[Hamamatsu city] From Hamamatsu to the World "Torii Sauce"

Product development that reflects customer feedback

Another major attraction of Torii Sauce is that we are also developing a series of products that reflect customer feedback. For example, "I like spicy curry, but when I have children, I can't make it anymore. This voice led to the creation of "Spice Sauce for Curry," which allows you to adjust the spiciness without having to separate the pots.

In February 2019, a new "Sansho Sauce" will join the lineup. This is a slightly more mature sauce that brings out the characteristic flavor and stimulation of sansho (Japanese pepper).

Representative Torii: “Wakayama is famous for sansho, but sansho can also be found in Haruno-cho, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu City. As a limited product, we were selling "Tengu Sauce" with a little sansho pepper, and the number of repeat customers increased.

People were more interested in the sansho sauce than we expected, so we decided to develop something with more of a sansho flavor, which is why we developed this sauce. I think it's well received and goes well with any dish, and can be served with a refreshing dip."

When I actually tasted it, the scent of sansho spread in my mouth all at once, and I couldn't help but say, "It's delicious!" I bought it on a whim.

Here is a report on the actual tour of the factory.

Torii Sauce accepts factory tours for the general public up to five times a month (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only). During the factory tour, you can visit two places: the sauce factory where sauces are made, and the vinegar factory where vinegar is made from the sauce.

On this day, I had the opportunity to watch them make a perfectly ripe sauce.

The ripe sauce is made by slowly simmering tomatoes, apples, onions, and other carefully selected vegetables and fruits in their original form for half a day. It is surprising to find so many vegetables in it.

Here is the finished ripe sauce. The sugar used in the sauce is also a speciality. Raw sugar from Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima is used to add a natural sweetness to the sauce.

Representative Torii: "With Worcestershire sauce and Chuno sauce, tastes vary from region to region, but there is no comparison for fully ripe sauce, so it is popular nationwide.

Many people who don't use sauces at home, or even those who don't like them, tell me they like our fully ripe sauces."

The finished sauce is bottled one by one by hand.

Bottled sauces are shipped in box-shaped packages.

This is where the sauce is aged. The wooden barrel in the back has been used since the company was founded. The new barrel is in front.

Representative Torii: "We let it mature for at least one month. Wood breathes, so by aging in a wooden vat, the flavor of the sauce that has been created and soaked in over and over again is added to the sauce, making it even mellower.

Vinegar was made here.

Representative Torii: "We started making vinegar about 30 years ago. We use vinegar acid to preserve our sauces, so we use quite a lot of it. We took over the business when the manufacturer we originally had a relationship with quit. Sauce and vinegar are much closer than you might imagine."

If you hold your hand over the fermenting vinegar, you can feel the warmth. It is said to be as hot as human body temperature.

Vinegar is being fermented. The white film is called acetic acid film, which is fermented for about one month and then left to mature for another month. This process produces vinegar with a mild aroma.

-Lastly, we asked about your vision for the future.

Representative Torii: "What kind of image do you have of sauce? When I ask this question, everyone has an image of sauce poured over something, such as pork cutlets or curry. It is said that sauce was originally born in England, and its original use was as a secret ingredient in stewed dishes.

We would like to expand our proposal to use sauces not only as a dipping sauce, but also as a secret ingredient. For example, fried chicken (karaage) with Worcestershire sauce. Instead of seasoning with soy sauce, we change it to sauce. I also try changing kinpira gobo (fried burdock root) to sauce, and seasoned eggs, marinated in sauce, can be tasty, too. Sauce is never accustomed to being the star of the show, but it can be a supporting role.

By communicating this to customers, they will be more willing to give it a try, so I want to make an effort to communicate this to them."

When I visited the factory this time, I was very surprised and impressed by the amount of time and effort that went into making the sauce. It is precisely because we are in an era where everything is streamlined and effortless that people are moved by things that take time and effort and gather together.

One bite of the Torii Sauce, which has taken a lot of time and effort, will give you a strong vegetable flavor in your mouth, which will change your image of the sauce 180 degrees.

You can also buy it online, so please check it out.

Click here for the online site
https://www.torii-sauce.jp/