A Message from takashi

Your smile is the reason we make our products

To me, a natural smile is a perfect indication to show that someone is happy. It is something that comes out of your emotion naturally and uncontrollably.

There are so many things that make you smile but I truly believe that good food is one of them. Have you had a moment when you had really good food and found yourself smiling without realizing it? Or when someone loved the food that you cooked and you felt your heart was so fulfilled? When you had a delicious meal with someone, did you share the joy and feel closer to that person? These moments always come with natural smiles and I hope that our products are part of these precious scenes. We are making our products with a strong belief that they can make you smile.

STICKING TO OUR ROOTS

My family has been making Tamari Soy Sauce for over 200 years. I am the eighth generation member of the founding family. I am proud of our Tamari Soy Sauce not because of its long history but because of its unfailing endurance. I am proud of the fact that we are still making it today because it has been enjoyed by so many people for all these years, and I strongly believe that it will continue to be a part of people’s lives to be enjoyed for hundreds of years to come.

We have stuck to the original Tamari Soy Sauce formula passed down through my family without change. The basic brewing methods have always been the same. We use pure, simple ingredients and rely on the great power of fermentation to create the rich, complex flavor that San-J is known for, without shortcuts. 

There were no genetically modified ingredients or artificial preservatives 200 years ago like what exists today. And we still don’t use these new ingredients in our products. We were the first soy sauce company who has obtained Non-GMO verification by Non-GMO Project. We stick with the ingredients that nature designed for us. We believe that’s the way it should be to create an exceptional product and contribute to people’s healthier lifestyles, which leads to happiness and more natural smiles.

MAKING CHANGES TO STAY THE SAME

‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.’

― Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard

We’ve held on to the core values and techniques of our heritage. However, that doesn’t mean that we haven’t changed our Tamari in any way. Everyone knows that our lifestyle has changed drastically, of course, in the last 200 years or even for the last few years. We’ve had to make some adjustments to keep up with these lifestyle changes and ensure our products endure.

For example, salt is one of the essential ingredients for Tamari Soy Sauce as it is a preserved seasoning, and salt also adds a good flavor. But when high sodium intake became a concern in recent years, we made less sodium versions of our Tamari to suit the needs of more customers. 

Also, lifestyle can be very different depending on where you are, such as Japan and the United States. When we started selling our products in the United States, we suggested recipes that can incorporate our Tamari into the American dinner table more easily. It didn’t matter to us if it wasn’t used in the same way as in Japan ― we had to evolve to bring our product to a new market.  “A splash of Tamari will make your soup, casserole, gravy, or spaghetti sauce taste so much better.” “Steak and Tamari go really well together.” It was exciting to introduce more flavor options to help make everyone’s ordinary meals a little extraordinary.

We are not afraid to make changes so our Tamari can continue to be loved by anyone, any time period and any location.

Boldness Endures

You may think it’s difficult to stay true to our heritage while dedicating ourselves to innovation. However, we strongly believe that heritage and evolution are not mutually exclusive. We continue to boldly evolve, so our true history is timeless. We’ve explored new bold flavors and innovative ways to apply our traditional techniques as we have learned and grown over the years. 

We work tirelessly in our pursuit of flavorful perfection, bringing together two centuries of wisdom, exploration and bold flavors in every bottle of sauce we produce, including our Tamari and other Cooking Sauces. As we embark on our latest mission to bring change and evolution through rebranding, we will continue to maintain the values and lessons of the past and look to the future for inspiration and new opportunities to expand our horizons.

‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.’  But what I know for sure that will never change is our passion to make our products to make you smile.

Takashi Sato

President