Soy sauce or soya sauce is an everyday ingredient in most Asian cultures. Made from fermented soybeans, cracked roasted grain, salt and water; soy sauce comes in three main varieties, white, light and dark, but light is more commonly used. Whether your business is in the food service industry or the retail market, a selection of high quality brands of soy sauce can meet your business and financial needs.

Soy Sauce suppliers may sell their products in bottles, packets and/or drums. If you are a retailer, buying soy sauce bottles by the case is likely the best option for your business. However, if you run a restaurant or food service business, you may find a need for bottles for your dining room, packets for take-out orders and drums for cooking, in order to meet all your needs. Either way, when choosing soy sauce for your business, consider the following:

1. Soy sauce has a long shelf life. Properly sealed and stored containers stay fresh for up to 12 months.

2. Light sauce is the most commonly used variety of soy sauce.

3. Soy sauce is both a condiment and a seasoning.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select the appropriate sized containers of soy sauce for your business

Soy sauce brands are available in bottles, drums and packets. Drums are great for businesses that cook large recipes with soy sauce, while an assortment of bottles and packets cater to food service and retail customers. Regardless of your business, it is ideal to have access to a variety of options and containers.

I recommend: Soy sauce distributor, Nationwide Candy offers sauce in individual packets. These packets are great to include in a takeout bag or at a condiment station. For a more diverse selection of containers, consider FoodServiceDirect.com. They offer an assortment of soy sauce brands sold by the case in packets or bottles, including the popular La Choy brand. For businesses looking for larger sizes, they also offer La Choy sauces by the gallon in four-pack cases or even larger, by the drum.

Include a variety of soy sauce types in your company's inventory

Soy sauce comes in three tasty varieties, and each sauce offers a different taste and seasoning. White soy sauce is thin and has a subtle flavor, while the light and dark soy sauce boast a stronger taste. Your business is sure to benefit from having all three varieties on hand, one for every type of customer that walks through the door.

I recommend: Earth Delights' white soy sauce makes a great condiment, seasoning or dressing. Your customers will love its light color and delicate flavor, and all of their products are available at wholesale prices to qualifying commercial customers. For a high quality sauce and a well-known brand name, consider the selection at Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc. They offer light, dark, organic soy sauce and low sodium versions of their famous sauce, and their brand name gives you the potential to earn larger profits. For large food manufacturers, Kikkoman’s also offers 55-gallon drums, 275-gallon totes and 4500-gallon tankers.

Choose a variety of soy sauce products to meet your customer's needs

Soy sauce lovers use it as a seasoning and a condiment. In fact, some manufacturers jar their products in thick soy sauce to add flavor or to compliment an existing flavor. While other products, including gourmet sauces, have soy sauce in their ingredients list to enhance the recipe. A variety of soy sauce products are ideal for retail stores and food service businesses.

I recommend: Bay Valley Foods offers gourmet sauces that contain soy sauce in large 55-gallon drums. These drums are perfect for large-scale restaurants, hotels and fast food establishments. For retailers, Golden Country has an assortment of soy sauce and soy sauce products, all of which are sure to entice your customers' taste buds. These include pickles, radishes and mushrooms jarred in soy sauce and a variety of brands and flavors of soy sauce.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Read the label for important soy sauce information. Some soy sauces aren't actually made with soybeans and usually offer a low quality flavor.