The Recipe That Kept a Family Connected

From Bachan to Justin

Family comes before company in this story. Bachan means grandma, Justin Gill is the founder and CEO of Bachan's, and the Bachan's Japanese Barbecue Sauce recipe was preserved for generations.

Justin Gill with his Bachan, Judy Yokoyama

The family record identifies Judy Yokoyama as Justin Gill's Bachan and notes that Judy Yokoyama was born in Sebastopol, CA in 1936. It records her two-year displacement in a Japanese internment camp and the later moment when Judy taught Justin and his parents the Japanese barbecue sauce recipe.

Judy Yokoyama packing bottles of the family sauce

Because Judy lived where Justin's family lived, meals with his Bachan and grandfather formed a familiar rhythm. Each cooking session gave Justin another practical encounter with Japanese-American culture and traditions preserved in food.

A Bachan's family cooking memory

A recurring holiday practice connected the kitchen with the landscape business Justin knew from childhood. His relatives made the sauce in volume, and Justin rode with his father to place bottles in customers' hands.

The Bachan's family making sauce together

What one generation gives: Bold, Fresh, Umami Flavor™

Generational continuity becomes tangible when people cook the same food together. That is the role Bachan's gives the table: a place where stories, memory and tradition can remain part of family life.

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

Our Ingredients Matter®

To honor the recipe Justin received from his family, Bachan's starts with high-quality non-GMO ingredients. The cold-fill process completes the approach and means no preservatives, flavorings or other additives are needed.

Japanese Barbecue Sauces

Green onion, ginger, and garlic
Green Onion, Ginger and Garlic
The recipe's aromatic side combines green onion with organic garlic and ginger.
Traditionally brewed soy sauce
Non-GMO Traditionally Brewed Soy Sauce
At Bachan's, hundreds of years of traditional brewing stand behind the premium non-GMO soy sauce.
Aged Japanese mirin
Aged Japanese Mirin
Bachan's uses authentic mirin obtained in Japan from family-owned suppliers who have made it for generations.
Organic rice vinegar
Organic Rice Vinegar
Chosen organic rice from the US becomes organic rice vinegar through a traditional brew, and the rice vinegar ages for a month.

Japanese Dipping Sauces

Stone-ground sesame
Stone Ground Sesame
A stone-ground preparation of roasted sesame makes Neri Goma and builds the sauce's rich, creamy body.
Crushed sesame seeds
Crushed Sesame Seeds
The crushed sesame enters through Suri Goma, giving the sauce a second, layered sesame character.
White miso
White Miso
Made with fermented rice plus soybeans, white miso provides a balanced mild, sweet and savory umami profile.
Ginger
Ginger
The real ginger provides a bright accent and clean sense of zest.