Walworth County’s biggest business expansion may also be its most long-term expansion. Kikkoman Corp. last year launched a 10-year, $100 million expansion of its soy sauce plant near Walworth, in southern Walworth County.
Japan-based Kikkoman is the world’s largest producer of soy sauce products, with international sales of nearly $2 billion. It opened the Walworth plant in 1973 as the headquarters of Kikkoman Foods Inc.
Since then, the plant’s output has grown from 2.4 million gallons of soy sauce and related product to 25 million gallons.
Employment at the plant is expected to increase from 150 to 190 as the expansion progresses.
When the current expansion project is completed, capacity will rise to 34 million gallons.
The 2003 and 2004 portion of the project involves 40,000 square feet of additional space and $16 million in capital expenditures, according to Bill Nelson of Kikkoman
in Walworth.
The project is expanding the plant from 530,000 square feet to 710,000 square feet.
Bane-Nelson Inc. of Racine is the company’s general contractor.
Feb. 6, 2004 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
