Packaging Design for Mizkan Vinegar by Taku Satoh

Exactly 210 years ago a man named Matazaemon Nakano branched out from the sake brewing business and began a career in rice vinegar. And for more than 2 centuries The Mizkan Group has been producing vinegar, one of the key ingredients to sushi, and other condiments. Indeed, the company’s success is due, in part, to the popularity of Japanese cuisine. And to commemorate 210 years of vinegar making the company asked designer Taku Satoh to create a commemorative vinegar box.

The simple wooden box has the company’s logo, as well as Matazaemon – the name of the founder – written in Kanji. The privately held company is still run by the founding family and in order to maintain brand and prestige, past presidents have all taken the founder’s names as a title.

The elegant package contains “ingredients” like a vinegar bottle, a rounded out block of wood that acts as a stand, and a booklet with an overview of the company, as well as various recipes.