Kikkoman plans $560 million soy sauce plant in Jefferson

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Japanese soy sauce maker Kikkoman Corp. announced on Wednesday that it will build a $560 million plant in Jefferson, which will be the company’s third plant in the U.S. to go along with nine production facilities overseas.

Gov. Tony Evers announced that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. pledged $15.5 million in tax credits to expand a plant in Walworth and build the new facility in Jefferson. It is expected to create 83 jobs in 12 years.

Kikkoman plans to build a 240,000-square-foot steel frame facility on a 100-acre site and make soy sauce and soy-based seasonings, according to plans. The sauce maker wants to start construction in June and expects to start shipments in fall of 2026. The company will invest in construction over 10 years.

Kikkoman Foods Inc., a subsidiary of Kikkoman Corp., bought the parcel on Industrial Avenue from Jefferson County, state records showed. The new plant will be 37 miles north of the Walworth facility, which was first established in 1973.

In January, the company first broke the news and said it wanted a “sustainable next-generation production plant that combines flexibility with production efficiency and scalability for multi-production of a variety of products to meet customer needs.”

Jefferson has great market access for Kikkoman because of its workforce, location for soybeans and wheat and high-quality water suited for soy sauce brewing, company officials said.

Overall, Kikkoman plans to invest $800 million to expand its brewing plant in Walworth and build the new facility in Jefferson, the governor’s office said.

Company officials said they will undertake sustainable initiatives for the new plant, including:

• Increased efficiency of plant management and better labor productivity by using cutting-edge operating systems which make agile monitoring and remote instruction possible;

• Increased efficiency of its distribution system by collaborating with the Walworth plant use automated technology to effectively use warehouse space; and

• Reduce carbon dioxide emissions by installing energy efficient equipment and using renewable energy.

Kikkoman’s facility in Walworth is the highest-producing soy sauce facility in the world, the governor’s office said. The company also has a location in Folsom, California.