La Brasserie San-Ô began as a pandemic-era experiment in a borrowed kitchen in Parc-Ex, with Noriko and Yota Suzuki testing the boundaries of fermentation and flavour. What started under the name Koji Soupe & Labo has since evolved into a full-fledged fermentation lab dedicated to crafting koji—the essential mold behind miso, soy sauce, and sake—right here in Montréal. Yota’s background includes a hands-on apprenticeship under a sake master in Japan, years that laid the groundwork for the brewery’s obsessive focus on quality.

Now based in their own space, San-Ô is Quebec’s first producer of artisanal koji rice and its offshoots, tailored for chefs working with tight schedules and even tighter kitchen real estate. The name, drawn from the kanji for mountain and king, nods to Mount Royal and to the quiet power of fermentation. San-Ô isn’t just a supplier—it’s a partner to the kitchens shaping Montréal’s food scene, offering fermentation as both tradition and toolkit.