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We are an artisanal organic (BIO) natto manufactory from Zielona Góra, Poland. We combine a Polish engineering mindset with the Japanese tradition of fermentation.
Every day we process small batches of organic soybeans. Behind the brand stands one person, Marek Kołodziejski, M.Sc. Eng. He came to natto after 40 years in precision electronics and out of a personal fascination with Japanese food biotechnology.
Where the name TON COLOR comes from
Customers often ask about the name TON COLOR. It is a legacy of our earlier business. For 40 years Marek Kołodziejski ran a TV and home appliance repair service in Zielona Góra. We repaired electronics: televisions and computers. That work demanded patience and precision.
When we closed that business, the same habits carried over to food production. The attention to detail and the repeatability of the process that mattered in the workshop matter just as much for natto. We treat Bacillus subtilis bacteria with the same care we once gave to integrated circuits. Here, too, there is no room for error.
From engineering to fermentation
After turning fifty, Marek Kołodziejski began looking for alternatives to a highly processed diet. That is how he came across Japanese natto. The question soon arose: could it be made in Poland from organic soy? And a more technical one: what fermentation parameters, what temperature, what time, what bean.
„I had a choice: carry on with my previous lifestyle, or change it. I chose change. I started looking for traditional fermented foods. I came across the trail of Japanese natto. Its appearance and distinctive smell can put people off, but the product drew me in as an engineer. I had to understand the fermentation process and break it down into its basic factors. We do not experiment on our customers’ health.”
Home trials turned into six months of systematic experiments with Bacillus subtilis bacteria and organic soy. The manufactory grew out of that.
Production launch and research, 2015-2018
We officially started NATTO production in 2015. It was preceded by a first stage of research at the Lubuskie Centre for Agrotechnical Innovation and Implementation in Sulechów (LOIiWA): for six months we checked whether fresh natto could be made safely and repeatably.
The key milestones along the way:
Technology research, 2017-2018
In 2017 and 2018 we returned to LOIiWA for a second, technological stage of research. At that time no one in Poland was making dried natto, so it was both a new product and a new process. The drying parameters we developed made it possible to limit the loss of compounds naturally present in fermented natto.
Our drying method
Together with pharmacists from Wrocław, we developed our own low-temperature drying technology. Precisely chosen temperature and press-pressure parameters help limit the loss of compounds naturally occurring in natto, such as nattokinase and vitamin K2 (MK-7).
Certified organic (BIO) soy
For production we use original Bacillus subtilis Natto spores. The quality of natto depends on the quality of the bean, so we work only with soy that is GMO-free and pesticide-free (Certificate PL-EKO-07). We source certified organic soy from trusted suppliers, because the right bean is what determines the quality of natto.
Award
The manufactory received the 1st Economic Award of the Marshal of the Lubuskie Region in the innovation category.
Trip to Japan, 2025
Natto is a Japanese product, so we wanted to measure our version against Japanese standards. We are glad that customers of Asian origin also buy from us, but we wanted to check the quality closer to the source.
In the autumn of 2025 we took part in an economic mission to Japan. During the Polish Japanese Investment Forum in Osaka and in meetings with Japanese fermentation specialists, we talked about the process and compared approaches. We came back with new contacts and knowledge that we use every day in the manufactory.
The manufactory today
Marek Kołodziejski is now 70 and still works in the manufactory every day. He personally checks every batch and tests new recipes himself. We want customers to choose consciously, which is why we devote a great deal of attention to education about fermented food, product composition and the history of natto.
