Fukuya

Hakata-based producer credited with inventing mentaiko in Japan. Founder Toshio Kawahara developed the recipe in 1949 at his Hakata grocery store, drawing on memories of the spiced cod roe kimchi he ate growing up in Korea. For more than 75 years Fukuya has sold directly to customers rather than through wholesale, a commitment to quality control that shapes every product. Production remains largely handmade; skilled workers grade and season the pollock roe by touch. The flagship Aji no Mentaiko uses pollock roe from the northern Pacific, seasoned with a proprietary chili blend and matured before canning in cottonseed oil. The Mentai-O Saba line extends the mentaiko flavour to Norwegian mackerel marinated in olive oil. The Hakata factory operates as a public visitor experience with tours, a cafe, and handmade mentaiko workshops.