Who Is Koji Aoki? His Career, Nontitle and LOCALO Noodle

If you have come across Koji Aoki through LOCALO Noodle or the Japanese YouTube series Nontitle, you may be wondering how he connects the two. Aoki is the founder and CEO of Grand Bleu & Co., the company behind LOCALO Noodle. His work spans business management and media production. Official company profile (Japanese)

This article follows official profiles and company announcements to explain his career, his involvement in the brand and the story behind the product.

Koji Aoki at a glance

Name	Koji Aoki (青木康時)
Company and role	Founder and CEO, Grand Bleu & Co.
Main activities	Business management, direct-to-consumer brands, social media marketing and YouTube production
Nontitle	Chief mentor and producer

The company’s profile and its Aoki Komon website describe him as a serial entrepreneur who has founded five companies across traditional businesses and information technology. Direct-to-consumer, or D2C, refers to a brand selling its products directly to consumers.

From water businesses to e-commerce and media

Grand Bleu & Co.’s official profile lists experience at water-related companies including Premium Water, Water Direct and Fujisan no Meisui. It also lists the following leadership roles:

• Fine Springs: representative director
• RECLO: representative director
• Samurai Partners: director
• Grand Bleu & Co.: representative director

The profile says he began working on YouTuber promotion, social media marketing and D2C businesses in 2020. These are roles listed in his career history; the list does not mean that he currently holds all of them at once. Source: official profile

Aoki Komon identifies D2C and e-commerce, video production and startup management as his areas of activity. Creating a product and helping people discover and buy it are connected parts of that work. His background provides context for the brand business he leads today. Source: areas of activity

How Nontitle connects to LOCALO Noodle

Aoki is known as Nontitle’s chief mentor and is also involved as a producer. LOCALO Noodle’s ambassador announcement describes him as the program’s original producer and chief mentor. Source: official announcement, June 3, 2025

The brand’s CAMPFIRE crowdfunding page explains that Aoki took on product planning in Nontitle Season Z. According to the March 11, 2025 launch announcement, the concept received unanimous approval from the judges at the program’s demo day on February 22, 2025. Project page / Launch announcement

Turning an idea seen on the show into a product people can buy and eat is one part of the brand’s story. The project page also describes how chefs and a noodle manufacturer worked on refining the noodles and sauces. Source: product development

The approach to building the brand

In Grand Bleu & Co.’s CEO message, the company identifies a challenge: even a good product or idea can go unnoticed without sufficient awareness. Its stated approach is to use attention generated through social media and other channels to bring the product’s value to a wider audience. Source: CEO message

LOCALO Noodle’s official introduction presents noodle dishes as an option to enjoy, rather than something to give up. The noodles use buckwheat flour and funori seaweed and are offered in ramen- and pasta-style dishes. Source: official product introduction

From our editorial perspective, an interesting feature is the combination of noodle ingredients and the way the brand reaches its audience. Aoki’s career provides a starting point for understanding the role of the show, social media and the official online store in the brand’s growth.

A timeline of the company and LOCALO Noodle

Date	Event recorded in public sources
August 2024	Grand Bleu & Co. was established. Company information
February 22, 2025	The LOCALO Noodle concept received unanimous approval at the Nontitle Season Z demo day, according to the launch announcement. Launch announcement
March 11–27, 2025	The CAMPFIRE campaign raised ¥12,142,000 from 779 supporters. Campaign results
May 15, 2025	Official online stores for LOCALO Noodle and Dolce Ino opened. Official announcement
July 3, 2026	The brand announced the LOCALO Noodle 100,000-Meal Support Action. Company press release

Food support beyond the brand’s customers

A company announcement in July 2026 introduced a food support initiative with Kokenawa Holdings and Cycle Stock, a Japanese general incorporated association. The initiative was intended to deliver products to children’s community meal programs, residential care facilities for children, single-parent households and other recipients.

This was announced as a brand initiative. The figure of 100,000 meals appears in the initiative’s name; the announcement alone does not establish that 100,000 meals had already been delivered. Alongside introducing the product to more customers, the announcement describes an effort to reach people who need food support. Source: food support announcement

Understanding the person behind the product

Koji Aoki has been involved in LOCALO Noodle through work that spans business management and media. Knowing who is behind a product, and the background they bring, adds context that is not apparent from the noodles and sauces alone.

To learn more about the noodles themselves, read our guide to buckwheat, funori and the brand’s hegi soba roots. For customer perspectives on taste and texture, see our LOCALO Noodle review guide.

This article draws on official profiles, product information and company announcements to explain the person and the brand. It is not based on an interview with Koji Aoki. Source information checked: October 10, 2026. The linked primary sources are in Japanese.