Yamamoto Noriten

https://www.yamamoto-noriten.co.jp/
Yamamoto Noriten has enjoyed the loyal patronage of the people of Edo (present-day Tokyo) so much that, since its founding in 1849, people say, "When it comes to nori, it's Yamamoto." When Emperor Meiji visited Kyoto, his home, Tokujiro Yamamoto, the second-generation owner, was ordered by the Imperial Household to prepare a souvenir of the "Eastern Capital (Tokyo)" for Kyotoites. It was then that Tokujiro came up with the idea of seasoning toasted nori and thus he commercialized Ajitsuke Nori. Later, he packaged his nori in bottles and started to sell it. This became enormously popular as an innovative product, which led to a major change on the Japanese family table. Since then, Yamamoto Noriten has continued to lead the industry as the top brand representing Japan.

There are reasons why Yamamoto Noriten has been favoured so much by customers for so long other than its capability to introduce innovative products. Its greatest strength is its adherence to grading nori in accordance with strict criteria. Grading categories are diverse, including the way it melts in the mouth, its taste, colour tone and shape. Nori that has undergone a skilled technician’s checking process is next sorted into even more finely defined grades. Notably, out of the company’s several hundred employees, only one assumes the responsibility of product grading. The pride that Yamamoto Noriten takes in grading comes from a philosophy embedded deep in the company’s DNA.

Even today, in addition to its signature "Ajitsuke Nori," Yamamoto Noriten continues to come up with innovative products one after another, including "Otsumami Nori (snack nori)." But what remains unchanged in any age, are the company’s unshaken confidence and pride in its products' quality, which are its very foundation.