Our History

The origin of AJINOMOTO began with the discovery of “Umami Taste” by Prof. Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo University. Through his curiosity in the savory taste in Japanese broth made from Kombu seaweed, he uncovered that “Glutamate”, which was a kind of amino acid, was also the source of this savory taste. This discovery led to the establishment of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Japan which was the first Umami seasoning company in Japan, under the brand of “AJI-NO-MOTO”, founded by Mr. Saburosuke Suzuki II in 1909.