Hi there,

Let me explain about ourselves . My name is Takehito MAEDA and my wife is Mie. We are from Japan and have been living in Nelson since 2007.

I have been a traditional Japanese chef for 15 years in Japan and New Zealand. While I am busy working as chef, I also grew interested in fermentation. I started with home brew. When the beer was fermenting in a barrel, I could hear the noise of bubbling organisms working really hard,  eating the sugar to turn it into alcohol for me. That was so exciting!! Then I tried a sour dough bread (which I still do). I have kept my sour dough starter for more that five years now.

Somehow, I found a couple(Rachel & Gareth) who grow soy beans locally. A wonderful idea flashed into my mind; Miso!!  In the old days in Japan, every family made their own miso paste at home. I thought, “I can do this”.

We make Urban Hippie products traditionally, using my 15 years of chef knowledge, skill, effort, and love.