nuu story
* nuu = 縫う in Japanese: to sew, to make the connection, to associate
nuu , it's a beautiful story
Ferment to create connection. Live more deeply.
It all began in 2011. The tsunami in Tōhoku marked a turning point in the lives of Hiro, Miku, and Sachiyo — three Japanese women living in Brussels. Faced with the fragility of the world, they felt a deep call to return to what truly matters: care, connection, and transmission. Their response? Miso — not just as a food, but as a way of being. An ancient, humble ferment, full of life and memory. Drawing from the gestures of their childhoods and the rhythm of Belgian seasons, they began crafting miso by hand. In 2019, nuu miso was born: a fermentation workshop rooted in Brussels, dedicated to long-aged, artisan miso fermented in oak wine barrels. Bridging Japanese technique with European ingredients became their signature — fermenting time, revealing memory. In 2024, a new chapter opened: they began crafting shoyu, fermented for over a year using rare and rigorous artisanal methods. This shift also marked a new identity: nuu. Today, nuu is more than a workshop. It is a living vision — a space for creation, transmission, and quiet transformation.
At Nuu, miso and shoyu never sleep: they live, gently, deeply
At nuu, miso is made by hand, slowly fermented in wooden wine barrels, just as it was once done in Japan with recycled sake barrels. Each batch is unique, vibrant, influenced by the climate and the surrounding air. This is a delicate, artisanal craftsmanship where people accompany the ferment—for an exceptional Belgian miso.
At nuu, every fermentation is alive. Never still. Never exactly the same. Miso begins with 60 hours of watchful care — the birth of the koji, a sacred Japanese mold that breathes life into grains and legumes. Then come months, even years, of fermentation. During this time, miso evolves: shaped by the air, the seasons, the wood of the barrel. It lives. It breathes. It changes. Each batch is unique — even with the same recipe. Because nothing here is standard. Everything depends on the moment, the artisan, the mood of the place. Shoyu follows the same path: fermented for over a year in wine barrels, it develops natural complexity, depth, and soft, woody notes. Like miso, it carries the memory of time, place, and care. At nuu, nothing is rushed. Nothing industrial. Only hands, breath, silence — and time. That’s what you taste in every drop: Something alive. Something rare. Something real.