A Japanese Mom Didn’t Come to America to Sell a Vegan Product. She Came to Reinvent Butter.
Japan’s coconut pioneer just landed in America — and she’s resetting the butter aisle. Better Than Butter® launches on Misfits Market, West Coast first, expanding nationwide by year-end.
NEW YORK, June 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fifteen years ago, Midori Ogino stood behind a small stall at a Tokyo farmers market with a simple question:
“Would I feed this to my own child?”
That question built one of Japan’s leading coconut food brands.
Today, it brings her to a new milestone.
Brown Sugar 1st Inc. announced that Better Than Butter® (BTB) will launch on Misfits Market beginning July 2026, starting on the West Coast, with a full national rollout planned by end of 2026.
This marks BTB's first direct-to-door e-commerce launch, following its retail debut through Pavilions (an Albertsons banner) in Southern California and expansion into Hawaii and Oregon via KeHE.
But for Midori, this was never about building another vegan brand.
“I didn’t come to America to sell a vegan product,” said Midori, Founder and CEO of Brown Sugar 1st Inc. “I came because I love butter. The problem was that the plant butters available didn’t taste like butter, didn’t perform like butter, or came with ingredient lists I wouldn’t feel good serving my family. So we built something different.”
Made from coconut as the primary ingredient, with just 6 clean ingredients — and a pinch of sea salt in the salted variety — Better Than Butter® was developed to deliver the experience of traditional butter while remaining free from dairy, soy, peanuts, gluten, eggs, fish, shellfish, and sesame. No seed oils. No compromise. Just the full performance of real butter — for people who love butter.
The company believes this positions the product beyond the traditional vegan category and into a broader consumer movement toward cleaner, simpler foods.
“We’re not asking consumers to sacrifice for the future,” said Midori. “We’re creating products they genuinely want to eat. That’s how food systems change.”
The launch arrives as Better Than Butter® prepares for its debut at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2026 in New York (Booth #1150, Level 3, Javits Center), where the company will introduce the product to retailers, distributors, and industry leaders from across North America.
The company expects USDA Organic certification to begin with July 2026 production and plans to complete Kosher certification later this year.
Since launching in January 2026, BTB has achieved 3.6 units per store per week with zero marketing spend through Pavilions, Down to Earth, and Market of Choice via KeHE Distributors. Now available on Misfits Market.
For Midori, the mission remains personal. She moved from Japan to New York with her daughter to build the next chapter of the company and pursue a larger vision: creating foods that are better for people, better for farmers, and better for the future — without asking anyone to give up the foods they love.
“If people choose Better Than Butter® because it’s delicious,” she said, “everything else follows.”
About Better Than Butter®
Better Than Butter® is a single-source coconut plant butter made with 6 clean ingredients — free from dairy, soy, peanuts, gluten, eggs, fish, shellfish, and sesame. Since launching in January 2026, BTB has achieved 3.6 units per store per week with zero marketing spend. Now available on Misfits Market.
About Brown Sugar 1st Inc.
Founded in 2011 by Midori Ogino, guided by one standard — "Would I feed this to my own child?" — Brown Sugar 1st Inc. has grown from a Tokyo farmers market into a food company spanning Japan and the United States, partnering with Southeast Asian coconut farmers toward a more sustainable future.
High-resolution product images and founder photos are available upon request.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f6b3a7a1-5699-44a9-8a58-b112f984e2c0
Media Contact Midori Ogino Founder & CEO, Brown Sugar 1st Inc. midori.o@bs1st.com | +1 (646) 385-2196 | LinkedIn: @midori-o-134400179 https://brownsugar1st.store | @brownsugar1st
Better Than Butter® — Coconut-Based, Seed-Oil-Free Plant Butter by Brown Sugar 1st Inc.
Better Than Butter® is a coconut-based, seed-oil-free plant butter made with 6 clean ingredients — dairy-free, vegan, halal-certified, and built for people who love real butter. By Brown Sugar 1st Inc.
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