Kagome Japan is one of the country's largest manufacturers and distributors of tomato-based foods, fruit and vegetable beverages and prebiotics.

In 1899, our founder, Ichitaro Kanie, returned to Japan after completing his duties in the first Sino Japanese war (1894 -1895) and began growing Western vegetables in his family plot. Tomatoes were included among these vegetables, however, the grassy smell and unfamiliar bright red colour did not appeal to Japanese consumers.

Tomatoes were the only vegetables that did not sell in the first four years and were left to rot in the fields causing serious problems. Ichitaro did not give up!

While working temporarily at the agricultural experimentation station in Aichi Prefecture, he learned tomato cultivation techniques. He also discovered the United States was utilising tomatoes post-processing.

He immediately obtained a bottle of imported tomato sauce from a western-style hotel and created a prototype through trial and error with his family. They created the bright red tomato sauce by peeling and simmering the strained tomatoes and bottling the result.

In July 1903, the tomato sauce Ichitaro made in his barn at home was shipped out for the first time. The superior colour and fresh flavour in comparison to the imported tomato sauce resonated with consumers. A few short years later, he was producing tomato purees, ketchups and Worcestershire sauces and Kagome was born.

From these small beginnings has grown a passion for food that now spans the globe.

Nowadays, we produce a colourful variety of fruit and vegetable products such as sauces, drinks, ready-to-eat meals and probiotics. But we’ve never strayed from our founder’s principles of making great tasting foods that are true to nature.