Kikkoman is a prime example of a company that has to vary its product range in different markets to suit local tastes.

In the US, it sells only a handful of soy sauce variants. In Japan, though, it markets more than 100, each delicately honed for the discerning Japanese palate. In Kyushu, southern Japan, inhabitants prefer sweet soy sauce and in Hokkaido, the country's northernmost island, soy sauce with just a touch of sugar is the condiment of choice.