Kikkoman starts construction of $560M Jefferson facility

Tokyo-based Kikkoman Corp. has kicked off construction of a $560 million soy sauce plant in Jefferson. The company is investing more than $800 million for developments in Jefferson and Walworth, which are expected to create at least 83 new jobs in the state over 12 years.

Kikkoman plans to build a 240,000-square-foot soy sauce plant on a 100-acre site in Jefferson, around 37 miles north of an already existing site in Walworth. It’s the third Kikkoman plant in the U.S. and is supported by a $15.5 million performance-based tax credit from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

Gov. Tony Evers met with Yuzaburo Mogi, honorary CEO and chairman of the board at Kikkoman, Jefferson Mayor Dale Oppermann and former Gov. Tommy Thompson at the shovel-turning ceremony. Outside, excavators were ready to dig up the site and make way for the steel-frame building.

“Today’s events are a watershed moment in Wisconsin’s relationship with a global brand like Kikkoman,” Evers said in a news conference.

“As one of the state’s largest trade partners, the strong connection between Wisconsin and Japanese businesses like Kikkoman has been instrumental in driving Wisconsin’s economic growth, bolstering innovation and creating valuable employment opportunities for communities and families across the state. Now, we are adding Kikkoman’s new facility here in Jefferson to the growing footprint of leading Japanese businesses in Wisconsin, and I’m proud about the promise this relationship continues to hold for Wisconsinites and the future of our state,” he added.

“Today, we are committing to an investment in the community of Jefferson and the state of Wisconsin,” Mogi said in a statement. “Kikkoman believes in Wisconsin, and we are grateful to this great state for believing in us. Our collaboration began half a century ago as a leap of faith, and today, it continues as a promise of continued growth and cultural connection,” he added

The facility will be at the heart of a 200-acre “Food and Beverage Innovation Campus,” and will make its first shipments of soy sauce and other soy-based seasonings in the fall of 2026, according to company officials. The plant will be fully integrated and highly automated and will reduce CO2 emissions with energy-efficient equipment, minimal waste and proactive use in renewable energy.

Kikkoman opened its first U.S. facility in Walworth in 1973, officials said. The company opened another facility in Folsom, California, in 1998.

Japan’s economy is the fourth largest in the world and Wisconsin is the country’s 11th-largest trading partner, according to the WEDC. There are 81 Japanese companies working inside the state and the partnership has created around 9,000 jobs. Since 2013, Japan has invested more than $2.6 billion in Wisconsin, making it the second largest investor in the state after Canada, officials added.