Iyoshi Cola : Japanese Craft Cola Inspired by Medicinal Herbs
Source : Iyoshi Cola
The story of IYOSHI COLA begins in Shimo-Ochiai, a quiet neighborhood of Tokyo through which Kanda River flows. It was there, in 1954, that Ryotaro Ito, the founder’s grandfather, opened his traditional Japanese medicine workshop. Several decades later, following his grandfather’s passing, his 21-year-old grandson, Kola Kobayashi, discovered a more than 100-year-old cola recipe in the old workshop. Intrigued, he began making his own cola, never imagining that this experiment would become the starting point of a new adventure.
In July 2018, after years of experimentation, Kola Kobayashi built his own mobile stall, the Kawasemi-Go, and began selling his cola at the Aoyama Farmers Market in Tokyo. He chose the name IYOSHI COLA, after his grandfather’s former traditional medicine workshop, as a way of preserving its spirit and craftsmanship. Through this new beverage, he sought to challenge the perception of cola as simply an industrial product and demonstrate that it could also be crafted with the time, precision, and creativity characteristic of traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
Today, IYOSHI COLA continues this philosophy by offering a cola completely reimagined around craftsmanship, experimentation, and Japanese heritage. For Kola Kobayashi, cola should not simply be a mass-produced beverage: it can be made by hand, with the same care and curiosity as a traditional artisanal product. Born in a former traditional medicine workshop along the Kanda River, IYOSHI COLA has become one of the pioneers of Japan’s craft cola movement.