Jefferson, Wisconsin, Sept. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese soy sauce maker Kikkoman Corp. on Friday held an opening ceremony for its third U.S. plant in Jefferson, Wisconsin. During the ceremony at the new plant, Yuzaburo Mogi, honorary CEO of Kikkoman, said that the company will increase soy sauce production to meet the growing demand in North America. The third plant has already begun operating and will start shipping products in October. It is scheduled to produce some 4,000 kiloliters of soy sauce by March next year. Kikkoman is also considering producing teriyaki sauce and “ponzu” citrus-flavored sauce at the plant in the future. Other attendees at the ceremony included Kikkoman President and CEO Shozaburo Nakano and Senior Executive Corporate Officer Osamu Mogi, as well as local representatives. Since establishing a U.S. unit in 1957, Kikkoman has made steady efforts to cultivate demand for soy sauce and related seasoning products in the country. It began shipping products from its first U.S. plant in Walworth, Wisconsin, in 1973 and from its second plant in Folsom, California, in 1998. Kikkoman products currently account for about 60 pct of the U.S. market for household soy sauce products. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Yuzaburo Mogi pointed out that the number of soy sauce consumers in the United States is still low, and expressed hope that the market will grow further. Regarding overseas operations outside the United States, he noted that the company is discussing the location of a possible second European plant. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
