Is it okay for a soy sauce maker to talk about marketing?

This series follows Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team as they uncover the secrets behind 'vibrant companies' with originality. The third installment features Gifu Prefecture's soy sauce maker, Yamakawa Jozō.

Yamakawa Jozō, a soy sauce maker founded in 1943, operates under the name "Tamariya" in Nagara Aoi-cho, Gifu City. Using underground water from the clear Nagara River and brewing traditional Mino miso and tamari soy sauce in cedar barrels, this soy sauce brewery is achieving hit after hit with processed products like ice cream-specific soy sauce and soy sauce furikake. Under the belief that "authentic taste is delicious," third-generation owner Akiyo proudly states he wants many people to experience the flavor crafted by his brewers, who spare no effort and work in harmony with nature's climate.

The exterior of Yamakawa Jōzō's "Tamariya" shop. History and tradition are evident everywhere.

President Yamakawa is an astonishingly approachable person. He listens intently to everyone's opinions, from familiar sales reps and neighborhood housewives to his spiritual mentors. When he senses an opportunity, he acts on it immediately. There's no rigid adherence to precedent here.

"Of course, we have our dedication to tamari soy sauce. But that's irrelevant to our customers, right? What we provide isn't just soy sauce; it's creating happy dining tables." The market share for wooden-barrel fermented soy sauce is about 1% nationwide. Yet the president of a company making such dedicated soy sauce says this so casually. Just hearing that made me excited.

Doing the obvious things obviously is the hardest thing of all. President Yamakawa moves straight ahead toward delicious meals, unbound by tradition or innovation. His story was full of lessons to learn.

Written by: Seihei Maeda, Dentsu Inc., First Integrated Solutions Bureau
 

Above all, product development capability is paramount

"Our company is a small, family-run operation with about nine active employees," says President Yamakawa. "Our flagship product is a traditional Mino soy sauce called 'tamari' – it has a strong, distinctive flavor." But that very distinctiveness, he explains, presented a huge marketing hurdle. Regional flavors don't sell well in trendy Tokyo shops. It was unpopular even in Kyushu, where sweet soy sauce is standard. And naturally, it was completely out of the question in Kansai, where light flavors are preferred.

As a latecomer to the soy sauce market, and one specializing in "tamari" – a product that simply didn't sell nationwide at the time – President Yamakawa recalls: "Our business was almost 100% B2B back then. But then, oh dear? We suddenly realized this market was steadily shrinking." That moment made him realize they couldn't just stubbornly keep making "seasonings." He decided they needed to create "products that sell."

A two-shot of third-generation President Teruo and his beloved daughter Kanako, the fourth-generation successor, in front of new barrels

"I'm not some creative idea man by nature, nor did I master business administration. College? I basically spent four years just hanging out there (laughs)." He has confidence in the quality of what he makes. But what he makes is only "bean miso" and "tamari." So, when he wondered what to do next, he thought: Could he create something delicious to eat right off your palm using tamari soy sauce?

Your greatest weakness can become your greatest strength

President Yamakawa says the first thing he tackled was thoroughly thinking about how to make "tamari soy sauce" the star. His initial challenge was soy sauce sesame. This soy sauce sesame had a shelf life of just six months, compared to the typical two years for regular soy sauce. It was quite a bold challenge.

However, this soy sauce sesame paste became a nationwide hit. The flavor, previously considered a "weakness" – something only consumed and appreciated in the Tokai region – proved it could become a "strength" that resonated nationwide. "From there, we expanded our lineup with products like tamago kake gohan sauce and soy sauce for ice cream."

Sweet and salty flavors, like mitarashi dango, surprisingly complement each other well. Thinking "Ah, this could work," he approached manufacturers. They said commercialization would be difficult without a significant production lot. "I almost gave up, thinking 'Ah, it's no good after all,' but then I shifted my thinking: 'Well then, why not make a tamari specifically for ice cream!'"

According to President Yamakawa, the value of any dish—not just ice cream—is determined by whether the finished product tastes good. Competing solely on the tamari itself was pointless. So he resolved to create a tamari that would pair perfectly with ice cream. He experimented with adding ingredients like starch syrup, mirin, and dashi, blending everything possible. "We desperately pondered how to achieve that subtle yet rich, addictive sweetness that young women would embrace."

The very "strong tamari flavor" that was a hurdle in raw soy sauce became a unique weapon of deliciousness the moment it transformed into a processed product. From this experience, Yamakawa Jozō developed such a diverse product lineup that people are often surprised to learn they're actually a soy sauce maker.

One of Yamakawa Jōzō's hit products: "Sprinkle Soy Sauce"

Still, if you can't play the "lead role," you won't survive.

President Yamakawa points out an interesting fact: "People who complain aren't necessarily the ones who become customers." While long-standing business partners and veteran employees are important collaborators, they don't necessarily translate into new customers. Therefore, he actively listened to the opinions of the younger generation, especially women, who are sensitive to new flavors. As a result, after about a year of trial and error, they created a "tamari" that tastes delicious when generously poured over ice cream, much like jam or syrup.

That said, if you can't create a product that can be the "star," you're ultimately just a subcontractor. "To use sake as an analogy, unless we can produce something like 'that brand's junmai daiginjo' that gains recognition, we're just an unknown soy sauce maker in Gifu. Our hit product, 'sprinkle-on soy sauce,' was born from that mindset."

The idea was to send the soy sauce residue, previously only good for animal feed, to Yamagata to be turned into "soy sauce-flavored salt." It might seem like putting the cart before the horse, but it worked. Not just powdered soy sauce, which already existed, but "soy sauce-flavored salt." And specifically, tamari soy sauce-flavored salt. It was truly a Columbus's egg kind of idea.

From this flexible thinking, unprecedented products continue to emerge one after another.

Good products don't always sell

President Yamakawa shared two quotes from someone he considers his spiritual mentor.

"Trying to sell things by waving tradition and culture around is nothing but arrogance on the part of the manufacturer."

"Have you ever eaten a manju?"

When I asked what the manju story meant, he explained it essentially boils down to this: Don't you think the manju you ate as a child and the manju sold today are somehow different? Come to think of it, the manju of old were super sugary, but today's manju seem creamier. When I replied that, he hit the nail on the head: "Isn't that what consumer demand is all about?" It was a remark that really resonated with me.

"I also realized that learning is about imitation." Rushing headlong into your own style only leads to confusion. First, imitate completely and thoroughly. That's the essence of President Yamakawa's approach. He says even the now-famous "Brewery Open House Event" at Yamakawa Brewing was inspired by an initiative at another sake brewery. "As you imitate, your own style gradually emerges. Taking what you've imitated and arranging it. That's what I think is creative."

The wooden barrels are the heart of Yamakawa Brewing. The umami flavor cultivated by microorganisms can only be achieved in these wooden barrels.

Tradition is preserved. But not rigidly.

Kanako, President Yamakawa's daughter and the fourth-generation successor, explains: "Perhaps Yamakawa Brewing's strength lies in constantly challenging ourselves to find new possibilities without clinging rigidly to tradition." This mindset is evident not only in initiatives like online brewery tours but also in every product package. They pursue designs that "don't look cluttered on the dining table, yet somehow spark a sense of excitement."

"In that sense, I think my father, my mother, and I haven't given up on the idea of preserving tradition while also offering something fun and unprecedented." She expressed immense joy at moments when she felt the distance between them and their customers had closed just a little more. Kanako's expression as she spoke was very innocent and gentle.

The website for "Tamariya," operated by Yamakawa Jozō, can be found here.

Season 2 of the series where Dentsu Inc.'s 'Company Design' team explores the secrets of 'vibrant companies' with 'originality.' Episode 3 introduced the soy sauce maker 'Yamakawa Jozō.'

Season 1 of the series can be found here:
The "Company Design" project site is here.

(Editor's Note)

President Yamakawa's expression is consistently serene. There's no trace of "Let's make a profit" or "Let's succeed." He gives the impression of someone who thinks daily about what he can do to make employees, customers, and family say, "This is fun."

To achieve that, President Yamakawa says, "Having touchpoints" is crucial. In advertising industry terms, it's called "contact points." To create these touchpoints, he actively uses the internet and social media. He studied crowdfunding and blogging from scratch. Not to make money. Driven solely by the desire to connect, by the wish for more people to discover delicious food, he grips the mouse and types on the keyboard.

On the day of our remote interview, the Yamakawas unexpectedly appeared on screen in "white outfits." I asked, "Why are you both wearing white today?" They looked at each other, smiling shyly, and I felt an incredible bond between them.