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Life in Stardew Valley is quite peaceful, but at times you may notice the looming presence of Joja Corporation. This is a large company that has a store on the edge of town, selling items for cheap prices. What is Joja Corp though?
We are going to dive into the purpose of this company, as well as what its role is in the valley. If you have not yet completed the main story of Stardew Valley, this may contain spoilers. First, let's take a look at how you are connected to Joja Corp.
Working At Joja
When you first start a new game, you will watch a short cutscene of your character working at Joja Corp. In this scene, there are numerous small cubicles holding employees, as well as a message on the wall that says 'Join us. Thrive'. Under this writing, you can also see two buttons; a green one signaling work, and a red one signaling rest.
Soon, a new scene will show a line of workers at oversized computers, with you near the end. Every desk is bare, with dirty green stains.
Prior to having your farm in the valley, you had a boring office job and functioned as a cog in the machine of Joja Corp.
Eagle-eyed players may even spot a skeleton sitting in an office cubicle. Workers seem to dedicate their entire life working at Joja Corp, right until the day they die.
JojaMart In Pelican Town
After giving up the office life and moving to Pelican Town, you still won't be able to escape the clutches of the Joja Corporation.
On the far right side of town, you will find JojaMart, where you can buy the same type of items that Pierre sells. Inside, you can speak to Morris at a cubicle in order to get a JojaMart Membership, which will essentially lock you into the 'Joja' ending of the game. You won't be the only person working there, though, as Sam and Shane can also be found doing shifts at various times of the day.
JojaMart Ending
The JojaMart ending of Stardew Valley happens when you complete the Joja Community Development Form. In total, this requires 140,000g to complete, rather than just collecting items as you do for the Community Center Bundles.
When all projects have been completed, the Community Center will turn into a Warehouse, filled with JojaMart goodies.
This ending is definitely not satisfying, and it seems to show the dangers of capitalism on small rural communities. This was no mistake though, as this exact situation happens every day around the world.
What Is Joja Cola?
Joja Cola is the "flagship product" of the company, and is technically classified as trash. You can fish this soda from rivers, obtain it from vending machines, and find it within trash cans.
So, what is it? Back in 2011, ConcernedApe created a webcomic called Wumbus World. These comics predate Stardew Valley, but there are a few references to the game, including Joja Cola.
In one comic, there is an ad for Joja Cola, mentioning the new product that has three times more aspartame.
Wumbus World has been retired, but you can still find archives of some of the comics in the series.
Aspartame is essentially fake sugar, used to artificially sweeten foods and drinks. Aspartame is around 200 times sweeter than normal sugar, which means that a drink with three times more aspartame will be unbelievably sweet.
Although the connection isn't the strongest, many believe that high intakes of aspartame affect your behavior. Could Joja Cola be used as a way to control the masses? Joja Corp has yet to make a statement on this.
Is Joja Corporation Evil?
Overall, it's never overtly stated that Joja Corp is evil, but given the reflection of capitalism in real life, it's safe to say that Joja Mart doesn't have the best intentions. The company is actively trying to establish a monopoly in Pelican Town, and wiping out the local grocery store. Joja Corporation isn't 'evil', but they seem apathetic to local businesses and the peacefulness of living in a small town.