Communicating the Spirit of Japan

Daily life in Japan is given colour and beauty by the country’s four distinct seasons. The beginning of summer brings with it the rainy season, which leaves the fruit of the ume trees ripe and rich with organic acids. Umeshu and umeboshi, dried ume fruit, are the result of this natural bounty of the season — with the addition of some human innovation. Ume has been celebrated in Japan since ancient times; the fruit is praised in many of the works in Manyoshu (An Anthology of Ten Thousand Leaves), Japan’s oldest collection of poetry. The ume is an integral part of Japan’s culture and nature, and the importance that Japanese people have placed in the ume over the years is testament to the central role of cuisine and of well-being in their daily lives.
CHOYA was launched in 1914, as a viticulturist. An encounter with ume, a fruit grown in Japan to world-leading quality, led the company to begin developing a wide variety of products. We are determined to continue to exploit our boundless appetite for exploration and our impressive technical expertise, developed through pioneering research, in order to deliver outstanding products to consumers all around the world. Umeshu is the tool we have chosen to communicate the spirit of Japan to the rest of the world. This is our mission at CHOYA.

Unchangingly Delicious

CHOYA has strict standards in place for each stage of our production, from the careful selection of ume fruit, to the steeping process, through to maturation. These standards allow us to keep our products tasting delicious, always. We hope to prompt our customers to want to come back to us, to seek out that delicious taste and that wonderful aroma they know we can provide.

Serving Up Smiles

At CHOYA, we have primarily marketed our Umeshu as best enjoyed as an aperitif, not least because we believe in encouraging the responsible consumption of alcohol. But we do not believe this is the only possibility for enjoying Umeshu. Just as the dinner table is a place of lively conversation in many Western countries, we would like to see any countries’ families gathered together around the table to communicate, to enjoy each others’ company, and to smile. Which is why “Serving Up Smiles” is one of our mottos at CHOYA.

Towards Global Popularity

To make delicious Umeshu, the first requirement is high-quality ume fruit. Here at CHOYA, however, we go much further, working with ume growers to research and develop ume ideally suited for use in Umeshu. This dedication is rooted in our strong sense of mission: to deliver delicious Umeshu, perfected in Japan’s climate and culture, to the rest of world.

Lifestyle Enrichment: Overflowing with CHOYA Innovation

There are few things in this world which can truly enrich our lives, providing us with long-term satisfaction and pleasure. We are always thinking about how CHOYA can improve the lives of our customers: how can our products bring joy to our customers? What recipes and styles can we suggest to enhance the relaxation and enjoyment of our customers? We will continue to be committed to innovating and improving in order that our customers can recognise the value of our products.