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The story
Kikkoman’s third soy sauce plant in the US, built in Wisconsin, has begun full-scale operations, with a commemorative ceremony held on the 18th. Shipments of bottled products will start in October, and in its first year the plant will produce 4,000 kiloliters — equivalent to about 13 million bottles. Total investment comes to $560 million (about ¥87 billion) over 10 years. Kikkoman’s local production in the US dates back to 1973, a history spanning more than half a century, and this expansion builds on that legacy. On the forum thread, some pointed out this seems to run counter to the trend of manufacturing “returning home” to Japan, while others countered that with cheaper soybeans and land in the US, local production simply makes more economic sense — the discussion also spun off into the origins of soy sauce and how well it has taken root overseas.
[Jefferson, Wisconsin — Takeshi Kise] Kikkoman has brought its third US soy sauce plant into full operation, holding a commemorative ceremony on the 18th. Bottled product shipments will begin in October. It has been more than half a century since Kikkoman began local production in the US in 1973. With demand on the rise, the company plans to ramp up output using the new plant.
The new plant was built in Jefferson, Wisconsin, in the US Midwest. In its first year, it will produce 4,000 kiloliters, equivalent to about 13 million of the company’s mainstay bottles. Total investment, including construction, is expected to reach $560 million (about ¥87 billion) over 10 years, with further expansion also under consideration.
Kikkoman earns roughly half its revenue from North America, mainly the US. Soy sauce sales in the US market have been climbing steadily, and the company expects another 30-40% increase over the next decade. Honorary Chairman Yuzaburo Mogi declared at the ceremony on the 18th, “We will meet rising demand with the consistent quality our customers expect and a deep respect for our craftsmanship.”
Source: yomiuri.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
The raw materials come from America anyway, so a US factory is even cheaper.
With America's massive farmland, soybeans are dirt cheap there. Rather than burning fuel to ship soybeans 10,000 km across the ocean to Japan — a trip that takes about a month and a half — it's cheaper to just make the soy sauce locally in the US.
Plus America has a soybean surplus, so turning it into soy sauce means it keeps longer too.
Hey, let it go already lol
Yeah, when you come back to Japan from abroad you can really smell the soy sauce in the air
Soybeans, wheat, salt — that's all the real stuff has.
Take a close look at this company's soy sauce though.
Processed defatted soybeans (US or Canada)? Brewed vinegar? Acidifier?
Before you know it, real soy sauce has become almost impossible to find.
Most of Kikkoman's soy sauces are defatted processed soybeans, wheat, salt, and alcohol — that's soybean meal left over after the oil's pressed, plus wheat, salt, and alcohol. Some low-sodium versions do have acidifiers added, though.
This is a really important point
Makes you wonder how people like this reconcile the fact that the soybeans and wheat are cultivated, breed-improved varieties too
They've already got teriyaki — everything's already drowning in soy sauce over there.
Soybeans and land are dirt cheap in America. Better to source materials and produce there than pay to make it in Japan and export.
Kikkoman gets 80% of its revenue from overseas.
If anything, Japan imports most of its soybeans from America.
70% of Japan's soybeans come from the US, another 25% from other countries — domestically grown Japanese soybeans make up only about 5%.
True, it's a seasoning that just doesn't trigger that "sick of it" feeling. Salt, mayo, ketchup, pepper, whatever — eat them non-stop and eventually you want a break.
It's really caught on. The North American market now outsells Japan, and overseas sales overall make up more than 60% of the total.
They probably use it for grilling meat, right? Those guys eat insane amounts of meat.
There's a soy-teriyaki sauce called Yoshida's Sauce that sells like crazy over there.
I bet Kyushu-style soy sauce would actually catch on in America. It's sweet, salty, and rich — right up their alley.
Soy sauce actually originated in China, but it gets sold as if it were Japanese — so it evens out, really.
Didn't you know soy sauce was born out of miso?
I asked an AI and it said both miso and soy sauce came from China. Natto's the one that actually originated in Japan.
Apparently ordinary Chinese people were already eating egg-and-chive stir-fry before the common era, and sweet-and-sour pork by the 4th century.
I recall trying to use it the same way as Japanese soy sauce and it tasted awful. Makes sense if it's meant strictly for cooking.
They just buy pre-mixed factory teriyaki sauce these days. About the only people buying plain soy sauce are cooking nerds. Plenty of Japanese people have only ever bought mentsuyu or dashi soy sauce too, same deal.
If it goes with BBQ, they'll use anything. By the way, Yamasa's expanded into America too — proof that Japanese soy sauce culture has really soaked into American culture.
Background and Talking Points
Kikkoman’s overseas production dates back to 1973 in the US, so this third plant isn’t a new market entry but an expansion of roughly 50 years of local manufacturing. With overseas sales said to account for around 80% of the company’s revenue, this investment runs counter to the broader trend of manufacturing “returning home” to Japan. That’s exactly where the thread split: against the claim that this goes against reshoring, many countered that since the soybeans themselves are mostly sourced from the US anyway, local production makes more sense once you factor in shipping costs. Worth keeping in mind as background: Japan’s soybean self-sufficiency rate is under 10%, with the bulk of supply imported from the US. The other major thread of debate was soy sauce’s origin — one camp traces it to China, the other argues Japan’s own fermentation techniques turned it into something distinct, and neither side settled it. The point that teriyaki sauce helped soy sauce take root in the US is arguably another example of this kind of “diverging into something different” through flavor changes.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Kikkoman brings its third US soy sauce plant into full operation — “becoming America’s national condiment”“.
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