Kikkoman

Kikkoman
is a Japanese food manufacturer. Its main products and services include soy sauce, food seasoning and flavoring, mirin and sake, juice and other beverages, pharmaceuticals, and restaurant management services.
Kikkoman has production plants and offices in Japan, the U.S., the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Canada. Kikkoman is the most popular brand of soy sauce in Japan and the United States. The city of Düsseldorf, Germany, is the European headquarters of the company. A plant in Sappemeer began operations in 1997 and now produces over 400 million litres of soy sauce per annum.
History
West Japanese-style soy sauce, called , has been a well-known condiment for over 300 years. Kikkoman is the largest manufacturing company in the world, and "the one most responsible for introducing to the West".
Founded contemporarily in 1917, with the merger of eight family-owned companies, Kikkoman is based in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Those companies were founded as early as 1603 by the Mogi and Takanashi families. Kikkoman was originally known as the "Noda Shoyu Corporation" before 1940, when they adopted a single nationwide brand name.
Products
Soy sauce
Kikkoman soy sauce is naturally brewed. After soaking in water for an extended period, soybeans are steamed at high temperature before they are mixed with crushed roasted wheat. Salt is added, which acts as an anti-bacterial agent and preservative. Next, a genus of the Aspergillus fungus is added to the mixture and left for three days to create , the base for the soy sauce. This base is then transferred to a tank and mixed with a saline solution, which creates a mash known as . Several months of aging follow, when various organic processes occur including lactic acid, alcoholic and organic acid fermentation take place to create unique flavours. The is then mechanically pressed through layers of fabric for around ten hours to extract the raw product.
In the last part of the process, the raw soy sauce is left to separate for 3–4 days, then pasteurised using steam, which also stops any enzymic activity. The final product is then ready for inspection and bottling. Kikkoman has a distinctive bottle for its soy sauce, designed by Kenji Ekuan in 1961.
Soymilk
Kikkoman Soymilk is made through the use of carefully selected soybeans cultivated in the great nature and employing the methods to ensure product freshness, Kikkoman has launched a wide range of soymilk products to introduce new ideas to people’s everyday meals.
Kikkoman Soymilk is the leading soymilk brand in Japan. Beginning in 2018, Kikkoman expanded the business to overseas and began delivering a variety of high-quality soymilk products from Japan to the Asia /Oceania region primarily.
Tomato juice and ketchup
Kikkoman started the production of tomato juice and ketchup in 1962.Their Gunma plant has been dedicated to the production of tomato seasonings, while the Nagano plant focuses on the beverage production.
The new tomato ketchup “Lycopene Rich” was launched in August 2013, it is a product that abundantly uses ripe tomatoes and has since been developed as a series of products providing new value - tomato sauce, puree, pizza sauce, tomato beverages, and others.
As a division dedicated to the production and sales of fresh tomatoes and vegetable seedlings, Nippon Del Monte Agri Company was established in 2013. The company has increased harvest yields by incorporating advanced technology from the Netherlands and establishing the farming methods and technologies optimized for Japan.
Gallery
See also
Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum
References
External links
The World of Kikkoman
Japanese companies established in 1917
Companies based in Chiba Prefecture
Food and drink companies established in 1917
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Condiment companies
Food and drink companies of Japan
Japanese brands
Japanese Imperial Warrant holders
Soy product brands
Zaibatsu