Some might wonder, "Why did a college kid even start a soda brand?"
I was born and raised in Japan, so I grew up surrounding myself with unique and tasty sodas. I've always wanted to make something I loved, which just happened to be sodas. When I moved to the United States, I wondered why only a few soda flavors exist in the US compared to Japan. Whenever I wanted to drink sodas other than Coca-Cola or Sprite, I had to go to Asian markets and pay a lot more than the ones that are sold in typical American markets. This was when I thought I wanted to create nostalgic sodas that I was drinking when I was growing up in Japan and provide it in the US. I felt that it would end up being a dream, but I had the opportunity and ended up making Shonen, which I now truly love.
Shonen began back when I was a freshman in college. I brought out my business idea to my mom shortly after I got sent back home due to COVID-19 pandemic. I was at home eating breakfast with my mom. My mom is very business-minded, and we always discuss various business ideas. I remember my mom abruptly asking me, "What kind of businesses do you want to do in the future?" I replied that I wanted to make and sell sodas with nostalgic, unique flavors. Just like the ones I drank growing up in Japan. But since my mom always had something to say about my business ideas, I thought she would completely disagree, but surprisingly, she responded positively. Then, I gave her a business pitch, and she offered me many business tips, ideas, and little funds, which started Shonen. So I guess I wouldn't be here without the help of my mom.
