株式会社朝一番

Company

Concept

Bringing the bounty of the earth to your table in pursuit of healthful and tasty food.

Story

In March 1948, our predecessors in this family business began manufacturing and selling natto (fermented soybeans) in the city of Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture.


In the company’s early days, everything was made by hand in a special annex of the family home.
As with many tofu stores at the time, natto was delivered and sold to each household by bicycle.

Story-1
Story-2

In poverty-stricken postwar Japan, natto was a staple side dish for rice, and an indispensable item at the dining table for the protein and nutrition it provided.

Natto has always been a regular feature of the Japanese breakfast, and our predecessors acknowledged this custom by changing the company name to Asaichiban (meaning “first thing in the morning” in Japanese) in the 1980s.
Since its establishment in 1948, Asaichiban has been dedicated to producing natto and has continued to do so with a focus on taste.

The Asaichiban natto factory was rebuilt and extended several times before moving to its present location in Tsuchiura.

Around 1985 and ahead of our competitors, we began exporting our products overseas. After receiving a request from an exporter who saw Asaichiban natto at a supermarket in Japan, we sent our first shipment to the U.S. from the Port of Yokohama. Since then, we have gradually expanded and are currently developing sales channels in various countries in Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America.

Natto is a proudly traditional Japanese food.
Our goal is a taste to last 100 years.
We will deliver this across the oceans and around the world.

History

●March 1948

Shirakawa Natto Manufacturing Company begins production and sales of natto.

●July 1965

800 m2 of land secured for the construction of a factory in Nishine, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture.

●April 1966

Construction of factory completed.

●May 1973

Factory expanded by 500 m2.

●November 1985

3,300 m2 site secured in Ototo, Tsuchiura for the construction of a new factory.

●December 1994

Construction of new factory completed.

●March 1995

Company name changed to Asaichiban Co., Ltd.

●February 1996

Receive the Chairman's Award at the Japan National Natto Cooperative Society Federation’s first Natto Contest.
Product: Organic Natto Mito no Aji Mini 3

●September 1997

Factory expanded by 600 m2.

●February 2001

Head office factory certified to produce a processed organic agricultural product (Organic JAS).
(OMIC certification number: 1026)

●April 2004

Capital increased to 20 million yen.

●February 2008

Receive the Food Safety Director’s Award (Large and Medium Grain Category/Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) at the Japan National Natto Cooperative Society Federation’s thirteenth Natto Contest.
Product name: Hokkaido Natto Mini 3

●March 2009

Obtain Ibaraki HACCP certification for our head office factory.

●August 2009

Address changed from 1-77 Uenobangai, Ototo, Tsuchiura to our current address, 1-265 Oyamada, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture.

●December 2012

Head office factory audited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and obtains the BTA number 700635709.

●January 2016

Mamenoka launched.

List of countries/regions to which we export

Asia-Pacific

  • Taiwan
  • Korea
  • Hong Kong
  • Singapore
  • Vietnam
  • Indonesia
  • Thailand

Oceania

  • Australia
  • New Zealand

North America

  • United States
  • Canada

South America

  • Brazil

Europe

  • United Kingdom
  • The Netherlands
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Sweden

Certification, etc.

  • Ibaraki HACCP certification
  • Organic JAS OMIC certification
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) BTA-covered

Greetings from our Representative Director

President

First of all, I would like to thank you all for your patronage.

Since our establishment in 1948, we have been dedicated to natto and continued to produce each and every one of our products in an honest and sincere manner.

In our history of more than 70 years, we have faced many difficulties and tribulations, but we have been able to overcome them with the help of customers’ comments saying that our products are delicious. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners for their support, and above all, each of our employees, who have joined us in looking to the future and working to build up this long history.

Natto, an indispensable food for the Japanese, has evolved through the power of fermentation. It is a health food made from soybeans and is a blessing from the earth. We consider it our mission to deliver this wonderful natural food to the people of Japan and the world, and we will make every effort to continue doing so in the future.

We look forward to your continued support and encouragement.

Hiromi Matoba, Representative Director, Asa Ichiban Co.

Details

Company name：Asaichiban Co., Ltd.

Main factory：1-265 Oyamada, Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki, 300-0846, Japan