Bringing the best of plant-based Japanese food to Vancouver
This interview’s timely for a couple of reasons: Vegan Pudding & Co turns 10 this year—it’s a staple in downtown Vancouver—and Sora Takayama has just launched a new arm of the business, Sai Plant Deli. It’s so new it doesn’t even have a website!
We interviewed Sora at the end of 2021, but you definitely want to follow this serial entrepreneur as he’s got a lot up his sleeve!
Justin Manning: All right, hello everybody! Welcome to another episode of VEG Networking Canada. We’re going to start with our land acknowledgement, as we always do. We acknowledge, honour, and respect that much of the land that we are gathered on is part of traditional unceded territories of many Indigenous peoples, many different Indigenous peoples of Canada. And with everything that’s going on in British Columbia with the recent flooding, we hope everybody is a-okay. Welcome to another episode of VEG Networking Canada, where vegan plant-based companies connect and collaborate.
We have a very special guest with us today who has a Master of Arts in Philosophy. He is a world traveller for nearly five years, travelling the globe, writing poetry. He is an entrepreneur featured in film and television, including a feature in Lonely Planet as a must-try healthy urban treat in Vancouver. Along with their flagship pudding product, they also sell crème brûlée, plant-based of course, and a powdered mix for pudding and pie filling.
VEG Networking Canada is pleased to introduce the owner of Vegan Pudding & Co, welcome, Sora Takayama!
Sora Takayama: Hi.
JM: Amazing, thank you so much for your time today. We’re so happy to have you here. Our first question to get to know you and your business more is a personal one.
Can you please tell us more about your own personal vegan origin story?
ST: Sure. Okay, so back in 2007, my wife and I started to travel Asian countries with backpacks. We ended up staying in Perth, Australia. There was a much disciplined artist there, and he asked me to join his project because I’m a poet. I joined his project and we became friends with his family and visited their house many times, they were vegetarian. It was super interesting to me to see how they eat and live. After a while, they went on vacation and asked me to house-sit. While we were staying at their place, we tried to be vegetarian, just trying! Outside we ate anything, but inside we stayed vegetarian. And I liked it, it fit me.
So I decided to be a vegetarian first. After that, I started to research: what’s a vegetarian, what’s a vegan? I felt veganism fit me more because the rule was simple just no animal products. So after maybe three months, I became vegan. That was 12 years ago.
JM: That is such a very cool story, how you started out of respect for someone else. You were honouring their life and their living and then you formed your own story, that is so cool, thank you so much for sharing. Our second question moves more from personal to business:
Tell us more about your entrepreneurial origin story.
It’s interesting to think about how somebody goes from a backpacking, world-traveling poet to running a business? Tell us more about that.
ST: Okay! So during my travels, I was writing poetry and meeting many people. I also became vegan during that time. I loved cooking, I already started in Japan, not working in a kitchen, just for myself. Every night I made pasta. I loved Italian food also Japanese. I also stayed in New Zealand and wanted to work at a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, but I wasn’t able to at the time. A lot of people recommended I come to Vancouver because it’s a very vegan-friendly city. So that’s why I came here and I started to work at a organic place, Organic Lives. Do you guys know it?
JM: Oh yeah!
ST: Yeah, it closed down about seven years ago because a fire happened at the restaurant. But they supported me in getting my permanent residency. I got it, and one week later it closed! It was sad, but also kind of a miracle. That’s why I’m here. So in Vancouver, I also started hosting poetry reading events with vegan food made by my wife. I asked her if she could make a vegan custard pudding for one of the events as a dessert, because I missed Japanese style puddings. Because at the time for three or four years I did not eat any puddings because puddings needed egg and milk. She created a vegan pudding recipe and it was super popular. People asked us to make it again for events or for friends’ events so we started catering at the beginning. The catering orders grew, and we opened a small takeaway window pudding shop in 2015.
JM: That is so amazing! We’ve heard it time and time again, stories from other guests, that the reason they started doing what they are doing was because they couldn’t find it the market themselves. Also, for those who don’t know, that little window shop is iconic and pretty cool. We all know there’s been tons of growth in the plant-based space, so with that in mind, our next question is:
What are some trends you’re seeing in your industry?
ST: Yeah, recently I feel like restaurants that are plant-based don’t look like vegan or plant-based restaurants. They’re not mentioning it up front. But if you read the fine print, you realize it’s vegan. I think that’s current. I think 10 years ago, vegan food tasted very “vegan.” I liked it, but many people didn’t. Now, vegan food tastes great, like regular food. So people will eat a pizza or ramen and realize after that it was vegan or plant based! I like that approach.
JM: Yes! I think that’s so cool and I’m noticing that too, good food doesn’t need a certain label in front of it. If it tastes great, it just is great food. So speaking of Vegan Pudding & Co,
Where is your brand going in the future? Do you have any news that you want to share?
ST: Yes! Frozen crème brûlée is our new product. We now have a fast-freezing system, so we can freeze crème brûlée and plan to distribute it all over Canada, the U.S., or even globally. We also have a dry powder mix, and that is spreading across Canada now too. That’s our plan. Also, I’m opening a new project, a plant-based sushi restaurant on January 8, 2022. It’s called Cofu Pressed Sushi, plant-based sushi and sober bar, no fish or alcohol. But good sushi! Near Granville Island.
JM: Thanks a lot, Sora because I haven’t eaten yet and now all I can think about is sushi! For those who don’t know, Granville Island is such an iconic place, so it’s a perfect location. That’s so exciting. So there’s no right or wrong answer to the next question, maybe it’s from a business stand point or maybe something you’ve done personally, or maybe something coming in the future, who knows,
Does Vegan Pudding & Co or you support any charitable organizations?
ST: Not charitable, but I support nonprofit organizations such as Powell Street Festival in Vancouver. Right now, ff you become a member, you can get $1 off our coconut pudding.
JM: Perfect! That’s such a great way to build community and cross-promote. From an entrepreneurial standpoint: do you read any books or use any apps or listen to any podcasts that you would think are valuable for other people to know about? Now let’s talk about inspiration.
ST: Usually how I get information on veganism, I use Instagram, searching hashtags for vegan or sustainable on the English side and the Japanese side so I can get both sides. For books, not business books, but poetry. There’s a famous Japanese poet, Kenji Miyazawa, he’s super famous in Japan, everyone in Japan knows him. I also read his poetry and his books. He was a vegetarian for a while, he’s super old, he was around 100 years ago. He’s an artist, and he was also a vegetarian. The title of his book, Vegetarian Great Festival is beautiful. I think it’s translated into English too. If you have the time, you can check it out.
JM: That’s wonderful. I kind of want to have a whole conversation just about your poetry! But I’ll stay on track here. Okay, do you have any brands whether they’re local or global that inspire you and your Vegan Pudding Co team to do what you do:
Are there any brands that really truly inspire you?
ST: Yes, Zimt Chocolates! It tastes good. When I go to Japan, I buy it as gifts for Japanese friends. Also, Tempea tempeh, when we go camping, I always buy Tempea for vegan BBQs. And when I lived in New Zealand and heard about Canada, I heard about Whole Foods as an organic store with lots of vegan options. I also discovered Nice Shoes here in Vancouver. I was super excited at the time. I went to Nice Shoes many times to buy lots of vegetarian shoes! They inspired me.
JM: I love the local vibe that you have. You’re talking about Zimt Chocolate, Tempea Tempeh, and Nice Shoes. Those that are in Vancouver know how much of a staple those businesses and business owners are. I did not think that Tempeh could be as good as Tempea tempeh. For those of you who haven’t had it yet, and were like me in thinking that it’s just tempeh, it’s totally not.
Okay before we get into the last question,
Do you want to tell everybody where they can find the product?
I’m sure that’s what everyone is thinking.
ST: Whole Foods Market carries our coconut pudding. T&T carries our soy milk puddings. It’s also available at Stong’s Market, and Pomme Natural Market carries our products. Eternal Abundance and SPUD carries our creme brule powder mix for home delivery.
JM: Perfect! And we’ll tell people about our website after because I’m sure there is some direct consumer that they can get it right into their hands.
Last question, what is some advice that you would give entrepreneurs in this vegan plant-based space, whether they’re brand new or doing it for 5-10 years.
Do you have any advice that you think is valuable to share?
ST: If you start a business as an owner, I want to remind you that it becomes your life. If you work as an owner, you’ll always think about it. So the most important thing for me is to enjoy your life and enjoy your business. I became vegan for lots of reasons and still I’m vegan for 12 years, but the most important thing is to have fun, so being vegan for me is fun and that’s why I still am vegan. Same with business. If it’s not fun, it’s difficult to continue. I think the most important thing is that you should enjoy your business. Even small steps matter. Just keep going and enjoy the journey.
JM: If you’re a business owner starting a business, don’t be confused that it’s going to consume your life, and with that being said, make sure that the life that is being consumed is an enjoyable one. That is such inspiring advice. Thank you so much for that. Before we tell people where they can find you online, is there anything else you want to tell people or anything else we missed?
ST: I don’t think so. Just about the new sushi shop, COFU!
JM: Alright folks, well if you’re like me and you’re drooling thinking about vegan pudding, check out more online www.veganpuddingco.com and you will drool on Instagram: @vegan_pudding_co. Stay tuned because if you’re a sushi fan you’ll be able to indulge come January 8th! Sora, thank you for joining us today. We’re pleased for all of your success and it’s inspiring to see a business owner who’s been vegan for as long as you have with such a bright spirit.
ST: Thank you very much.
JM: All right, bye everyone, see you next time!
