Modernizing traditions was key to this company’s brewing success.
Authentic Japanese shoyu—which, unlike Chinese soy sauce, is made with wheat for a sweeter, rounder flavor—is brewed and fermented in cedar barrels to create a rich umami taste. However, Suehiro takes their brewing process a step further. Rather than using cedar vats, Suehiro brews in fiberglass vats, which are better equipped to handle soy sauce’s high salinity and won’t corrode. However, the traditional flavor that cedar provides to shoyu is not lost, as the company stores their fiberglass vats in a cedar building where the wood can still impart its unique flavor.