Since our founding in 1902 (Meiji 35), we at Minoyo have walked the path for more than 120 years here in Kyoto as a specialty store for wagashi raw materials. Under the belief that "good confections can only be born from good raw materials," delivering materials that meet the exacting eyes of artisans is our mission and our pride.
However, with the times, the environment surrounding Japanese agriculture has changed greatly. The aging of producers, a shortage of successors, and increasing abandoned farmland. High-quality domestic soybeans, once available as a matter of course, are gradually becoming a "precious commodity that is hard to obtain."
"We must not be a wholesaler that merely buys and sells raw materials. We have to protect the future of Japan's food culture and agriculture with our own hands."
Born from that strong sense of crisis and resolve was the "Soybean Project," in which we start from building the soil ourselves—and the heart that brings that vision to fruition as products is the "Minoyo Soybean Roastery" established in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. This is not a mere manufacturing plant. It is a "sanctuary" for bringing out the very best in the soybeans we have grown by the sweat of our brow in the fields, and the soybeans carefully raised by farmers who share our aspirations.
Why we insist on "in-house roasting"
The biggest reason we established the soybean roastery lies in "freshness" and "dialogue."
Generally, soybean processed products such as kinako are often made by purchasing already-roasted beans and milling them. But we thought: "Just as coffee is at its best freshly ground and freshly brewed, isn't the aroma of kinako and soybean products most wonderful at the very moment of roasting?"
At Minoyo's soybean roastery, we roast the soybeans in-house, taking the raw beans as delivered and adjusting to that day's temperature, humidity, and the condition of the beans. Beans are living things. Depending on the growing region and variety, or on that year's climate, their moisture content and hardness differ subtly. With settings that simply follow a manual, you cannot draw out 100 percent of the potential those beans hold.
We have introduced the latest roasting machines, but what ultimately decides the flavor is the "five senses" of our skilled staff. The sound of the beans dancing inside the drum, the roasting aroma that changes moment by moment, the gradation of color as they develop. Watching over all of it without missing an instant, discerning the single moment of "now" and pulling the beans from the roaster. Only when machine performance and human sensibility merge are the "rich aroma" and "deep sweetness" that Minoyo seeks born.
The peace of mind and safety made possible precisely because it is "soybean-only"
In an age when food safety is rigorously scrutinized, we have one more thing we will not compromise on. That is making this Fushimi plant a "soybean-only plant."
At many milling plants, it is common to handle multiple grains such as wheat and buckwheat on the same line, but to reduce the risk of contamination (the unintended mixing in of allergenic substances) as close to zero as possible, we established a system that brings in nothing but soybeans. This allows us to deliver the pure deliciousness of soybeans to customers without a soy allergy, and absolute peace of mind to food manufacturers and wagashi shops.
This thorough quality control is also "proof of trust" that we at Minoyo have cultivated over a history of more than 100 years.
From the fields of Nantan, Kyoto, to possibilities spreading across the world
Our challenge does not conclude within the plant alone. At our own farm in Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, our employees themselves touch the soil, sow the seeds, pull the weeds, and feel the joy of harvest firsthand. Precisely because we grew the soybeans with our own hands, the affection we pour into roasting is all the greater.
"These soybeans grew under that sunlight." "This year's harvest is small in grain, but the flavor is concentrated."
There is processing that can only be done because you know the field, and there are stories that can be conveyed. Today, from this roastery come not only superb kinako for traditional Kyoto confectionery, but one after another new products that overturn the very concept of the soybean—such as "soybean coffee," which offers the richness of a deep roast, and "soybean dashi," which uses no animal-derived ingredients. These hold the potential to reach dining tables around the world—beyond the framework of Japanese food culture—where vegan and health-conscious trends are on the rise.
Creating the "deliciousness" of the future, together
The Minoyo Soybean Roastery is not the destination of our dream, but rather a starting point.
By receiving soybeans carefully raised by local farmers and sending them out into the world as high-value-added products, we want to contribute to the sustainability of agriculture. We want to keep providing the highest-quality materials that make wagashi artisans feel, "With this kinako, I can make a new confection."
Beyond a single soybean, there is the smile of a farmer, the passion of an artisan, and above all, the happy moment of a customer saying "delicious" as they taste it. Carefully weaving together all of those connections is the responsibility of us who have continued our trade here in Kyoto.
To protect tradition is not to repeat the past, but to keep lighting a new flame at all times. From this Fushimi roastery, where the fragrant aroma of soybeans drifts, we will create—together with all of you—a new wagashi culture and a future for Japanese agriculture toward the next 100 years.
Soybean Project introduction page
Please feel free to consult us about commercial procurement and sample requests
Minoyo is a specialty store for Kyoto confectionery raw materials based in Kyoto. For the raw materials covered in this article, we offer proposals close to the realities of wagashi production, including commercial procurement, trial samples, and consultation on lots and specifications.
For Minoyo's business and strengths, please see Our Business & Why We Are Chosen . For the actual flow of doing business, see Ordering Process & How to Order; for questions, we have compiled them at Frequently Asked Questions is where we have compiled them. The full picture of the Soybean Project we are pursuing in-house is introduced at Soybean Roastery . For individual inquiries, Contact or material download to get in touch.
