‘Meet-Use-Experience’ drive to reach 15,000 chefs to promote Japanese Kikkoman Soy Sauce across India

ACN Media-Marketing Initiative:

MUMBAI: The world’s leading producer of naturally brewed soy sauce, Japan’s Kikkoman Corporation, has announced the launch of the ‘Meet-Use-Experience’ initiative as part of its ‘Kikkoman Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience’ that started in October 2021.

A first of its kind, it is the largest sampling of Kikkoman Soy Sauce – Honjozo Authentic All-Purpose Soy Sauce – in India.

15,000 bottles of Kikkoman Soy Sauce will be distributed to the largest Indian cities – namely, the following seven Tier I cities – Mumbai, Delhi NCR,  Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

The ‘Meet-Use-Experience’ initiative will launch and run on an accelerated basis for another six months.

This initiative involves distributing 10,000 bottles of 500 ml Kikkoman Soy Sauce to 10,000 restaurants in the HORECA market for the first time. As per Zomato India, these 10,000 outlets where Kikkoman will distribute these free samples represent 1 in every 10 restaurants in the largest seven metro cities.

Every restaurant outlet thus approached will have the opportunity to ‘meet, use, and experience’ Kikkoman Soy Sauce for the first time ever, and join millions of restaurants around the world already using Kikkoman Soy Sauce in their kitchens. This initiative plans to rapidly accelerate the distribution and recognition of Kikkoman Soy Sauce across the largest cities in India.

This initiative will not be limited to reaching out to working chefs, but also will approach up-and-coming chefs – students – to have them become more aware of Kikkoman Soy Sauce’s potential, early in their careers. 5,000 bottles of Kikkoman Soy Sauce will be provided to top culinary institutes and catering colleges in these same seven cities. An estimated 2 million Indians are studying to be chefs and hospitality professionals – the next generation of the culinary and hospitality industries – and these students will have a chance to gain awareness about the versatility of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and its power to elevate any dish from the simplest to the most sophisticated.

Kikkoman’s initiative to work with top culinary institutes started with an online seminar back in May 2021 where an on-line session was held with over 100 students from OCLD (Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development). Sampling these 500 ml bottles to students represents Kikkoman’s investment in the next generation of up-and-coming professional chefs.

Kikkoman believes that there is immense potential for Kikkoman Soy Sauce to become an essential seasoning in every Indian home and restaurant kitchen. The time frame for the Indian market is over the next 100 years and beyond. Kikkoman has many plans for the years ahead, but the first step is to familiarise professional chefs and student chefs with how Kikkoman Soy Sauce can enhance any dish, to create new deliciousness.

About Kikkoman Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience:

Kikkoman’s ‘Honjozo Experience’ movement comprises three elements—developing talent and fostering exchanges among chefs; educating everyone on the use of soy sauce through cooking sessions and contests; learning about the contribution Kikkoman Soy Sauce can make by experimenting through R&D in food culture.

From professional chefs to student chefs—all chefs are going to innovate, experiment and learn to use the soy sauce to cook up a storm. Through cooking contests, videos, discussions and workshops, and more, the ‘Honjozo Experience’ movement will bring together chefs, students, restaurants, hoteliers, the media, industry leaders as well as government representatives to explore how Kikkoman Soy Sauce can enhance any and every dish served in India.

Brewed naturally, using only the four basic ingredients of soybeans, wheat, salt and water, Kikkoman’s soy sauce works like magic to elevate the flavour of any dish to another level. Due to this factor, hundreds of Indian chefs have already started using this soy sauce after the launch in February 2021. Moreover, Kikkoman plans to continue collaborating with many chefs in India as part of a great ‘adventure’ to experiment and co-create new delicious experiences using Kikkoman Soy Sauce with the objective of enhancing dishes across all cuisines, be it Chinese, Asian, Japanese, Western or Indian dishes.

About Kikkoman and Kikkoman India

With a history spanning over 350 years and based in Japan, the current Kikkoman corporate entity was established through the merger of 8 families in 1917. The company’s internationalization strategy began some 60 years ago, with its entry into the United States market. Kikkoman has become a global business, expanding to over 100 countries, with 11 soy sauce production sites worldwide that distribute its products all over the world to millions of consumers.

Kikkoman India is solely responsible for importing all Kikkoman products, and shall manage all production, marketing, sales, and distribution in India.