How We Source and Import Our Medaka
Our Sourcing & Operations
Transparency about where our fish come from and how SNR Medaka USA operates
💬 Why We’re Sharing This
SNR Medaka USA is committed to sharing our process openly and honestly.
This page is not about creating drama—it is about setting the record straight.
Our entire process is well-documented. View documentation from last year’s import
🛠️ How SNR Medaka Operates
SNR Medaka was started in 2019 by a South Korean medaka hobbyist. Today, the company operates several medaka stores across South Korea. We work closely with top breeders in Japan and personally visit them to hand-pick fish.
Through scale and trusted partnerships, we are able to offer high-quality medaka at fair prices while staying true to traditional practices.
SNR MEDAKA USA, LLC is the U.S. branch—a separately operated company based in North Carolina. While the original team in Korea supports logistics, all U.S. operations—including customer service, order processing, and domestic shipping—are fully managed in the United States.
📦 Why We Don’t Ship Directly from Japan to the U.S.
We are often asked why we don’t ship directly from Japan. There are two main reasons:
-
Base of operations is in Korea
Since our retail infrastructure is in Korea, shipments from Japan are routed there first. This helps manage inventory, reduce costs, and better support both Korean and U.S. customers. -
Logistical limitations
Most breeders we collaborate with are located in southern Japan—mainly Kansai and Kyūshū. The nearest airport, Kansai International (KIX), does not have direct flights to our closest U.S. port (Atlanta). Routing through Korea allows better quality control and reduces stress on the fish.
If you have any questions about our process, please feel free to contact us anytime.
Email: snrmedaka@gmail.com
🌿 Improvements We're Making
To provide accurate information about the origin of each medaka, we are now adding origin labels to all listings. Each fish will be classified into one of the following three categories:
| Label | Description |
|---|---|
| 🇯🇵 From Japanese Breeder | Imported directly from Japanese medaka breeders we collaborate with. |
| 🇰🇷 From SNR Medaka Korea | Imported from SNR Medaka Korea. The parent fish were originally supplied by Japanese breeders. |
| 🇺🇸 Imported Pedigree – Born in the U.S. | Fish whose parents were imported, but were born and raised in the United States. Often F1 to F3 generation. |
This classification helps distinguish between fish that are recent imports and those that were bred or born in the U.S. from imported lines.
Each medaka product listing also includes vendor information, which indicates the original breeder or source. This ensures that customers can see the breeder name associated with that particular strain.
