Altering the kitchen contents of a 400-year-old corporation for the\nsake of a single domestic market is not considered a trivial matter. For\nKikkoman, the Japanese seasoning giant, their global formula has already\nbeen proven to captivate international palates, particularly in\nnon-halal markets such as the United States.<\/p>\n
However, upon entering Indonesia, that international blueprint for\nsuccess faced a major challenge: the absolute necessity of halal\nsensitivity. In Indonesia, halal matters are not merely a matter of\nregulatory compliance on paper, but a bond of trust that determines the\n\u2018life or death\u2019 of a brand.<\/p>\n
This landscape was encountered directly during the joint venture\nprocess between PT Kikkamin Akufood Indonesia and Kikkoman Global, which\nbegan in 2016. At that time, not a single Kikkoman global product\npossessed halal certification.<\/p>\n
This situation presented a massive challenge for the Founder &\nCEO of PT Kikkoman Akufood Indonesia, Jureke. Rather than taking a\nshortcut by continuing to import old products to secure cash flow,\nmanagement chose to completely halt all sales of non-halal products in\nIndonesian retail and start from scratch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen deciding to pursue halal certification, the key for us was\ntrust. In making this decision, we could not simply look at profit and\nloss. However, we believed that if we were serious about entering the\nIndonesian market, we had to prove it by starting everything from zero.\nWe continue to strive to build the trust of Indonesian consumers to\nchoose Kikkoman,\u201d said Jureke in a written statement received by\nRepublika on Wednesday (10\/6\/2026).<\/p>\n
This transition hit the very lifeblood of their business. The\ndecision to empty supermarket shelves of old products caused sales\ngraphs to plummet to a point of zero sales. This market sterilisation\nwas carried out without compromise to ensure there was no grey area for\nlocal consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sent letters to all supermarkets, stating how long they had to\ntake out the products and that they were not allowed to reintroduce\nnon-halal products into supermarkets,\u201d said Jureke.<\/p>\n
The next test shifted to professional kitchens in the Greater Jakarta\narea. At the time, the culinary community was sceptical, believing that\ntheir imported non-halal products were far superior in taste compared to\nthe local halal-certified versions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kikkomans-long-journey-starting-from-zero-for-halal-label-in-indonesia-1781106988", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }