About ichiban
The leading producer of high quality authentic sushi for the UK
ichiban UK is a privately owned sushi manufacturer producing own label and branded sushi for the UK market. We have been the UK’s largest sushi producer for over a decade and moved to our current site in Earl Stonham, Suffolk in 2007. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week we are a well-equipped and heavily invested site that specialises in the art of making sushi.
What ichiban means is ‘number one’ in Japanese, and that’s what we always aim to be! We employ over 450 staff on our site from Production Operatives to Engineers, which allows us to complete the whole process of manufacturing from start to finish here in Suffolk.
Our Vision
“To build and maintain a profitable, customer-focused food business through high quality, innovative products that are an inspiration to the market and which will appeal to all generations.”
Quality
Here at ichiban UK, we pride ourselves on the high quality of the sushi we produce and believe customers should have the best possible product. Our view is that this should never be compromised, therefore we have a dedicated team of Quality Assessors working round the clock to ensure all our products meet the high standards we have in place. Our site maintains BRC accreditation as well as a 5 star EHO food safety rating.
Authenticity
Japanese authenticity is at the heart of everything we do at ichiban. We use traditional Japanese methods in the production of our sushi, all our rice is cooked in 5kg pots in individual ovens, similar to how they do in Japan. Last year we cooked around 900 tonnes of rice in total – that’s 180,000 individual pots!
We top all our nigiri blocks by hand so that every topping is placed accurately and neatly on the block of rice. Last year we topped 21 million nigiri blocks, all done by hand! Our salmon and mackerel nigiri pieces are also all hand cut by our expertly trained fish cutters to ensure each piece is cut to perfection.
Innovation
We are continually seeking to improve our products and bring new and fresh ideas into our sushi, we are proud to have been presented with 2 customer awards for our development work and one of our products being a grocer award finalist in 2012. Our team work with a customer focused and creative attitude to develop products that give an innovative and Western twist on traditional Japanese sushi. We believe in working together with our suppliers to bring new and exciting products into the sushi market.
After undertaking extensive market research, we found that nori seaweed put many people off sushi. This led us to begin working with one of our suppliers to bring fruit wraps into our sushi. These colourful additions bring fresh and fruity flavours into our products and are a vibrant alternative to the traditional nori seaweed.
Market Knowledge
Here at ichiban we pride ourselves on really understanding the sushi market and why people love to buy sushi. It’s that knowledge that helps us work together with our retail partners to build better product ranges that our customers really want to buy.
Environment
Our factory nestles in the heart of idyllic Suffolk countryside, we are continuously aware of the environment around us and our impact upon it.
Work for ichiban
ichiban is rapidly growing and so is our requirement for quality people to join our thriving team.
As a thriving, independent business we can offer a proven career pathway for all applicants through continued training and development. Many of our current staff started as Production Operatives and now hold supervisory and managerial roles. Other members of our staff have developed new careers into areas such as Technical, Engineering, Human Resources and Logistics.
If you would like the opportunity to develop your career with a forward thinking employer then please see the vacancies section of our website and follow us here on icanbea for the latest news and opportunities.
