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Once upon a time, in the bustling kitchens of the world, there was a Japanese company named Kikkoman, famous for its soy sauce that could quietly transform any dish into something special. Their corporate slogan captured it perfectly: “seasoning your life.”

Over the decades, this brand grew far beyond its homeland, producing not just sauces but mirin, wine, soymilk, nutritional supplements, and more—little touches of flavor that found their way into homes everywhere.

Planning roots in Singapore

The story took an important turn back in 1983, when Kikkoman decided to plant roots in Singapore. What began as a modest soy sauce production facility slowly evolved.

Over the years, the company layered on new capabilities: product innovation, sales, trading, and eventually cutting-edge research and development. Today, six specialized entities operate there, making the Singapore hub a vital heartbeat in Kikkoman’s worldwide strategy.

Two leaders—Osamu Mogi, Representative Director and Senior Executive Corporate Officer, and Asahi Matsuyama, Director and Executive Corporate Officer—recently reflected on this remarkable 40-year journey, sharing what has made their Singapore operations stand out.

Key milestones and turning points

When asked about the biggest milestones and turning points, they pointed to the hub’s willingness to pioneer and adapt.

“I think what sets Kikkoman’s Singapore hub apart is that it has consistently embraced new technologies, establishing a unique value within our global group,” one explained.

For instance, this location became the first in the entire Kikkoman family to create and produce specialized products like gluten-free and halal soy sauces—tailored innovations that opened new doors.

The team didn’t just copy recipes from Japan; they took the deep knowledge of sales, marketing, and development honed there and reshaped it for local palates across ASEAN.

“The Singapore team then localises this knowledge to create products for various ASEAN countries, ensuring that what’s created meets the needs of our customers in each region,” they shared.

Over time, more than 300 products emerged from this hub—everything from teriyaki sauce to hot pot broth and sukiyaki sauce—each one adjusted to regional preferences.

“Compared to Japanese consumers, for instance, those in Southeast Asia generally prefer a sweeter, richer umami flavor and dislike strong aromas. We meet these preferences by maintaining a balance of flavour and aroma in our soy sauce.”

Powerful partnership that shaped the future

Partnerships played a starring role in this evolution.

One exciting chapter involved the Harumaru Chickpea Noodle Kit.

“The Harumaru Chickpea Noodle Kit is the result of a prototype we developed that was brought to market through collaboration in Singapore,” the leaders recounted.

By teaming up with local manufacturers and marketing partners, they ran test marketing that revealed valuable insights into customer behavior and tastes.

Singapore’s wonderfully diverse population turned out to be the perfect testing ground, especially as the company explored the world of alternative proteins. Those lessons flowed back into better products and smarter strategies.

Another key alliance formed with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), focusing first on food processing and biotechnology.

“Initially, the collaboration centered on the screening of enzymes and other useful substances. In recent years, we’ve expanded our research areas to include the development of alternative proteins and life-cycle assessment of Kikkoman’s manufacturing processes.”

In one project, they blended Japan’s centuries-old traditions of fermentation and brewing with A*STAR’s modern techniques to fine-tune those very processes. The commitment to exploring more applications of fermentation technology remains strong.

Looking ahead: A regional innovation hub

Looking to the future, the vision is clear and ambitious.

Osamu Mogi envisioned the Singapore operations growing into something even greater:

“With all our group companies for manufacturing, sales, product development, and research located here, our Singapore location can serve as a ‘regional innovation hub’. Especially for new business areas, it is crucial to establish a system that can accurately grasp local market needs and quickly develop and test prototypes.”

“Our Singapore location will serve as a ‘regional innovation hub’. We will continue to aim for a strong presence in ASEAN integrating our business with the unique food cultures of each region.”

Asahi Matsuyama emphasized the push into tomorrow’s technologies:

“Looking forward, we want to incorporate artificial intelligence and advanced biotechnology into our R&D to enhance the quality of our research and create new value.”

He also highlighted the human side:

“Our joint research with A*STAR is a valuable learning opportunity for our researchers, and we expect it to play a significant role in talent development.”

Singapore: The perfect ingredients

Singapore itself provided the ideal stage for this story: Its world-class research institutions, supportive government initiatives like the Research, Innovation and Enterprise plan, deep pool of skilled talent, and vibrant startup scene all came together to create a reliable launchpad.

With thousands of startups, venture firms, incubators, and co-innovation platforms, the city-state offers a stable place to test ideas, bring them to market, and scale them across Asia’s varied landscapes.

And so, from a single production plant four decades ago, Kikkoman’s Singapore chapter has become a tale of adaptation, collaboration, and forward-thinking flavor—quietly seasoning lives across more than 30 markets in the Asia-Pacific, one carefully balanced bottle at a time.

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