Who, if not the adults of the world, can change the future for the better?
We at Somenoya aim to act for better change as a matter of course.

As the old saying goes, “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” In 2009, when my daughter was born, I discovered that the overconsumption of meat is the main cause of climate change. I decided then and there to devote myself and this company to making the world a better place for her and future generations.

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Somenoya’s origins go back to the late Edo period, when Hanjiro Katori established a tofu shop in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture (on the outskirts of present-day Tokyo) in 1862. We produce high-quality, additive-free tofu made with domestic soy beans and all-natural nigari and deliver it directly to customers by way of a fleet of 120 vehicles.

It is said that people living in Japan’s Edo period created an ideal, sustainable society – one in which peace, wealth and harmony with nature flourished. This was also, not coincidentally, a time when most Japanese citizens subsisted on a vegan diet.

The world is presently in crisis due to rapid environmental damage. Under these circumstances, it is our mission as Edo emissaries to resurrect the philosophies and habits that helped to create that ideal, sustainable society. We aim to bring modern, new-and-improved Edo-style plant-based food practices into the 21st century so that future generations can flourish in the same way that their ancestors did.

Long ago, the people of Edo had a deep understanding of how to get proteins without eating animals. Raw tofu, for example, was an everyday alternative to cheese; ganmodoki (a deep-fried fritter of tofu and vegetables) was an alternative to goose (whose taste it is said to resemble); and gisedofu (a tofu and vegetable quiche) was an alternative to eggs. These foods, and the people who ate them, were our inspirations when we set out to create SoMeat.

We are committed to creating low-impact and nutritious food that is sustainable and good for the environment; but this is not the full scope of our focus – we also aim to make our products delicious to the very highest standards. We will endeavor to continue to improve SoMeat, as well as add new varieties that take into account human health, the earth, the environment, nature and animals. Thank you in advance for joining the SoMeat community. ​

Atsuto Ono Hanjiro VIII
​ CEO Someno’s TOFU Co., Ltd. (Somenoya)