# Soy Sauce: Commercial Product History

Canonical: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/soy-sauce
Market: United States
Coverage: 3 product families; 13 confirmed observations; 1973 to 2026-08-28.

## Historical identity
Soy sauce grew from East Asian fermented soybean traditions and developed into distinct regional styles. Industrial bottling made it a global pantry product, but shoyu, tamari, and other soy seasonings are not interchangeable identities. The Soy Sauce history article explains that longer fermentation and trade story.

## Current product snapshot
- Kikkoman Traditionally Brewed Soy Sauce, Non-GMO: Brewed shoyu; 15 fl oz bottle for the price observation; observed price $3.79 for 15 fl oz; observed 2026-08-28.
- San-J Organic Tamari Soy Sauce: Wheat-free tamari; 10 fl oz bottle; observed price $7.49 for 10 fl oz; observed 2026-08-28.
- Yamasa Marudaizu Shoyu Soy Sauce: Brewed shoyu; 34 fl oz bottle; observed price $5.99 for 34 fl oz; observed 2026-08-28.

## Confirmed timeline
- 1973: Kikkoman began brewing soy sauce in Wisconsin. Kikkoman records 1973 as the start of production at its first United States soy-sauce plant in Walworth, Wisconsin.
- 2026-08-29: Current U.S. product observations compiled from the linked product and seller evidence.

## Method and limits
No missing year is treated as evidence that a price, package, formula, owner, origin claim, or availability stayed unchanged. External source material remains with its rights holder; this record publishes source metadata, links, and checksums.

## Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Soy sauce. https://www.britannica.com/topic/soy-sauce (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Instacart. San-J Organic Tamari 10 fl oz retailer listing. https://www.instacart.com/products/16694312-san-j-brewed-soy-sauce-organic-tamari-10-fl-oz (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Instacart. Yamasa Marudaizu Shoyu 34 fl oz retailer listing. https://www.instacart.com/products/2581419-yamasa-marudaizu-shoyu-soy-sauce-34-fl-oz (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Instacart / Food Lion. Kikkoman Soy Sauce 15 fl oz retailer listing. https://www.instacart.com/products/76062-kikkoman-soy-sauce-15-fl-oz?retailerSlug=food-lion (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Kikkoman Corporation. Corporate history outline. https://www.kikkoman.com/en/cookbook/corporate/history/outline/ (1973; captured 2026-08-29).
- Kikkoman USA. Traditionally Brewed Soy Sauce, Non-GMO. https://kikkomanusa.com/products/soy-sauce-non-gmo/ (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- San-J. Tamari products. https://san-j.com/products/ (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- SoyInfo Center. History of Soy Sauce, Shoyu, and Tamari. https://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/soy_sauce1.php (2004; captured 2026-08-29).
- Yamasa USA. Our Shoyus. https://www.yamasausa.com/our-shoyus (2026; captured 2026-08-29).

Public JSON: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/soy-sauce/data.json
Public CSV: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/soy-sauce/data.csv
Buying guide: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/buying-guides/soy-sauce
Full food history: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food/soy-sauce