Shared Cultures

Shared Cultures is a small batch producer in San Francisco specializing in using koji, an ancient fungi, to create modern fermented food products. Inspired by traditional fermentation methods, wild foraged mushrooms, and the bounty of Northern California, we are creating newly imagined, alternative soy sauces, misos, and marinades using the magic of koji.

Our passion for mushroom foraging led us to discover the art of preservation and fermentation in an effort to preserve nature's bounty.

While exploring the world of fermentation, we came to learn about KOJI, one of the oldest wild fungi in existence. Koji has been used for centuries as the catalyst to ferment important foods in our cultural backgrounds such as soy sauce, miso, and sake.

Our combined passion for fungi and fermentation has revived an important part of our traditional food culture while driving our curiosity to reimagine and share these traditional foods with a modern approach. 

As a team, we combine the traditions of our Chinese American and Japanese American heritage to guide the products that we share with our community today.

Eleana's grandmother was an excellent fermentress, using koji to make traditional ferments such as dòubànjiàng, tiánmiànjiàng, and jiuniang. Kevin's grandparents are noted for helping to introduce Japanese food and culture to Texas, opening the very first Japanese restaurant in 1962. Inspired by both of our families' past, we hope to honor our cultural food traditions with a modern approach as we combine our passions through the art of fungal fermentation with Shared Cultures.