May 24, 2024

 In 2023, the KIKKOMAN FOODS, INC. Folsom, California Plant (KFI-CA), the Kikkoman Group’s second U.S. plant, marked the 25th anniversary since its grand opening. For its anniversary, a celebration was held in California on November 18th of the same year. A total of about 60 guests, including government officials from California and Sacramento County, attended the reception party to celebrate this quarter-century milestone.

 First off, Osamu Mogi, KFI CEO expressed his appreciation for the support from the State of California and related parties. Then, he received a proclamation from Sacramento County and a certificate of achievement from the City of Folsom.

 In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of its grand opening, KFI-CA made donations to four organizations: Los Rios Colleges Foundation, Folsom Environmental & Water Resources Department, Folsom Police Department, and Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, based on the Kikkoman Group's management philosophy of “To be a good corporate citizen for local communities.” The donations aim to support education, preserve the environment, and maintain public safety in California and Sacramento County.

 Kikkoman established its first overseas production base in Walworth, Wisconsin in the Midwestern U.S. and began shipping its “Brewed in USA” soy sauce in 1973. During the almost 20 years between 1974 and 1997, shipment volume increased by more than 10 times. The California Plant was built in order to respond to the rapidly growing demand in the North American market and enhance logistics efficiency to the Western U.S., which had a significant number of large soy sauce users. Selected as the site for the plant, Folsom City, California has a reservoir lake and great market access, including being centrally located for an abundance of high-quality water essential for soy sauce production and making same-day or next-day delivery to major consumption areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. This second plant contributed to building a system to respond to an expanding number of industrial and food-service users. Thereafter, Kikkoman grew significantly in the U.S. market.

 Toward the next 25 years, KFI-CA will continue to provide a stable supply of safe, reliable, and high-quality products, while placing emphasis on coexistence with local communities, and aiming for further market penetration of Kikkoman Soy Sauce in the U.S.