About Us

Yuzu Leaf is a home and body fragrance cafe with scents inspired by the moments we long to share with others. The name “Yuzu Leaf” was chosen to evoke a sense of simple yet comforting freshness. It represents the founder’s love for yuzu but also their love for nature and botanicals. This passion is woven throughout the business with scents that smell strikingly natural, products that are non-toxic and plastic-free, packaging that is minimal, and ingredients that are sourced locally. We at Yuzu Leaf are proud of our commitment to balancing quality and artistry with care for the community and environment around us. Therefore, we are vehemently against the use of AI. We also commit to donating 10% of our proceeds to local mutual aid funds every quarter. 

How It Started: 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, some of my favorite ways to spend time with others included visiting coffee shops and restaurants and trying new and unique flavors. If I wasn’t going out to try new drinks and foods, then I was creating new recipes at home. When we had to stay home during quarantine, I yearned to go out on fun little dates with my partner and friends again, and it was tough to contend with that indefinite pause and isolation. I tried to recreate those experiences by making coffee and matcha at home, but what I truly missed was the atmosphere of visiting cafes and sharing these experiences with others. 

During the colder months of 2020, my feelings of boredom and longing were becoming more suffocating, and I decided to turn to a brand new hobby. I became very interested in candle and soap making and bought a few kits to try these crafts out. The process of mixing ingredients and scents together turned out to be very therapeutic and surprisingly similar to baking and cooking. From there, I was able to get myself out of a rut both creatively and emotionally. Experimenting with different scents and then figuring out a way to tell a story with them was rewarding and therapeutic. I used those sensory stories to transport myself to those moments with loved ones that I longed to experience again. 

In 2021, I made the jump to be vulnerable and share my creations with others. My friends and family loved the scents, and I was encouraged to start selling them online. For the longest time, the paralysis that stemmed from perfectionism would prevent me from ever sharing my creations with others or even pursuing any creative interests for fear of failure. Creating Yuzu Leaf contributed so much to my personal growth, and it’s been so rewarding to share my scents and stories with others. 

I'm grateful to still be creating scented goods for a living after nearly five years, and there are still so many more ideas I'd like to share. My partner, Aaron, also started becoming heavily involved in Yuzu Leaf, and I couldn't have kept Yuzu Leaf going without them. Now, we share our creations online, at pop-ups, and we even teach others to make their own scents at our workshops. We're looking forward to what the future holds. 

- Shannon "Cici" Wong, Founder and Co-Owner of Yuzu Leaf