kick. Am looking forward to trying the others that I'm not familiar with as well.

Hi Fiona,
We’re so happy you’ve been enjoying Okazu for years and decided to try more flavours! ❤️ Thrilled to hear Ginger Miso is a hit — can’t wait for you to try the rest. Thanks for being such a loyal fan!

Put this in Costco bundle

I adore your miso chili so much that I bought the 4 jar variety pack at Costco but was disappointed that this was not included. Perhaps you could consider removing the hot chili mis or one of the regular miso chili jars and include this.

It’s me.

Somehow, my account got switched to a different one when I placed this order, but I’ve been ordering this from you guys since the beginning. I’m never without your stuff.❤️

Hi Mark,
Thank you so much for being such a loyal customer from the very beginning — we love hearing that you’re never without our products ❤️

Spicy Set

Incroyable

Ce qui manquait à ma vie

Original Instant ABO Miso Soup

Delicious!

Love it on grilling fish, chicken, chops or adding to veggies, soups and sauces.

That’s great to hear! We’re so glad you’re enjoying it—it really does go well with just about everything, doesn’t it? 😊

Spicy Miso Chili Crisp

It’s not too spicy and they, should put less sesame oil in.

A great selection!

This is a great way to try the Abokichi range of delicious products.

Thanks a bunch for giving Abokichi a try! 😄 We appreciate your support.

Spicy goodness

We literally put OKAZU Spicy Chili Miso on everything: dumplings, ramen, fried eggs, pierogies, spaghetti, salads, baked potatoes, sausages, etc.

Proud to buy from a Canadian company. 🇨🇦 Thank you!

Love it! OKAZU really goes with everything 🔥
Thank you so much for the love and for supporting us. ❤️

ABO Ramen Miso

Sanshō Pepper Miso Chili Crisp

So delicious

Excellent sauce!!!

Super Fabulous !

We absolutely LOVE all of the Chili Miso flavours. I purchased the Chili Miso Set and gifted it to my sisters… I think I have attained the favourite sister status now !!
Your customer care department is outstanding extending me a helping hand when I asked..
I will definitely purchase online again.
Love love your Chili Miso sauce!!

You’re officially our favourite too 😉 It’s always our pleasure to help, and we’re delighted it made a difference! We can’t wait to have you back! 😊

Taste sensation

I really do not use it as a condiment. More so as part of the recipe. Have used as pizza sauce. Like to add it as a last minute power punch to a stir fry. I use all the products but this one is king. It brings it's own taste sensation to a dish

Thank you for telling us how you use Okazu Sansho, Chaos. We’re glad you enjoy its taste and thanks for the 5 stars! ⭐😋

A Delight for the Senses

The Okazu Curry Miso Chili Oil has become my favourite of all. If you like curry, you will love this as it brings another dimension of flavour to your palate. Bought the 12-pack to ensure that we don't run out. Hope this one stays available indefinitely!

Thanks for joining the Okazu family Bell! We’ll keep your favorite flavor coming! ️