Food - Drink
Kewpie's Founder Was Partially Inspired By Orange Marmalade
By AUTUMN SWIERS
The secret to Kewpie mayo’s success is in its uniquely simple ingredients: a blend of egg yolks and vinegar. Since the release of its mayo in 1925, the company has made an array of non-mayo products, one of which was inspired by orange marmalade during the founder, Toichiro Nakashima’s internship-motivated travels.
In 1932, Kewpie released AOHATA Marmalade in conjunction with the Japanese-based Kidoen Corporation, which is now called the AOHATA Corporation. Then, in 1955, Kewpie launched the low-sugar AOHATA 55 Orange Marmalade — the first ever Japanese-made product of
its kind to hit the market.
Whether Kewpie or AOHATA sell it, orange marmalade remains a muse for the company, with Kewpie citing orange marmalade as the original inspiration behind Kewpie's fruit-based vision. Kewpie has a sector dedicated to its array of jams called the Fruit Solutions Business, accounting for 4.1% of Kewpie's total sales in the 2021 fiscal year.