Midori Sato

EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific Class of 2026
CEO, Brown Sugar 1st, Japan

Midori Sato is the founder and CEO of Brown Sugar 1st, a Japan-born food company specializing in organic, plant-based products. Midori entered the US market in 2025 after scaling her business in Japan. She is accelerating expansion with a target of 1,000 retail stores in 2026.

Her ambition extends beyond retail growth. As global butter demand continues to rise, climate pressures, methane emissions and geopolitical instability are driving greater volatility in dairy supply chains. Midori sees an opportunity to address this gap between demand and supply through innovation and execution.

Better Than Butter was developed not simply as a dairy alternative, but as a sustainable next-generation fat source for both everyday cooking and professional use. Built on more than a decade of coconut-based product leadership in Japan, the company focuses on performance, supply stability and resilience.

Midori believes business must balance growth with responsibility. Her long-term goal is to transform 5% of the global butter market while building transparent supply chains with coconut farmers.

At the heart of her work lies a generational question: What kind of food system are we creating for our children? She is committed to preserving taste and joy while offering choices that are kinder to the planet, animals and human health.

Through disciplined execution and collaboration, she is building not just a brand, but an enduring infrastructure designed to reshape the future of fats. She leads through dialogue rather than division, balancing scale and profitability while mobilizing the collective strength of partners to drive lasting change.