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- About Otafuku Sauce
About Otafuku Sauce
Our Mission
To contribute to a joyous society with health, wellness, and happiness through food.
The wish within “Otafuku”
The name “Otafuku” is meant to represent “Bringing happiness to a great amount of people.” Our face logo image (Otafuku-san) consists of her thin eyes (showing an ever smiling face), her low nose (representing humility), her tiny mouth (implying that she does not waste her words), her large ears (signifying her ability to listen),her robust cheeks (indicating a healthy body and mind), and her wide forehead (portraying her wisdom), which are all expressions to show us that her beauty is internal. The basic flavors are sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami. We hope to be loved forever by everyone who knows about the sweet, sour, and bitter times of life, and this is why we have used the “Otafuku” brand over our long history.
At a glace
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For over 100 years
Founded in 1922 in Hiroshima, Japan. We are grateful to all our customers who have supported and worked with us. We will continue to expand the circle of happiness and smiles through meals.
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About 2000 products
Including both household and business use.
We are developing and manufacturing commercially available products for household use as well as business products used by restaurants such as okonomiyaki restaurants and other food product manufacturers. By working daily to develop custom-made seasonings to match a wide variety of menus, we have accumulated a great deal of know-how and ideas as well as strong development capabilities.
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Export to
more than 50 countriesIn order for people around the world to enjoy our products, we create products that not only taste authentic Japanese, but also match local tastes.
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Over 80%
market share in JapanOkonomi Sauce for retail category.
It boasts a market share of over 80% in Japan in the household Okonomi Sauce category.
Otafuku Sauce is recognized by 84% of all over Japan and is loved by many Japanese people.
Our History
Over 100 years of history.
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1922 Our business starts.
Company founder, Seiichi Sasaki, opens “Sasaki Shouten” as a sake and soy sauce wholesaler/retailer in the town of Yokogawa (Hiroshima-shi).
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1938 Vinegar brewing production starts.
Vinegar production starts with the idea of further expanding the appeal of delicious and healthy products. The spirit of our founder, Seiichi Sasaki, has been preserved to this day. His mottoes for manufacturing products were “Never use anything harmful to the body” and “Each drop is imbued with our spirit and history.”
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1952 Sales of the sauce for Okonomiyaki start.
After the end of WWII, we started the production of sauces in order to prepare for the upcoming age of western food. We heard complaints from owners of Okonomiyaki restaurants that “the thin sauce flows right onto the grill,” and in response, we repeatedly tried to create a sauce to match the okonomiyaki.
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1975 Dates are added to our Okonomi Sauce recipe.
We started to use dates in our recipe because of teir high nutritional valie.
We have continued to use them as our special ingredient to this day. In addition to the sauce recipe, we now also use them to produce our vinegars.
The growing regions and types of dates we use in our products are carefully selected. We even take the time to process some of them on our own.
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2013 Overseas factories are completed.
Qingdao Factory and Los Angeles Factory are completed and start operation in 2013.
Malaysia Factory is completed and starts operation in 2016.
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Today
Otafuku is known as one of Japan's biggest seasoning sauce manufacturers and continues to grow. The founder's two-pronged philosophy, “Never compromise the quality of the ingredients” and “Every drop counts,” has been successfully carried out by the generations that followed. A strong passion for better products lives on.
Our Activity
It is our mission to use our Hiroshima base for the promotion of a food culture that is deeply rooted in the region.
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Okonomiyaki Cooking Class
We are providing Okonomiyaki cooking classes, mainly so that families can enjoy making and eating Okonomiyaki at home.
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Seminars for Aspiring Okonomiyaki Restaurant Owners
With the aim of increasing “beloved local Okonomiyaki restaurant owners and staff all across Japan,” we provide support for persons thinking of opening their own Okonomiyaki restaurant. Support consists of everything from an explanatory meeting for persons in the consideration stage to special intensive training courses for persons who are ready to open a restaurant, with advice provided for all stages according to individual circumstances. In addition to practical technical instruction using actual griddles, we also provide consultations regarding facilities and impart business management know-how.
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Okonomiyaki Cooking Studio “OKOSTA”
This studio opened at Hiroshima Station in Oct. 2018 in order to allow many persons, both Japanese and foreigners, to discover the delights of Okonomiyaki through cooking classes, and so that the pleasant memories and great tastes provide the opportunity for communication and sharing of food culture. OKOSTA provides courses to match a variety of needs such as Muslim-friendly dishes not using pork and vegetarian dishes without any meat or fish components.
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Working toward a better shared future
Initiatives to Put Limited Resources
to Good Use
Throughout the company, we have set goals to put limited resources to good use and improve productivity. We also focus on reducing our impact on the environment by raising awareness on how to attain better results with effective use of resources.
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Utilization of Recycled Water
The rinser water in the filling container and the product cooling water after filling are collected and used as cleaning water.
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Preventing Heat Radiation Loss
Insulating jackets have been installed to the joints of steam pipes to prevent heat from being radiated and subsequent heat loss.
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Limited Number of Operating Compressor
Electricity consumption is reduced by limiting the number of compressors.
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Efforts to Improve Yields
We are working to improve yields by using raw materials without waste and reducing product loss.
