CRAFT JAPANESE SHOCHU
Importing authentic taste
Big World Traders brings a curated selection of honkaku and craft shochu to the US. Focusing on quality and authenticity, we source from small distilleries in Japan, introducing their products to new audiences that might otherwise be out of reach.
Stateside, we work with restaurants, bars, and retailers who understand and appreciate the history and craftsmanship behind these products and who bring the right passion and storytelling to help someone discover their new favorite drink.
EXPLORE OUR FINDS
Interested in selling your products in the US?
Are you a distillery with a shochu Americans needs to try? Does your delicious sake have a deep history? Have you got an amazing packaged food that’s ready to go beyond Japan’s borders?
We love the word Honkaku since it sums up the experience we want to bring to our customers. Drinks and food that tell stories about culture, communities, and innovation without compromise. Let us help make your products flavor ambassadors for your country, prefecture, and city or town.
Meet Mike “Higerou” Bigelow
It all started with 車. When Mike was about 9, his aunt hosted a Japanese exchange student, Manabu. As he watched Manabu write a postcard to his family back home, Mike became more and more intrigued by the unusual collection of strokes. Manabu paused and began taking Mike through what he’d written so far, then taught Mike his first kanji: 車.
The seed was planted. What began as a casual interest in Japanese culture kept growing over the years and he’s made several trips around Japan as a tourist, an MBA student, and a professional. Mike has an unusual professional background and was a lawyer, writer, and business consultant before founding Big World Traders. He has minor obsessions with ajitama and okonomiyaki.
