News

One of my favorite things in Japan is the snacks. Growing up in Japan, I had the chance to enjoy the best savory snacks. Since there was a little snack store a minute away from where I lived, I used to buy cheap Japanese snacks called “dagashi” almost every day....

In general, I’d have to say the most challenging part of starting any business is making decisions. As a college student, I am unsure about every decision I make. I’m still young and have not had the chance to have experience yet. However, I still have to make significant and...

Starting today: Jan 17th 2023, you can now find Shonen in all Mitsuwa Marketplace locations across California. As a brand with Japanese roots, we are beyond excited to partner with such an iconic chain. Mitsuwa is the first Japanese market that I ever went to in the United States. As...

My first step in Shonen was to find a beverage development company. Basically, the beverage “architect” helped us with flavor formulations, product consulting, ingredient sourcing, etc. Since I had absolutely no idea about the beverage industry, they were the people that assisted me with literally everything. After working with the...

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...

First of all, yes, people in Japan spend Christmas quite differently than people in the United States. The most unique thing about Japan's Christmas is that Japanese people love eating KFC on the 24th. Every Christmas season, an estimated amount of 3.6 million people purchase fried chicken buckets. KFC Japan's...