OPENER Chocolate is a raw (unheated) chocolate and vegan sweets shop.
We make "exquisitely delicious sweets that delight your body" with love, one by one, by hand, in our studio nestled in the nature of Zushi.
【Brand Message】
Advertisements and social conventions present "the ideal you." Amidst this, we hope that our light sweets, free of refined sugar and animal-derived ingredients, will convey the sensation of "becoming yourself" through experience.
【OPENER Chocolate: 5 Freedoms】
✔︎ Animal-derived ingredient-free
✔︎ Gluten-free
✔︎ Refined sugar-free
✔︎ Artificial coloring-free
✔︎ Artificial emulsifier-free
【Event Participation History, etc.】
2020: Shibuya Hikarie HAPPY VALENTINE (Valentine's Day)
2021: Daimaru Tokyo Chocolat Promenade (Valentine's Day), Isetan Shinjuku Beauty Apothecary (Valentine's Day), FALINE TOKYO Harajuku Closing Party
2022: Isetan Shinjuku Beauty Apothecary (Valentine's Day), Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Horse Messe, Ginza Mitsukoshi (Christmas)
2023: Isetan Shinjuku Sweets Collection (Valentine's Day), Isetan Shinjuku Beauty Apothecary (Valentine's Day), Ginza Mitsukoshi (Christmas), Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs Christmas Cake, SHIBUYA BEAUTY JAM (Tokyu Department Store) Novelty Production
2024: Certified as a "Kanagawa Nadeshiko Brand," Isetan Shinjuku Beauty Apothecary (Valentine's Day), Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs Christmas Cake, BEAMS LIFE Yokohama Store Collaborative Christmas Cake
2025: Isetan Shinjuku Beauty Apothecary (Valentine's Day), Shibuya Hikarie (Valentine's Day), BEAMS×JOHNNIE WALKER Catering Production
【Retailers】
Azabu Shimazakiya (Higashi-Azabu), BEAMS LIFE Yokohama Store, TODAY'S SPECIAL, FOOD & COMPANY (primarily handled during cooler seasons such as Christmas to Valentine's Day)
Regarding the ingredients used (cacao and other raw materials)
・Arriba Cacao (Raw & USDA Organic Certified)
We use Ecuadorian Arriba cacao, an "ultra-rare variety" that accounts for only 2% of the total cacao distribution.
In addition, we use ethical cacao that is raw, USDA organic certified, and produced with consideration for the working environment.
*The "Miracle Vegan Chocolate Terrine" is a baked cake, so it uses heated organic cacao, not raw cacao.
The Vision Behind OPENER Chocolate's "OPENER"
OPENER Chocolate is a sweets shop that began from an epiphany by Tomoko Yamauchi, the owner and maker. The name "OPENER" embodies the meaning of "opening up the senses of mind and body." We create our gentle-tasting sweets without strong ingredients like refined sugar or dairy, with the hope that when you taste them, your five senses will be awakened. Through this, we wish to help you recall the feeling of "being yourself."
Feature Article: Forbes JAPAN "The Appeal of Plant-Based Chocolate That Elevates Happiness by Making You Feel 'Here and Now'"
https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/48674
Also, we write on Note
About Raw Chocolate
Raw means "raw" or "unheated." While regular chocolate is made by roasting cacao at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Celsius, raw chocolate is made from cacao processed using a special method that maintains a low temperature of 48 degrees Celsius or less. This is said to allow you to consume the enzymes and nutrients of cacao without destroying them through heat. You can also enjoy the rich aroma and taste of cacao in its original form. These visually appealing chocolates, colored only with natural hues, are also perfect for gifts.
Regarding raw food
Raw chocolate is made based on the concept of "raw food." The "raw" in raw food means "uncooked." In other words, raw food refers to a diet that incorporates as many uncooked foods as possible (not heated above 48 degrees Celsius). The idea is that by consuming foods without destroying their nutrients and enzymes through heat, one can improve their physical and mental state.
OPENER Chocolate: About Chocolatier Tomoko Yamauchi
After graduating from university, she joined an advertising agency and was responsible for TV shopping marketing. Feeling a sense of unease with modern excessive marketing and the negative aspects of capitalism, she founded OPENER Chocolate in 2020 with the desire to fulfill a social purpose by influencing consumer behavior, individual consciousness, and personal experience.
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/yamauchi.tomokoo/