Company Information
Summary of Fundokin Shoyu
Company Profile
- Company Name：Fundokin Shoyu Co., Ltd.
- Founding of Company：1861
- Establishment of Company：June, 1931
- Capital：30 million yen
- Sales：16.7 billion yen
- Number of Employees：700
Sales products：
Soy sauce, miso, dressings, sauces, vinegars, raw soy sauce and miso bases, kabosu citrus vinegar, meat sauces, noodle sauces, yuzu citrus pepper paste, etc.
History of Fundokin
September, 1861：
Company founded in what is now Usuki City in Oita Prefecture as a manufacturer and seller of soy sauce and miso The company's first president was Kotegawa Kinjiro
June, 1931：
Company reorganized as Kotegawa Mercantile Store
May, 1939：
Company name changed to the registered trademark, "Fundokin"
June, 1952：
Company reorganized as "Kotegawa Soy Sauce Company" with approximately 100 employees
September, 1961：
100-year anniversary of founding (30-year anniversary of establishment)
January, 1967：
Company name changed to Fundokin Shoyu Co., Ltd.
January, 1977：
The new factory of the Oita Soy Sauce Cooperative Company opens
September, 1981：
120-year anniversary of founding (50-year anniversary of establishment)
July, 1986：
The new factory of the Oita Miso Cooperative Company opens
September, 1991：
130-year anniversary of founding (60-year anniversary of establishment)
June, 1999：
New dressing factory opens
March, 2000：
Actor Jean Reno appears in a Fundokin television commercial
2001：
Fundokin is awarded an ACC gold medal at the 2000 ACC CM Festival(With an appearance by Jean Reno)
September, 2001：
140-year anniversary of founding (70-year anniversary of establishment)
September, 2006：
145-year anniversary of founding (75-year anniversary of establishment)
April, 2007：
A wooden soy sauce barrel of Fundokin's is certified by Guinness as the world's largest
May, 2010：
The Fundokin Ladies Cup women's golf tournament is held
September 2011：
150-year anniversary of founding (80-year anniversary of establishment)
October, 2013：
The Fundokin Ladies Step Up Tour of golf is held
March 2015：
The "Fundokin FUN" commercial is featured at ADFEST (Asia Pacific Advertising Festival) Winner of Silver Medal in the Foods and Condiments Division
June, 2015：
Winner of the 68th Dentsu Ad Awards Special Prize in the Corporate/Public Television division
October, 2015：
Regional award winner at the 2015 ACC CM Festival
2016：
155-year anniversary of founding
Origin of the Fundokin logo
In Japanese, the word "fundo" refers to a lead or copper weight used with scales for weighing products. The company's first president, Kotegawa Kinjiro, added the "Kin" part of his name (which can be read as "metal" or "gold" in Japanese) to this to create the name "Fundokin". The mark is symmetrical, which symbolizes the company's attention to detail and the purity of their products, and embodies the management ethos of Kinjiro.
This trademark and the product name Fundokin were registered in May, 1939. In June, 1961, the logo was re-designed by the company's art director, Kawasaki Minsho, and this logo is still used to this day.
