Authentic Korean "Additive-Free Kimchi" Using Local Ingredients to Reach Across Japan. Lee-san from the 173K-Subscriber YouTube Channel "Lee-san Channel" Launches the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" from Ehime in April
Lee-san Co., Ltd. announces the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" starting April 2026. The B2B program provides supermarkets and regional markets nationwide with the know-how to produce and sell original, additive-free kimchi using local and imperfect vegetables, enhancing store value and food safety.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 4, 2026 at 05:50
Lee-san Co., Ltd. (Location: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture; Representative Director: Kazuo Kageura), which operates restaurant businesses and additive-free kimchi classes nationwide, will launch the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" starting in April 2026. The program targets food supermarkets, direct-from-farm markets, roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki), and pickle businesses across the country, utilizing local vegetables and ingredients. Through adding value to local resources and providing safe, secure fermented foods, we will support the creation of preferred sales floors and the realization of sustainable regional cooperation.
**A New Sales Floor Model Solving Consumer Needs and Management Challenges Simultaneously**
In recent years, backed by a growing health consciousness, consumers' interest in additive-free foods and fermented foods has rapidly increased. In particular, the tendency to value "foods that can be fed to families with peace of mind" and "products where producers and manufacturing processes are visible" has grown stronger.
On the other hand, for businesses such as food supermarkets, direct-from-farm markets, and roadside stations, responding to management challenges is an urgent task. These challenges include intensifying price competition, weakening motives for store visits, difficulty in differentiating sales floors, adding value to local agricultural products and ingredients, and securing profit margins.
This program proposes an additive-free kimchi production and sales model utilizing local vegetables and ingredients as an initiative to solve these consumer needs and business challenges simultaneously. Through product creation that tells a local story—in addition to the added value of safety and security—we aim to enhance the uniqueness of the sales floor, improve profitability, and achieve sustainable regional cooperation.
**What is the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program"?**
The "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" develops and manufactures original additive-free kimchi specific to the local area and the store, utilizing local vegetables and specialties. This takes place within the facilities of clients, such as supermarkets and roadside stations across Japan, where cooking is possible.
The completed kimchi can be sold as the store's original kimchi. We will teach the manufacturing method to the business personnel, aiming for them to be able to make and sell it within their facilities at any time. Imperfect field vegetables that become post-harvest losses for farmers—because their shape is poor or their size does not meet standards for shipping—can also be processed into kimchi and sold.
**Hoping Our Origin of Wishing for Family Safety and Security Leads to Changing Current Local Sales Floors...**
Thirty years ago, when my wife was pregnant with our first child, seeking kimchi that was safe for our family to eat was our starting point. At that time, many of the kimchi products sold in supermarkets contained chemical seasonings and additives. My wife chose the path of hand-making additive-free kimchi using the recipe taught by her mother in Korea.
Times have changed, and consumers' interest in health consciousness and food safety is higher than ever. However, the current state of food sales floors cannot necessarily be said to fully meet those needs. That is why we want to increase the number of foods on local sales floors that can be chosen with peace of mind, in the form of in-store production of additive-free kimchi using local vegetables. This is not merely a product proposal; it is also an initiative to respond to the consumers' desire to protect their families' health.
**Bringing Authentic Korean Kimchi to Japanese Dining Tables**
My wife and I are an international couple—I am Japanese, and my wife is Korean. We have continued this activity out of a desire to deliver the appeal of authentic Korean "fermented kimchi" to more dining tables in Japan. While it is common to buy kimchi at supermarkets in Japan, the majority of them are lightly pickled types with additives, and it cannot be said that the deep flavor and health value brought by authentic fermentation are fully conveyed.
We hope that Japanese households can better enjoy the original deliciousness of kimchi born from the power of ingredients and natural fermentation, as well as its body-friendly value. Spreading happiness from the dining table across borders and cultures through "kimchi that is gentle on the body and connects family hearts"—that is the origin of our activities and the future we aim for.
Furthermore, on our YouTube channel "Lee-san Channel" (173,000 subscribers), we broadcast the appeal of kimchi and Korean cuisine, while also communicating the importance of choosing safe and secure ingredients and seasonings for beloved families. Through proposals that enrich daily dining tables, we deliver the joy of hand-making and the value of fermentation culture to many homes.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg5-z1hpD7pg5T85OO9S20Q
**"Additive-Free Kimchi Meisters," Evangelists of Additive-Free Kimchi, Are Being Born.**
The "Additive-Free Kimchi Classes" held across the country have been attended by a total of over 700 people so far, and the value of making safe and secure fermented foods with one's own hands has steadily spread. In addition, we have established the voluntary organization "Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association." Through the meister training program, we are advancing the development of human resources and networking to support regional food culture.
Based on the knowledge, skills, and human resource network cultivated through these activities, we are now starting the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" as a new initiative for businesses. The purpose of this program is to expand the value of additive-free fermentation—which has so far been spread to households and individuals—to sales floors such as food supermarkets, direct-from-farm markets, roadside stations, and pickle businesses. It aims to support the enhancement of the added value of local vegetables and ingredients and the creation of stores chosen by consumers.
**Overview of the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program"**
- Start Date: Starting April 2026
- Location: Client's business facility
- Main Content: In addition to standard kimchi like napa cabbage, radish, and cucumber, we can propose original kimchi using local vegetables, as well as kimchi using ingredients other than vegetables, such as seafood. For example, we have a track record of making bamboo shoot kimchi, salmon kimchi, and baby octopus kimchi.
- Inquiries:
Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Contact: Kazuo Kageura
E-mail: https://leesan.jp/mutenka-kimuchi/
**Instructor: Yeong-ok Lee**
Chairperson of the Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association
Presiding over Lee-san's Additive-Free Kimchi Class
Korean Cuisine YouTuber "Lee-san Channel" (173K subscribers)
After getting married and coming to Japan, she went to a supermarket to buy kimchi, but found only lightly pickled kimchi with many additives. She began making kimchi while learning from her mother in Korea. Since then, she has continued to make kimchi for 30 years.
In 2011, she opened a Korean restaurant with her husband. Although heavily impacted by COVID-19, they overcame it by launching a fried chicken franchise business, a delivery business, and a mail-order business.
Starting in September 2024, the additive-free kimchi classes previously held only in her local Ehime Prefecture were expanded nationwide, beginning in Tokyo. Currently, a total of 700 people have participated.
**Representative Profile**
Kazuo Kageura
Representative Director of Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association Website:
https://leesan.jp/mutenka-kimuchi/
Originally a junior high school physical education teacher. After marrying Lee-san, he moved to Korea and returned to Japan two years later. After returning, he founded a kimchi shop with Lee-san and incorporated it into Lee-san Co., Ltd. in 2011.
He manages Korean restaurants, sells kimchi, and operates mail-order, video streaming, and training businesses regarding kimchi. Since September 2024, he has started additive-free kimchi classes nationwide with Lee-san, spreading the wonder of additive-free kimchi across the country.
**[Company Profile]**
Company Name: Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Representative: Representative Director Kazuo Kageura
Location: 2-8-2 Sanbancho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, 790-0003
Established: September 2011
Website: https://leesan.jp/
**[Inquiries]**
Lee-san Co., Ltd. Contact: Kazuo Kageura
Mail: info@lee-san.jp
**A New Sales Floor Model Solving Consumer Needs and Management Challenges Simultaneously**
In recent years, backed by a growing health consciousness, consumers' interest in additive-free foods and fermented foods has rapidly increased. In particular, the tendency to value "foods that can be fed to families with peace of mind" and "products where producers and manufacturing processes are visible" has grown stronger.
On the other hand, for businesses such as food supermarkets, direct-from-farm markets, and roadside stations, responding to management challenges is an urgent task. These challenges include intensifying price competition, weakening motives for store visits, difficulty in differentiating sales floors, adding value to local agricultural products and ingredients, and securing profit margins.
This program proposes an additive-free kimchi production and sales model utilizing local vegetables and ingredients as an initiative to solve these consumer needs and business challenges simultaneously. Through product creation that tells a local story—in addition to the added value of safety and security—we aim to enhance the uniqueness of the sales floor, improve profitability, and achieve sustainable regional cooperation.
**What is the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program"?**
The "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" develops and manufactures original additive-free kimchi specific to the local area and the store, utilizing local vegetables and specialties. This takes place within the facilities of clients, such as supermarkets and roadside stations across Japan, where cooking is possible.
The completed kimchi can be sold as the store's original kimchi. We will teach the manufacturing method to the business personnel, aiming for them to be able to make and sell it within their facilities at any time. Imperfect field vegetables that become post-harvest losses for farmers—because their shape is poor or their size does not meet standards for shipping—can also be processed into kimchi and sold.
**Hoping Our Origin of Wishing for Family Safety and Security Leads to Changing Current Local Sales Floors...**
Thirty years ago, when my wife was pregnant with our first child, seeking kimchi that was safe for our family to eat was our starting point. At that time, many of the kimchi products sold in supermarkets contained chemical seasonings and additives. My wife chose the path of hand-making additive-free kimchi using the recipe taught by her mother in Korea.
Times have changed, and consumers' interest in health consciousness and food safety is higher than ever. However, the current state of food sales floors cannot necessarily be said to fully meet those needs. That is why we want to increase the number of foods on local sales floors that can be chosen with peace of mind, in the form of in-store production of additive-free kimchi using local vegetables. This is not merely a product proposal; it is also an initiative to respond to the consumers' desire to protect their families' health.
**Bringing Authentic Korean Kimchi to Japanese Dining Tables**
My wife and I are an international couple—I am Japanese, and my wife is Korean. We have continued this activity out of a desire to deliver the appeal of authentic Korean "fermented kimchi" to more dining tables in Japan. While it is common to buy kimchi at supermarkets in Japan, the majority of them are lightly pickled types with additives, and it cannot be said that the deep flavor and health value brought by authentic fermentation are fully conveyed.
We hope that Japanese households can better enjoy the original deliciousness of kimchi born from the power of ingredients and natural fermentation, as well as its body-friendly value. Spreading happiness from the dining table across borders and cultures through "kimchi that is gentle on the body and connects family hearts"—that is the origin of our activities and the future we aim for.
Furthermore, on our YouTube channel "Lee-san Channel" (173,000 subscribers), we broadcast the appeal of kimchi and Korean cuisine, while also communicating the importance of choosing safe and secure ingredients and seasonings for beloved families. Through proposals that enrich daily dining tables, we deliver the joy of hand-making and the value of fermentation culture to many homes.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg5-z1hpD7pg5T85OO9S20Q
**"Additive-Free Kimchi Meisters," Evangelists of Additive-Free Kimchi, Are Being Born.**
The "Additive-Free Kimchi Classes" held across the country have been attended by a total of over 700 people so far, and the value of making safe and secure fermented foods with one's own hands has steadily spread. In addition, we have established the voluntary organization "Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association." Through the meister training program, we are advancing the development of human resources and networking to support regional food culture.
Based on the knowledge, skills, and human resource network cultivated through these activities, we are now starting the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program" as a new initiative for businesses. The purpose of this program is to expand the value of additive-free fermentation—which has so far been spread to households and individuals—to sales floors such as food supermarkets, direct-from-farm markets, roadside stations, and pickle businesses. It aims to support the enhancement of the added value of local vegetables and ingredients and the creation of stores chosen by consumers.
**Overview of the "Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program"**
- Start Date: Starting April 2026
- Location: Client's business facility
- Main Content: In addition to standard kimchi like napa cabbage, radish, and cucumber, we can propose original kimchi using local vegetables, as well as kimchi using ingredients other than vegetables, such as seafood. For example, we have a track record of making bamboo shoot kimchi, salmon kimchi, and baby octopus kimchi.
- Inquiries:
Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Contact: Kazuo Kageura
E-mail: https://leesan.jp/mutenka-kimuchi/
**Instructor: Yeong-ok Lee**
Chairperson of the Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association
Presiding over Lee-san's Additive-Free Kimchi Class
Korean Cuisine YouTuber "Lee-san Channel" (173K subscribers)
After getting married and coming to Japan, she went to a supermarket to buy kimchi, but found only lightly pickled kimchi with many additives. She began making kimchi while learning from her mother in Korea. Since then, she has continued to make kimchi for 30 years.
In 2011, she opened a Korean restaurant with her husband. Although heavily impacted by COVID-19, they overcame it by launching a fried chicken franchise business, a delivery business, and a mail-order business.
Starting in September 2024, the additive-free kimchi classes previously held only in her local Ehime Prefecture were expanded nationwide, beginning in Tokyo. Currently, a total of 700 people have participated.
**Representative Profile**
Kazuo Kageura
Representative Director of Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association Website:
https://leesan.jp/mutenka-kimuchi/
Originally a junior high school physical education teacher. After marrying Lee-san, he moved to Korea and returned to Japan two years later. After returning, he founded a kimchi shop with Lee-san and incorporated it into Lee-san Co., Ltd. in 2011.
He manages Korean restaurants, sells kimchi, and operates mail-order, video streaming, and training businesses regarding kimchi. Since September 2024, he has started additive-free kimchi classes nationwide with Lee-san, spreading the wonder of additive-free kimchi across the country.
**[Company Profile]**
Company Name: Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Representative: Representative Director Kazuo Kageura
Location: 2-8-2 Sanbancho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, 790-0003
Established: September 2011
Website: https://leesan.jp/
**[Inquiries]**
Lee-san Co., Ltd. Contact: Kazuo Kageura
Mail: info@lee-san.jp
FAQ
What is the Additive-Free Kimchi Noren-wake Program?
A system allowing supermarkets nationwide to produce and sell original additive-free kimchi using local ingredients in-store.
What ingredients can be used for the kimchi?
Standard vegetables, local imperfect produce, and unique items like bamboo shoots, salmon, or baby octopus.
Who provides the instruction?
Yeong-ok Lee, head of the Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Association and creator of a 173K-subscriber YouTube channel.