Okazu by Abokichi

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 Japanese inspired food brand.

Heritage Inspired And Driven to Innovate.

Okazu 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. Abokichi has also welcomed Bobby to the team.

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

Story of Okazu

Okazu 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!

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.

To learn more, visit their website abokichi.com to buy their delicious sauces, spices, and gift boxes.