Judy Yokoyama, known to our family as Bachan, was born in Sebastopol in 1936. One of six kids, her family was a cornerstone from the start. From her time at Camp Amache internment camp to living and working on an apple ranch, her childhood was challenging but filled with joy surrounded by family. She inherited a hard work ethic, which she has passed down. Justin, who always shared her values, fondly remembers Bachan listening for hours as he shared his childhood entrepreneurial dreams. Family was always her biggest priority. Attending every grandkids’ sporting event, helping with homework, holding weekly Sunday dinners, she always strengthened her family and offered sage advice. These words of wisdom have lifted up generations, inspiring Justin as a kid, and now encouraging his daughters. Today, we proudly share these “Bachanisms” with you.

I have dreamed of bringing our family's sauce to market since I was a kid. During the holidays my family would brew batches of our sauce to give out to clients of our family Landscape business. Rave reviews, requests for more, and offers to purchase always followed. I started working on this business back in 2013. Little did I know that keeping the integrity of our sauce and making it in a way that would truly honor my family heritage and values, would be much more difficult than I anticipated. Fast forward 6 years and my childhood dream is now a reality. I am proud to say that the Japanese Barbecue Sauce that we finally brought to market in 2019 is a true and sound representation of the sauce that my family made during the holidays for so many years. Packing up orders for our own customers, with my wife and kids, is a full circle experience that I could not be more grateful for. Arigatou gozaimasu.