RICHMOND, Va. -- In the world of retail, businesses come and businesses go. But in Henrico, one company has been standing the test of time — not over the decades, but centuries.
Inside a family-run business that is almost as old as the United States, the modern production line hums hour after hour.
What is bottled in here flavors dishes from coast to coast. It is a taste of the Far East... in the East End of Henrico.
Tokyo-born Takashi Sato serves as president of San-J International, headquartered near Richmond International Airport.
“I’m happy when people get happier when they eat our soy sauce,” Takashi said. “We produce mainly the tamari soy sauce. All the way from the beginning to the end ... in Richmond.”
Tamari is made from 100% soybeans. It differs from traditional soy sauce which is made with soybeans and wheat.
Eleven-year employee and Henrico native Gabrielle Wade serves as San-J’s Quality Manager.
“So tamari is special because it can appeal to different dietary restrictions because it is gluten-free,” Wade said. ”So this is where all the flavor gets built, in these tanks, before it moves on to the pressing stage.”
Like producing fine wine, tamari takes time from beginning to end.
“It’s a lot going on,” Wade said. “You would never think that, you know, one bottle of soy sauce that you see on the shelf took almost seven months to produce.”
The 52-year-old Takashi Sato takes great pleasure in expanding people’s palettes.
“Most people, including in Japan, don’t know about the time and effort and energy that goes into making soy sauce, yes,” Sato said. “What we are trying to do is integrate the Japanese tradition and American culture.”
San-J’s Tamari Soy Sauce can be found on store shelves in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. While the company operates a plant near Tokyo, Sato's father built a facility in Henrico in 1987. Since then, business has been so brisk the company has expanded twice to meet demand.
“We expanded in 1991 and 2019,” Sato said. “It was super small. It was super small.”
What you don’t see in every bottle is an ingredient that sets this company apart from other family businesses: a large helping of longevity.
San-J was founded in 1804, the same year Lewis and Clark set off on their famous journey out west, and the same year Napolean was declared Emperor of France.
“Yes. We use the same formula we use in Japan from 200 years ago,” Sato said.
One company. One family. 220 years. San-J is 88 years older than Coca-Cola, 99 years older than Ford, and 158 years older than Walmart.
“I am happy to see so many people interested in our company because of the long history,” Sato said.
While the father of two takes pride in the past, he envisions one day handing the reigns to his children.
“Whenever we go to the grocery store they already know what I am making," Sato said. "They run to the Asian section and they carry it and say, 'This is my dad's soy sauce.'"
Takashi Sato is an eighth-generation brewer growing his ancient business on a global scale — while tasting tamari success more than two centuries in the making.
“What I am most proud of is that we’re not just relying on tradition but we are producing something delicious for American people,” Sato said. “Another couple of hundred years ... yes. Super happy. Yes."
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