Meet the Family Behind Bachan's

Grandma gives the story its name

Bachan means grandma, the family word now carried in the Bachan's name. Justin Gill, the company's founder and CEO, brought forward the recipe for Bachan's Japanese Barbecue Sauce after his family preserved it for generations.

Justin Gill with his Bachan, Judy Yokoyama

Judy Yokoyama's life joins difficult history with a continuing family practice. Justin Gill's Bachan was born in Sebastopol, CA in 1936, lived through a two-year displacement in a Japanese internment camp, and later instructed Justin and his parents in the family's Japanese barbecue sauce recipe.

Judy Yokoyama packing bottles of the family sauce

Family life placed Justin, his Bachan and his grandfather around the same table again and again because Judy shared the property. In those cooking moments, Japanese-American culture became an everyday practice rather than an abstract lesson.

A Bachan's family cooking memory

The family landscape company was part of Justin's upbringing. It also supplied the list of recipients for a holiday custom: make one large batch of sauce, bottle it, and have Justin travel with his father to distribute it.

The Bachan's family making sauce together

The table passes onward Bold, Fresh, Umami Flavor™

Food keeps family knowledge active in the Bachan's account. When a familiar recipe returns to the table, memories can be voiced and longstanding customs can find their next participants.

Justin Gill, Judy Yokoyama, and the Bachan's family

Our Ingredients Matter®

Bachan's keeps the sauce close to Justin's inherited recipe through two practical choices: use high-quality non-GMO ingredients and apply a cold-fill process rather than introduce additives, preservatives or flavorings.

Japanese Barbecue Sauces

Green onion, ginger, and garlic
Green Onion, Ginger and Garlic
Aromatics begin with organic garlic, then add green onion and ginger.
Traditionally brewed soy sauce
Non-GMO Traditionally Brewed Soy Sauce
Bachan's uses premium non-GMO soy sauce brewed by traditional methods reaching back hundreds of years.
Aged Japanese mirin
Aged Japanese Mirin
Bachan's high-quality mirin is sourced from Japan, where family-owned producers have made it for generations.
Organic rice vinegar
Organic Rice Vinegar
After brewing, a month of aging follows for organic rice vinegar from selected organic rice grown in the US.

Japanese Dipping Sauces

Stone-ground sesame
Stone Ground Sesame
Neri Goma is stone-ground roasted sesame, adding a richer, thicker creaminess.
Crushed sesame seeds
Crushed Sesame Seeds
The recipe adds Suri Goma as its crushed sesame component, building extra layers of taste.
White miso
White Miso
A mild layer of sweet, savory umami comes from white miso produced with fermented rice and soybeans.
Ginger
Ginger
The real ginger lifts the flavor with a clear, zesty note.