is the name of a Japanese

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

soup paste producer. Its headquarters are located in the city of

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

. Marukome accounts for about 13% of the amount of miso produced in Japan each year which makes them one of the top in production volume among 2,500 miso producers in Japan. On December 5, 2007, Marukome USA, Inc. opened its

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

headquarters and factory in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

. As a commercial gimmick, Marukome has organized contests for kids to become "Marukome Boy" (マルコメくん) who subsequently represents the company in advertisement. To be a winner, the Marukome Boy should look similar to the company logo of a small boy with a bald head.

Marketing

In 2017 Marukome launched two types of organic miso powder in a collaboration with Australian model

Miranda Kerr Miranda May Kerr (; born 20 April 1983) is an Australian model and businesswoman. Kerr rose to prominence in 2007, as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. Kerr was the first Australian Victoria's Secret model and also represented the Australia ...

, with the model providing her personal input into the creation of the new products.

References

External links

Marukome

Marukome USA
Condiment companies Food and drink companies of Japan Companies based in Nagano Prefecture Food and drink companies established in 1854 Japanese brands Soy product brands Japanese companies established in 1854 {{Japan-cuisine-stub