July 10, 2023

Kikkoman hosted an event on June 8th and 9th in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA, commemorating the 50 years of operation since the grand opening of Kikkoman Foods, Inc. (KFI, headquartered in Walworth, Wisconsin), its first overseas production plant in the United States. This celebration commemorating the half-century milestone had around 670 participants from Japan and the United States, including Governor Tony Evers, Japanese and U.S. media, as well as the top management from food distribution companies.

At its anniversary events, the Kikkoman Foods, Inc. Foundation, a charitable foundation established in 1993, presented $5 million in support of sustainable agriculture and freshwater studies. The foundation's donation includes $3 million for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's College of Agricultural & Life Sciences and $2 million for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Science, with both donations supporting research that will contribute to protecting the very resources that initially drew the world's leading soy sauce producer to Wisconsin.

"Kikkoman is pleased to invest in a state that has become a second home to our company," said Mr. Yuzaburo Mogi, honorary chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Kikkoman Corp. "We believe that for a company to thrive over the long run, coexistence and co-prosperity with society, and especially the local community, are essential. The time-honored traditional brewing process for soy sauce uses just four simple ingredients: water, soybeans, wheat, and salt. Through the donations to these two leading research programs, we're providing meaningful benefit to the region, and world, by helping to ensure the sustainability of agricultural systems and natural resources that contribute to producing soy sauce into the future."

The government of Wisconsin also proclaimed June 9　as "Kikkoman Day," in recognition of the company's continued contributions to the state and country. “From a deep commitment to promoting collaboration and understanding between our state and Japan to its countless contributions in support of charitable causes over the years, we thank Kikkoman Corporation for its impact on the state and wish them many more years of success in Wisconsin,” said Governor Tony Evers.

The Wisconsin plant started its operation as the Kikkoman’s first production plant overseas and began shipping Kikkoman Soy Sauce in 1973. Walworth was chosen as the construction site of this plant because it was an area where raw materials were easy to procure, water quality was good, logistics were convenient and, above all, there were plenty of hardworking people. In the U.S., Kikkoman promoted soy sauce as a seasoning that goes well with meat dishes under the catchphrase “Delicious on Meat” instead of a seasoning unique to Japanese cuisine. Kikkoman also introduced new flavors by developing recipes that feature local homemade dishes flavored with soy sauce. These vigorous marketing efforts led to the increase in soy sauce demand in the U.S., making KFI‘ｓ production capacity approximately 30 times greater than the initial capacity at the establishment.

"As we celebrate the anniversary of Kikkoman Foods Inc. and 50 years of brewing soy sauce in the United States, I want to profess my profound gratitude for the people of Wisconsin whose partnership and support have made every accomplishment over the years possible," Mr. Mogi said. "We're looking forward to the next 50 years of friendship and continued growth in our pursuit to make Kikkoman Soy Sauce a truly global seasoning."