High grade sprouts given extra care to bring out the very best flavor“Fukaya no Moyashi-ya” Iizuka Shoten

“Fukaya no Moyashi-ya” Iizuka Shoten

You can tell the difference with just one strand. The sprouts made by Masatoshi Iizuka of “Fukaya no Moyashi-ya” Iizuka Shoten has a very distinct flavor that is sweet and has a pleasant aroma unique to vegetables. This is a brand of sprouts that is sold in the top department stores, selling out everywhere even at 10 times the price of standard products.

“Sprouts are said to be the top performer in terms of pricing because the price never goes up even if the cost of living increases. But if you ask me, it’s the opposite. It’s an underperformer because you’re not able to increase the price no matter what the cost of living.”

There is no plant named “sprout”. It refers to vegetable seedlings that have been grown in a dark room without sunlight or water, and are differentiated based on the seed that is used “ryokuto (green bean sprout)”, “soybean” and “black bean”. Sunlight makes the sprout consume nutrients through photosynthesis, so sprouts are grown without sunlight in order to retain the nutrients, making them popular for the nutritional value and low cost. However, most of the sprouts sold in supermarkets are industrial products, made in a factory controlled by machines. Priced at 15 to 20 yen per 100 grams, “only the large manufacturers can make money at this price. The smaller companies are all going out of business.” Iizuka continues to produce sprouts using traditional methods and extra care, maintaining the true taste of sprouts and adding to the value of his products.

The “field” run by Iizuka Shoten is in a building the size of a gymnasium. The temperature, humidity and lighting in the building is carefully controlled, and there are many large containers where the sprouts are grown. First the seeds are soaked in warm water between 30 to 40 degrees Celsius for about 6 hours.

“Feel the beans. They’re warm, aren’t they? They become warm when they germinate. It makes you realize they’re living. That’s why they taste great if you grow them with attention. We use clear underground water and spend 6 days to grow healthy sprouts.” Sprouts cannot be too warm or cold after they germinate. Careful attention must be given to keep the temperature just right.

Wanting to minimize damage to the sprouts, every step of the process from watering, temperature control, harvesting, washing, and packaging are all done by hand. During the peak season, the packaging may last long into the night, and deliveries made early in the morning. Iizuka’s passion for “Fukaya Moyashi (sprouts)” seems to be limitless.
Most sprouts use green beans from China, but Iizuka Shoten uses black beans from Myanmar. The sprouts are longer and thinner than green beans, but it has good strong taste. They don’t become soggy when cooking and maintain their crunchiness, making them ideal for hot pots, stir fries, miso soup and other heated dishes. What is surprising is that the roots on Iizuka’s sprouts are almost as long as the sprout itself and provide great flavor to broth. Even at 10 times the price, they still only cost about 200 yen, and you get amazing taste, so it’s definitely worth it. The flavor is definitely formidable.

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Iizuka Shoten
637 Arai, Fukaya-shi, Saitama 366-0016
TEL 048-571-0783