Somenoya
Somenoya is a Japanese tofu and soy-food company founded in 1862 and known for traditional production and mobile retail distribution.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Somenoya, formally Someno's Tofu Co., Ltd., is a Japanese food company specializing in tofu and other soy-based foods. Its history traces back to 1862, when Hanjiro I began making and selling tofu in Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture, under the name Yamahan Yorozuya. The business developed through successive family and organizational changes before adopting the Somenoya name in 2004. The company presents its products as an expression of traditional Edo-period tofu-making principles. These include the use of locally grown soybeans, nigari as a coagulant, and an avoidance of additives. Its assortment is centered on tofu and related soy foods rather than a broad packaged-food portfolio. Somenoya combines manufacturing with direct-to-consumer distribution, preserving the spirit of hikiuri, a traditional Japanese method in which tofu sellers traveled through communities to sell freshly made products. The modern version uses refrigerated sales trucks rather than wooden baskets carried by foot. Somenoya operates six retail outlets and a fleet of approximately 130 sales trucks serving areas in the Kanto and Tokai regions. It has also developed retail sales branches and distribution centers in several Japanese prefectures, alongside production facilities in Ibaraki and Shizuoka. The Toride factory obtained ISO 9001 certification in 2009, while the Shizuoka factory received HACCP certification in 2016. The company has extended its group beyond Japan. Yamashita Mitsu Shoten Co., Ltd. in Ishikawa Prefecture joined the Somenoya group in 2021. Tofu Catalán S.L. in Barcelona became a group member in 2022 and changed its trade name to SOMENOYA Barcelona in 2023. A Malaysian operation trading as OOEDO TOFU is also identified with the group. Somenoya links its business to environmental and vegetarian advocacy. It is described as an official sponsor of Meat Free Monday Japan, the Japanese branch of the international campaign associated with Paul McCartney. Its leadership has also promoted the idea that soybeans can contribute to more sustainable food systems. In February 2016, CEO Atsuto Ono, who inherited the traditional title Hanjiro VIII, received the first Japan Vegetarian Award Meat Free Monday Prize for his Soybeans Save the World lecture series. The company remains an active tofu and plant-protein business whose identity combines historical continuity, local distribution, and sustainability-oriented messaging.
History
Somenoya's origins date to 1862, during Japan's Edo period, when Hanjiro I began producing and selling tofu in Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The original business operated under the name Yamahan Yorozuya. In 1907, Hanjiro II renamed the business Hanjiro. A further organizational division occurred in 1932, when the enterprise separated into two organizations known as Hanjiro and Someno. The modern Somenoya identity emerged in 2004, when Hanjiro VIII inherited the business and changed its name to Somenoya. That year the company opened its first Somenoya retail shop in the Boxhill department store beside Toride railway station. In 2005, the Hanjiro lines were consolidated under the Somenoya name. The company then expanded its distribution infrastructure: a retail sales branch and distribution center opened beside the Toride factory in 2006, followed by facilities in Chiba City in 2007 and Saitama City in 2008. Quality and manufacturing systems became more formalized during the following decade. The Toride factory earned ISO 9001 certification in 2009. In 2011, Somenoya moved its headquarters from Toride to Tokyo and opened a retail sales branch and distribution center in Adachi Ward. Expansion continued in 2013 with a Yokohama branch and distribution center in Kanagawa Prefecture, a second factory in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and a Yaizu facility in Shizuoka. The Shizuoka factory received HACCP certification in 2016. A leadership transition took place in 2015, when Atsuto Ono inherited the traditional title Hanjiro VIII. Under his leadership, the company connected its long-standing tofu business with public advocacy concerning vegetarianism, environmental sustainability, and the role of soybeans as a plant-based protein. Ono's Soybeans Save the World lecture series received the first Japan Vegetarian Award Meat Free Monday Prize in February 2016. Somenoya continued to add Japanese distribution locations. A retail sales branch and distribution center opened in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, in 2019. In 2021, the group added Yamashita Mitsu Shoten Co., Ltd. in Ishikawa Prefecture, while also opening facilities in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, and Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. The group later developed an international footprint. Tofu Catalán S.L., based in Barcelona, Spain, became a Somenoya group member in 2022 and adopted the SOMENOYA Barcelona trade name in 2023. A Malaysian operation identified as THREE BIJIN SISTERS SDN. BHD. operates under the OOEDO TOFU name. These additions extend the company's traditional Japanese tofu concept beyond its original regional base. Commercially, Somenoya remains associated with hikiuri, a traditional roaming-sales model. Historically, tofu peddlers carried products in large wooden baskets while walking through towns and villages. Somenoya modernizes the practice through refrigerated sales trucks, operating a fleet of about 130 vehicles and serving customers in the Kanto and Tokai regions. Its production philosophy emphasizes locally grown soybeans, nigari, and the absence of additives, while its sponsorship of Meat Free Monday Japan reinforces a positioning around plant-based foods and environmental awareness.
- 2023
Barcelona operation rebranded
[1]Tofu Catalán changes its trade name to SOMENOYA Barcelona.
- 2022
European group expansion
[1]Tofu Catalán S.L. in Barcelona becomes a member of the Somenoya group.
- 2021
Group expands in Ishikawa and Gunma
[1]Yamashita Mitsu Shoten joins the group, while Somenoya opens facilities in Ota and Kanazawa.
- 2019
Oyama facility opens
[1]Somenoya opens a retail sales branch and distribution center in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture.
- 2016
HACCP certification and vegetarian award
[1]The Shizuoka factory receives HACCP certification, and CEO Atsuto Ono receives the Japan Vegetarian Award Meat Free Monday Prize.
- 2015
Atsuto Ono inherits the Hanjiro VIII title
[1]CEO Atsuto Ono assumes the traditional Hanjiro VIII title.
- 2013
Expansion in Kanagawa and Shizuoka
[1]The company opens a Yokohama distribution branch, a second factory in Shimada, and a Yaizu distribution facility.
- 2011
Headquarters moves to Tokyo
[1]Somenoya relocates its headquarters from Toride to Tokyo and opens an Adachi Ward distribution facility.
- 2009
ISO 9001 certification
[1]The Toride factory receives ISO 9001 certification.
- 2005
Hanjiro lines consolidated
[1]The Hanjiro lines merge under the Somenoya name.
Products and positioning
A traditional Japanese tofu and soy-food producer combining Edo-style ingredients and methods with direct mobile distribution, regional manufacturing, and plant-based sustainability advocacy.
Soy-based food · 1862
Tofu
Somenoya's core product is traditional Japanese tofu. The company emphasizes locally grown soybeans, nigari as a coagulant, and production without additives. Tofu is distributed through branded retail outlets and the company's refrigerated mobile sales network.
Plant-based food
Soy-based foods
Beyond standard tofu, Somenoya manufactures and sells related foods made from soybeans. These products support the company's positioning around traditional Japanese food culture and plant-derived protein, although the available reference material does not specify a complete product catalog.
Tofu brand
OOEDO TOFU
OOEDO TOFU is the trading name associated with the group's Malaysian operation, THREE BIJIN SISTERS SDN. BHD. It represents an international extension of Somenoya's Edo-inspired tofu concept.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Soybeans Save the World lecture series
Japan
CEO Atsuto Ono created a lecture series promoting awareness of vegetarianism, environmental issues, and the potential of soybeans as a sustainable source of protein.
Outcome. The program received the first Japan Vegetarian Award Meat Free Monday Prize in February 2016.
- Meat Free Monday Japan sponsorship
Japan
Somenoya acts as an official sponsor of Meat Free Monday Japan, supporting a shift from environmentally intensive meat-based proteins toward plant-based foods, particularly soy.
Brand decisions
2022
Addition of Tofu Catalán to the groupM&ABackground
Somenoya pursued an international presence for its tofu and soy-food business.
Action taken
Barcelona-based Tofu Catalán S.L. became a member of the Somenoya group.
Aftermath
The operation changed its trade name to SOMENOYA Barcelona in 2023.
2004
Adoption of the Somenoya corporate identityStrategyBackground
After Hanjiro VIII inherited the business, the company sought to operate under a unified modern identity while retaining its historical tofu-making lineage.
Action taken
The business changed its name to Somenoya and opened its first Somenoya-branded retail shop in Toride.
Aftermath
The Hanjiro lines were subsequently consolidated under the Somenoya name in 2005.
Recent events
- 2023
Tofu Catalán adopts the SOMENOYA Barcelona trade name[1]
Other
The group's Barcelona company changed its trade name from Tofu Catalán to SOMENOYA Barcelona.
- 2022
Tofu Catalán joins the Somenoya group[1]
M&A
Barcelona-based Tofu Catalán S.L. became a member of the Somenoya group, expanding the group's presence into Europe.
- 2021
Yamashita Mitsu Shoten joins the Somenoya group[1]
M&A
Yamashita Mitsu Shoten Co., Ltd. in Ishikawa Prefecture became a member of the Somenoya group.
- 2016
Atsuto Ono receives the first Japan Vegetarian Award Meat Free Monday Prize[1]
Campaign
Somenoya CEO Atsuto Ono, known within the business as Hanjiro VIII, received the Japan Vegetarian Award Meat Free Monday Prize for his Soybeans Save the World lecture series and related advocacy on vegetarianism and environmental issues.
Sources1 sources
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