In the 10th episode, we spoke with Hideyuki Ozaki, President of Kikkoman Brazil Commerce and Industry Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kikkoman Brazil).
The news that Kikkoman Brazil, a Brazilian subsidiary of Kikkoman Corporation, a leading Japanese soy sauce manufacturer, began selling honjozo soy sauce produced in Brazil in November 2021, is still fresh in our memory. The company's products, which are produced using soybeans and wheat as the main ingredients while maintaining traditional Japanese manufacturing methods and quality, have had a major impact on the history of Japanese immigrants who have walked alongside soy sauce, and are accumulating new "delicious memories."
89 Years of Walking with Japanese Immigrants
The products currently sold by Kikkoman Brazil include 24 soy sauce and seasoning products, eight AZUMA brand sake products that have been popular in Brazil for many years, and one type of rice known as "Mirokumai."
In 2020, Kikkoman Corp. acquired all shares of AZUMA KIRIN, a company that manufactures and sells sake and seasonings in Brazil, from Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. With this acquisition, Kikkoman Corp. has made a new start as Kikkoman Brazil.
Campinas Agro-Processing Company, the predecessor of AZUMA KIRIN, was established in 1934 with the goal of producing and selling sake for Japanese immigrants who had settled in Brazil. At the time, many Japanese immigrants had few joys in their hard work, and many of them ended up damaging their health by drinking pinga sake, which was hard to come by at the time, instead of sake. In light of this social background, AZUMA KIRIN was established with the goal of providing high-quality sake to Japanese immigrants.
Later, the company expanded its business to include the manufacture and sale of Japanese seasonings. In particular, sake, an authentic sake made in Brazil, became popular among Brazilians thanks to the popularity of Sake Pirinha, and has since become widely known and established itself as the No. 1 sake in the domestic market.
"I want to create good memories."
The Kikkoman Group has defined its vision as "Kikkoman's promise: to fill the world with the joy of food through deliciousness made with all our heart," and has set the corporate slogan as "We want to create delicious memories." The first thing you see when you enter the Kikkoman Brazil headquarters is a comfortable dining kitchen, where they work closely with customers to develop products and recipes that suit the tastes and cooking characteristics of Brazil, and are working to create a market for honjozo soy sauce.
Kikkoman soy sauce, with its clear red-orange color, umami taste and rich aroma derived from honjozo brewing, is loved in over 100 countries around the world and goes well with any type of dish or ingredient. Kikkoman Brazil is sincerely involved in the food culture of Brazil, which has one of the world's greatest diversity of ingredients, and continues to explore its possibilities. It has also developed various seasonings to meet domestic needs, and its website features home recipes created by famous chefs.
Among the condiments based on honjozo soy sauce, the slightly sweet "sauce" is a best-seller, which is unique to Brazil. Other popular products include sesame sauce, which features a fragrant sesame flavor, and sweet chili sauce, which is used for deep-fried foods.
With Honjozo soy sauce now produced locally, it is now more affordable than imported products, and some people even have soy sauce from other Brazilian manufacturers in their kitchens and use different soy sauces for different dishes. Japan's soy sauce culture is improving every day.
Flavored sake with a global appeal
The sake, which has been popular in the Japanese community for nearly 90 years, was renewed from the AZUMA KIRIN (Azuma Kirin) brand to the AZUMA (Azuma) brand, and includes ginjo sake and unpasteurized sake. In December of last year, as a new proposal for sake, flavored sake using natural aromas was released. Based on the most popular sake in Brazil, AZUMA (Azuma) Dourado (Gold Label), the company has three flavors based on the concept of Brazil, Asia, and the world: "Tangerina x Pimenta Rosa," "White Tea x Yuzu," and "Vanilla x Honey." Tastings were also held at the Japan Festival in July, where they were well received.
The refreshing, light taste makes it a great first step for people who are new to sake, and also makes a great souvenir to talk about with friends both at home and abroad.
We look forward to seeing the company's creative activities in the future, which gives us hope that it may be possible to approach Japanese food culture from Brazil in the opposite direction.
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Overview of Kikkoman Brazil |
*This article is reprinted from Brasil Nippou (August 19, 2023).
© 2023 Tomoko Oura
