Turning Over a ‘New Leaf’ At Kitazawa Seed Company

From Maya Shiroyama and Jim Ryugo

Our hearts are filled with gratitude and happiness from all the support from our loyal customers. Our journey through the seed world has been enriching and fulfilling but our bodies are beginning to bolt like a mustard in summer. We recognize the natural process that results in our steps being slower and heavier, our eyesight not as sharp, and our aching fingers from packing seeds and pecking on the keyboard.

After long and careful consideration, we decided to look for a new steward for the Kitazawa brand and line of unique Asian varieties, a company that can handle the daily activities and allow us to focus on the part of the business we love. We have decided to entrust the stewardship of Kitazawa to True Leaf Market who has proven their ability to keep many unique varieties in production and quickly get those seeds to customers across the nation. In addition, we were happy that two of the principals with the company have lived in different parts of Asia and have a real love and passion for Asian culture and cuisine.

While the True Leaf Market team handles the day to day, we will continue to be ambassadors for the Kitazawa Brand. As ambassadors, we will continue to provide insights on new seed varieties, Asian food trends and marketing opportunities. Kitazawa Seed Company will be relocated into True Leaf Market’s larger facility in Salt Lake City, to enhance much needed seed handling and packaging improvements, shipping efficiency and a vigorous website. The intent is to ensure the continued availability of these important varieties and make buying Kitazawa branded seeds as seamless and efficient as possible so our customers will benefit from this change.

We want to sincerely wish all our customers a healthy and happy life and look forward to watching the continued growth of Kitazawa.

Here are a few highlights that you can expect:

• Upgraded Website – We have been working hard to launch an improved website, and if you are reading this, you’ve seen it. The new site is still a work in progress, and we expect to continue to expand and improved in the days and months ahead. Among new features you’ll find an improved search engine, ability to create account for faster checkout, ability to customize your own private catalog and more. Please let us know if you have any issues or problems navigating the site.
• Kitazawa Brand – True Leaf Market is committed to maintaining, expanding, and promoting the Kitazawa seed brand for Asian varieties.
• Free Shipping – With the new website, we have improved our shipping options including free standard shipping for orders over $45 (Lower 48) and discounted shipping for Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.

We will be working hard to add new features and improve everywhere we can to serve you better and faster.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to us:

• Email: seeds@kitazawaseed.com
• Phone: (510) 595-1188

With sincere appreciation,

Maya and Jim