Japanese Snack Subscription Service Launches Online Asian Market
New York- and Tokyo-based Japanese snack subscription service Bokksu is now rolling out Bokksu Grocery, an online market with the goal of making it easier to find and purchase authentic Asian food products.
Founded in 2015 by Danny Taing, Bokksu works with snack manufacturers across Japan to deliver curated subscription boxes of unique snacks to customers in more than 100 countries. Now, with Bokksu Grocery, the company aims to create a more streamlined Asian market experience.
“I fondly remember childhood trips to the Asian grocery store with my parents, where we’d stock up on the sauces, snacks and pantry items that could only be found there,” noted Taing. “But the drive to and from [the store] took hours, and after I grew up, I had no idea what to buy if my parents weren’t with me. Having heard similar stories not just from other children of immigrants, but Americans of all backgrounds, I wanted to find a way to make the Asian grocery experience more accessible for everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, location, or how much or little they know about Asian food. And that’s what we’ve done with Bokksu Grocery.”
The venture is launching with more than 300 authentic Asian food products, including premium instant noodles, condiments like Kewpie mayo, and drinks and snacks from Japanese convenience stores and vending machines. Each product has a detailed description about where it comes from, how to prepare it and what to pair it with, and the site also offers authentic recipes and step-by-step cooking videos.
“Customers love our subscription service because the boxes take them on a journey,” said Taing. “Each box is curated around a specific theme or flavor, and along with a handpicked assortment of snacks, contains an educational guidebook that gives an overview of the snacks’ makers and flavor profiles. We’ve incorporated that same kind of curation and discovery in Bokksu Grocery. Whether you’ve spent your whole life shopping at Asian grocers, or you love Asian foods but are underwhelmed by the ‘ethnic’ section at the local chain supermarket, or you want to incorporate more Asian flavors into your daily cooking but don’t how how or where to start — Bokksu Grocery is for you.”
Bokksu Grocery isn’t alone on the Asian e-grocer front, joining such services as Weee! and Quicklly.
