story

who we are, what we do, how we do it

The concept of our THE SPICE BOX shop is all about boxes! First, it is on what’s outside the box or our story and how we see things and then, what’s inside the box or the special attention we place on the quality of our products.

Want to know more about what we do, how we do it, and who we are? First, thank you and here you are, this page is for you!

WHAT'S OUTSIDE THE BOX

Needless to say, we are very proud to offer you the best inside each box we made but, to tell you the truth, we also love too to think outside the box and know that it’s often where the best ideas come from.

Let’s discover our story!

Well, it starts like a funny story!

What happens when a ramen chef and an organic farmer come together around the same table? A box full of colors, flavors, savors you absolutely have to discover! If you want to know more about us, check this out!

It’s the story of a restaurant chef specializing in duck ramen who wanted the best spice to match his bird. He searched for a long time, and finally found a farmer specializing in sansho who also wanted to make the best organic, tasty, natural spice ever.

And finishes out of the box !

Although we are talking about the encounter between the chef and the farmer, the pairing of duck and sansho pepper would work as well! They launched and ran successful restaurants one after the other and were happy to share the unique taste of their collaboration with the world! This story should have ended here with the « and they lived happily ever after » classic stuff but… that was before coronavirus which changed the happy endings of many stories ...

With the decrease in foreign customers in Japan, the ramen chef who loves to think outside of the box thought it would surely be a good idea to open an online site to be able to continue to share his passion with the world ... and here we are, with our outside the box concept of spice box! If the best ideas are often outside the box, then you can be sure sure that you will find the best spices inside our box!

Spice Things Up with Us!

So now it's your turn to be creative! With spices, a world of opportunities awaits. That’s why we have prepared for you the best spices for you, which match your favorite recipes! So, are you ready to spice up your life? We are!

After all, if variety is the spice of life, then pairing this variety could be the spice of spices! Don't you think so?

With the Spice Box, start playing with pairings.

If you want to know more, read the interview starring Motoki Matsunaga, and if you are interested in how we see things or think green, please check our VALUES page!

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MOTOKI MATSUNAGA TALKS

Q: How did you met Mr. Nagaoka, our V.I.P (Very Important Producer)?

When I decided to open my first ramen shop in Osaka specializing in duck ramen, I thought it might be a good idea to pair it with a Sansho pepper coming from the same land.

Wakayama is known for its delicious Kishu duck and is famous for being the number one producer of Sansho Japanese pepper in Japan. And if there were hundreds of farmers cultivating this « green diamond », only Mr. Nagaoka was particular about organic farming.

I immediately called him to pay a visit and when I visited the farm during the sansho pepper harvest, I wasn't sure what left the biggest impression on me as the sun beat down on us during our conversation: Mr. Nagaoka and his passion for sansho and his land; the place itself, surrounded by gorgeous green mountains; or the distinctive taste of Mr. Nagaoka's sansho pepper and the rush of lemon notes, the zingy, pungent, electrifying brightness I felt in my mouth so deeply for the first time in my life. One thing is sure, on this special day, our collaboration started and still hasn't ended!!

Q: What makes Mr. Nagaoka's spices so wonderful?

Mr. Nagaoka's spices taste greener, cleaner, fresher, sharper, in a word, better than all the spices I've tasted in Japan! For example, his sansho powder scent really is different from the ordinary Japanese pepper aroma. It has a distinctive refreshing citrus scent with no unpleasant taste that is clearly unbeatable and quite unique in the world! It is also characterized by its very bright green color because all the seeds are carefully removed by hand, as it in the good old days!
I am pretty sure that everyone overseas will fall in love with this color and taste and that our spice will color your dish and, by making you happy, will bring color to your everyday life!

Q: Is there a little something you want to say to your overseas customers?

Yes! First, thank you for being here and reading my interview! At my Gion (Kyoto) ramen restaurant, there were many overseas customers before the Coronavirus appeared. All of them were surprised by the taste of sansho pepper I use for my ramen and I heard many voices from Europe and the United States asking "Where can I buy this?" or "This is the first time I have eaten this delicious spice!" I was very sorry that there was no longer a chance for overseas customers to discover this fantastic aroma just because of Coronavirus. Well, and since I missed all of these joyful voices so much, I decided to start this online store specifically because I wanted to give everyone a chance to try and love - as much as I do - Mr. Nagaoka's wonderful spices.