How It All Started

Island Eko Pantry was launched in April 2021 with 2 school friends who were brought together through our passion for cooking and all things food here in Victoria, BC. Our vision is to provide healthy and delicious ferments that have been traditionally made throughout Asia and to be an everyday staple in the local community. We make products, host workshops, and work with other local food businesses. We commit to environmentally and ethically sustainable business practices.  

Jungyeon Han 

Born and raised in South Korea where fermented vegetables and condiments are fundamental to everyday meals, she has been developing and selling her own kimchi made with local produce and herbs for over 8 years. Her passion for fermented food started after she moved to Canada in 2012 where she couldn’t find the kimchi she grew up with. She decided to make her own, and from there, she continued learning a variety of fermented foods such as miso, sourdough, sauerkraut, Gochujang, Koji etc. She is passionate about sharing  healthful foods and her wealth of knowledge of herbal medicine acquired at Pacific Rim College in Victoria to build a strongly bonded community.

Instagram: @namuyeoni

 

Misako Ozawa

Originally from Japan, her love toward traditional Japanese foods took roots in her childhood when she woke up to the sound of her mother chopping vegetables and to the smell of miso soup every morning. After she moved to Canada in 2017, she has been hosting miso workshops and sharing her knowledge learned from an over-100-year-old Japanese miso company and fellow fermenters with over 85 people now. We live in a fast-paced world where everything is acquired quickly, but there's something very nostalgic about long-aged slow foods that fermented foods can offer us, and that's what she wants to share. She graduated from Pacific Rim College with a diploma of Holistic Nutrition in 2020.

Instagram: @foodiemisakobo