Nihon Maruten Shoyu, a Long-Established Company with Over 200 Years of History, Launches 'Aomikan Mentsuyu Straight,' a Refreshing New Mentsuyu Born from Thinned-Out, Unused Green Mikan
Nihon Maruten Shoyu, a company with over 200 years of history, is launching 'Aomikan Mentsuyu Straight,' a new type of mentsuyu made from thinned-out green mikan from Shizuoka Prefecture's Mikkabi region, which would otherwise go unused. This product, developed through over 100 prototypes, leverages the experience of a previously discontinued 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu' and combines sustainability with innovation.
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- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 11:30
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Nihon Maruten Shoyu Co., Ltd. (Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, President and CEO Kairi Nobesaka), a long-established soy sauce manufacturer with over 200 years of history, is launching 'Aomikan Mentsuyu Straight,' a refreshing new mentsuyu that offers a harmonious blend of citrus flavor and bonito/dried sardine dashi, made using thinned-out green mikan from Mikkabi that would otherwise go unused.
This product is a straight-type mentsuyu made with 'thinned-out green mikan' from Mikkabi, Shizuoka Prefecture. It achieves a new taste that harmonizes the refreshing aroma and gentle sweetness of citrus with the umami of bonito and dried sardine dashi. The product's development background includes the desire to revive 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu,' which was discontinued in the past due to raw material shortages, and a development story spanning three years with over 100 prototypes. It is a unique product that combines history and new challenges, completed with Nihon Maruten Shoyu's long-cultivated technology and creativity in seasoning development, capable of expressing any flavor.
### 'The Vanished Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu,' Once More. The Passion Behind the Development
This product is not merely a new product, but was born from the challenge of 'reviving a taste that once disappeared, making it even better.' The development team thoroughly engaged with the seemingly simple yet highly difficult theme of citrus and mentsuyu, from material selection to flavor design and manufacturing processes. Why did Nihon Maruten Shoyu once again take on this difficult challenge? And how did they arrive at the ideal taste? We unravel the story behind it through an interview with the development manager.
Kazuki Onishi, Chief of Product Development Section, Development Department
The current 'Aomikan Mentsuyu Straight' has its origins in the 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu' developed in 2022. At that time, 'Setoka' citrus from Ehime Prefecture was used, but due to poor harvests of Setoka, it became difficult to secure raw materials, and the product could not be continued. As a developer, it bothered me to let a product that had finally been launched simply end. Since I felt confident in the citrus mentsuyu genre itself, I thought, 'Can we make it again with a different ingredient?' and continued searching for an alternative citrus. It was during this search that I encountered 'thinned-out green mikan' cultivated in Mikkabi, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Thinned-out green mikan are immature fruits culled during the mikan cultivation process and are generally not widely utilized. However, when we experimented with thinned-out green mikan, we found a good balance of sourness and sweetness, suggesting its potential as a seasoning. I thought that if we could use this generally underutilized ingredient, we could contribute to upcycling while also taking on the challenge of 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu' once again, and so we proceeded with development.
**The Looming Wall. Over 100 Prototypes under the Constraint of High-Temperature Sterilization**
This product is a straight-type mentsuyu made with 'thinned-out green mikan' from Mikkabi, Shizuoka Prefecture. It achieves a new taste that harmonizes the refreshing aroma and gentle sweetness of citrus with the umami of bonito and dried sardine dashi. The product's development background includes the desire to revive 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu,' which was discontinued in the past due to raw material shortages, and a development story spanning three years with over 100 prototypes. It is a unique product that combines history and new challenges, completed with Nihon Maruten Shoyu's long-cultivated technology and creativity in seasoning development, capable of expressing any flavor.
### 'The Vanished Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu,' Once More. The Passion Behind the Development
This product is not merely a new product, but was born from the challenge of 'reviving a taste that once disappeared, making it even better.' The development team thoroughly engaged with the seemingly simple yet highly difficult theme of citrus and mentsuyu, from material selection to flavor design and manufacturing processes. Why did Nihon Maruten Shoyu once again take on this difficult challenge? And how did they arrive at the ideal taste? We unravel the story behind it through an interview with the development manager.
Kazuki Onishi, Chief of Product Development Section, Development Department
The current 'Aomikan Mentsuyu Straight' has its origins in the 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu' developed in 2022. At that time, 'Setoka' citrus from Ehime Prefecture was used, but due to poor harvests of Setoka, it became difficult to secure raw materials, and the product could not be continued. As a developer, it bothered me to let a product that had finally been launched simply end. Since I felt confident in the citrus mentsuyu genre itself, I thought, 'Can we make it again with a different ingredient?' and continued searching for an alternative citrus. It was during this search that I encountered 'thinned-out green mikan' cultivated in Mikkabi, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Thinned-out green mikan are immature fruits culled during the mikan cultivation process and are generally not widely utilized. However, when we experimented with thinned-out green mikan, we found a good balance of sourness and sweetness, suggesting its potential as a seasoning. I thought that if we could use this generally underutilized ingredient, we could contribute to upcycling while also taking on the challenge of 'Setouchi Citrus Mentsuyu' once again, and so we proceeded with development.
**The Looming Wall. Over 100 Prototypes under the Constraint of High-Temperature Sterilization**