Kikkoman builds on success in Wisconsin
Half-century of partnership with Japanese firm rolls on
A company that produced the official soy sauce of Japan’s imperial household has grown globally to become one of the world’s best-known and sought-after flavors spanning a variety of cuisines. It’s a long-running story in which Wisconsin has played a significant and growing role for the past half-century. The company’s growth and recently announced expansion in the state ensure that the partnership will endure for years to come.
Formed in 1917 as the Noda Shoyu Co. Ltd. through the merger of eight family companies, the firm that became Kikkoman preserved deep-seated traditions born centuries earlier along with a sense of innovation and an eventual eye toward a global marketplace. As it began marketing overseas, Kikkoman encouraged the use of soy sauce alongside local ingredients – a move that married soy sauce with local cuisines, widening its use and appeal.
A growing marketplace
The strategy worked. Kikkoman entered the U.S. marketplace in 1957, setting up a San Francisco sales and marketing company. The prior year, newspaper advertisements in the San Francisco Chronicle introduced the sauce as an “All-Purpose Seasoning.” But it wasn’t until 1972 that Kikkoman selected the small community of Walworth as the site of its first U.S. production plant.
Kikkoman sought a central location to ensure efficient distribution, a good water source and wanted a hard-working and loyal workforce. Wisconsin had all of those things—plus, the region also produces soybeans and wheat, two of the sauce’s main ingredients. The plant began shipping its first “Made in the U.S.A.” Kikkoman Soy Sauce in 1973. Its vigorous marketing campaigns resulted in increased sales and steadily rising production capacity.
Today, the plant—constructed on a Walworth County farm field—produces 30 times more product annually than when it opened. That growth has made it the highest-producing soy sauce facility in the world. The company marked 50 years in Walworth in 2023, with Governor Tony Evers proclaiming a “Kikkoman Day” throughout Wisconsin.
Because of its deep commitment to Wisconsin, Kikkoman in 2023 announced a $5 million donation to the University of Wisconsin to support sustainable agriculture and freshwater research. Of that amount, $3 million will go to the UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and $2 million will go to UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Science to fund research.
Kikkoman’s success led the firm to consider U.S. expansion in 2023, considering 64 Midwest sites, including a shovel-ready location in Ohio. But Wisconsin’s business-friendly environment and its track record as a dependable partner resulted in the firm breaking ground in June 2024 on a 240,000-square-foot production facility in Jefferson. The firm also plans an expansion of its Walworth facility, bringing its total capital investment in the projects to $800 million. WEDC provided $15.5 million in performance-based state tax credits and created an Enterprise Zone allowing it to earn refundable tax credits through job creation or retention and capital investment. Its decision made Kikkoman the first tenant of the community’s Food and Beverage Innovation Campus.
A lasting, productive international relationship
More than 50 years later, soy sauce is a staple in almost half of U.S. households—and Kikkoman Soy Sauce is shipped to more than 100 nations worldwide.
“We have always valued Walworth for its great market access, outstanding workforce, central location for raw materials, pure water, and the open-hearted spirit of partnership of the local community,” Yuzaburo Mogi, honorary CEO and chairman of the board of Kikkoman, told Site Selection magazine. “We chose Jefferson for those same reasons, and we look forward to expanding our footprint in Wisconsin.”
At the 50th anniversary celebration, Mogi said the company looked forward to another half-century of friendship and growth. “When we set up in Walworth in the early 1970s, we took a risk and made a huge investment. And time has shown that risk paid off,” he said.
