Tokimeki is a relatively new brand with a constantly expanding product line of delicious treats, with creative flavours and cute designs. Their products range from sweet to savoury, with products such as mochi, corn rolls, dorayaki, bread and biscuit sticks.
The company was started by three friends, from the Netherlands, Japan and China, who started their brand after trying to find a specific delicious treat one of them had tried out in Japan. This hunt inspired them to create their own brand, with delicious snacks to “introduce young people to the culinary cultures of the world, using delicious snacks to connect people and create lasting memories with each tasting experience”.
The brand name comes from the Japanese word Tokimeki, which can mean excitement, and is meant to describe “the fluttering excitement and thrill symbolising your passion and pursuit of culinary delights”.
As we were curious about this brand, their products and future products, we decided to interview them to introduce them and their treats to our readers.
AVO Magazine: When did you get the idea to start Tokimeki?
Tokimeki Team: For the past couple of years, we’ve been nurturing the idea of creating a brand centered around trendy snacks that ignite people’s excitement. We’re thrilled that we followed through with it! Witnessing an increasing number of individuals worldwide enthusiastically embracing our brand brings us even greater joy.
AVO Magazine: What was the memorable Japanese pastry you were searching for, that started the idea for this brand?
Tokimeki Team: This pastry, discovered in a quaint bakery, was a mixture of Anpan and mochi. Anpan, a soft fluffy bread filled with red bean cream, combines the baking techniques of the Western world with traditional Japanese ingredients. Just the description alone evokes cravings, but the addition of mochi to the filling elevates it to heavenly levels.
While this specific pastry isn’t currently available in our range, elements of its essence are blended into various Tokimeki products. From Japanese-style bread to the inclusion of mochi and authentic flavours like red bean, you’ll find a delightful fusion of these elements within our offerings.
AVO Magazine: The name of your company, Tokimeki, is a perfect fit. As you’ve described it is “a Japanese term that describes the fluttering excitement and thrill symbolising your passion and pursuit of culinary delights”. Did it take long to figure out what you wanted to name your company?
Tokimeki Team: Thank you! We wholeheartedly believe that the name perfectly encapsulates the essence of the experience our products aim to deliver. Surprisingly, we arrived at the name quite swiftly. We were seeking a Japanese brand name that embodied excitement, affection, and joy, and Tokimeki was among the initial options we considered.
AVO Magazine: Your brand offers a pretty wide variety of treats and flavours. Did you immediately start with this wide variety of products?
Tokimeki Team: In the beginning, we launched with just 2 or 3 product lines featuring a handful of flavours. However, as time progressed, we’ve expanded our range significantly. Currently, we boast over 10 distinct product lines! Our mochi range was among the first to debut and remains our most expansive selection to date. Nonetheless, we remain vigilant about evolving trends, eagerly anticipating what the future holds in store for our brand.
AVO Magazine: How do you keep finding new inspiration to come up with all your flavours?
Tokimeki Team: Our primary source of inspiration stems from immersing ourselves in diverse cultures and culinary traditions from around the globe. And of course, there’s a considerable amount of tasting involved! We make it a point to sample a wide variety of sweets and snacks, always remaining open to delightful surprises. Particularly intriguing are the moments when we fuse culinary delights from various countries into innovative new products. Constantly on the lookout for emerging trends, we infuse each creation with a distinctive Tokimeki twist.
AVO Magazine: Do you have a favourite product or product line that you sell?
Tokimeki Team: That’s a tough question! Obviously, we’re fond of all our offerings, but if we’re considering factors like design, taste, and product type, we’d say the Tokimeki biscuit sticks rank in our top 3 across the board. Flavour preferences can be quite personal, but our new latte flavour steals the show. Perhaps especially as a die-hard coffee enthusiast!
AVO Magazine: Do you plan to sell snacks from other countries in the future?
Tokimeki Team: Yes, we already do have snacks & sweets in our assortment from other countries! Next to our Japan originated snacks, we also added some product ranges that have their roots somewhere else in the world. For example, bubble tea comes originally from Taiwan, but gained immense popularity in Japan since the 90’s.
AVO Magazine: Your brand aims to “introduce young people to the culinary cultures of the world, using delicious snacks to connect people and create lasting memories with each tasting experience”. Could give us an example of a nice memory you share related to your favourite snacks?
Tokimeki Team: During one of our brainstorming sessions dedicated to Tokimeki, we gathered around a table adorned with an array of sweets and snacks. Among them were our beloved biscuit sticks. One of us proposed a game of Mikado using the sticks, assuming it was a traditional Japanese game. Surprisingly, our Japanese friend was unfamiliar with it. Intrigued, we delved into research only to discover that Mikado originated in Europe. Despite the cultural mix-up, it sparked a lively discussion and added a memorable twist to our tasting experience.
AVO Magazine: Is there a reason why you chose not to create your own shop, but instead find distribution partners?
Tokimeki Team: We firmly believe in focusing on our strengths and talents. Our passion lies in crafting a brand featuring exciting snacks. By collaborating with experienced distributors who specialize in operations and logistics, we ensure efficient distribution processes. Thus far, our ‘Tokimeki shop’ has been exclusively featured at the ISM sweets and snacks fair in Germany, serving as a platform to showcase and promote our brand.
AVO Magazine: Your products are available at the Xenos stores in the Netherlands and on Mostcutest.nl, could you name some other places where we might find your products?
Tokimeki Team: Currently, we have a presence in almost all EU countries. You’ll discover Tokimeki in mainstream supermarkets like Carrefour, as well as in multiple Miniso stores across Europe. For our Dutch and Belgium customers, the online shop ‘myamericanshop.nl’ offers multiple Tokimeki products.
AVO Magazine: Do you have a message for the readers of AVO Magazine?
Tokimeki Team: If you’ve never visited Japan, gogogo!
We’re very happy to have to had the opportunity to interview Tokimeki and we look forward to many more new flavours and products by Tokimeki in the future!
Tokimeki
Website: https://tokimeki.eu/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokimekieu/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tokimekieu
