Kumamoto: Soy sauce maker revives after disastrous 2020 flood

HITOYOSHI, Kumamoto — A long-standing soy sauce producer in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, has miraculously resumed traditional production after the factory was severely damaged by torrential rains in July 2020.

Kamada Jozojo Co. was founded in 1931 and is known for its Marukama brand. Unlike many other soy sauce makers, who purchase yeast from specialized manufacturers, Kamada uses yeast and lactic acid bacteria that live in its own warehouse.

The unique flavor and aroma of Kamada products are created by the natural fermentation and maturation of these yeast and lactic acid bacteria in moromi, a fermented mixture created by adding salt water to soy sauce koji (starter) made from soybeans, wheat, and koji mold.

However, the company’s warehouse was flooded to a depth of about one meter during the rains of July 2020. The huge refrigerators and tanks fell over and undelivered products were covered in mud. In that environment, it was difficult for the bacteria to survive in the warehouse, which made everyone in the company desperate.

The Kumamoto Industrial Research Institute offered its support to save the company. Researchers managed to extract spores of mold from the mud-covered moromi and remove various bacteria before conducting repeated cultivation and testing.

It took them three years to identify about 200 species of yeast and 100 species of lactic acid bacteria suitable for soy sauce production.

In April of this year, they were finally able to make their first batch of raw soy sauce after the disaster, using yeast they found during the process.

“With a fruitier aroma than our pre-flood soy sauce, it exceeded our expectations,” said Akira Kamada, the president of Kamada Jozojo, who at one point considered closing the business.

The maker hopes to be able to sell the soy sauce to different people in the future.