It can be easy to assume all soy sauce is created equal. If we get takeout Chinese or go to a Thai joint, we use whatever is provided, whether it’s a bottle served at the table or something in small sachets.
However, like any food, soy sauce can have wide variations in taste based on the quality and origin of the ingredients and the craft involved. Heydoh is a new brand that aims to provide a better sauce than most people are used to cooking and eating with.
Unlike most widely available soy sauces, Heydoh is made from single-origin, non-GMO soybeans rather than fast-fermenting yellow soybean grits. Plus, the sauce is rich in umami flavor due to the use of Tainan #5 whole beans. While a small amount of wheat is added to achieve a malty, toasted depth of flavor, the finished product contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten (and meets the FDA threshold for gluten-free labeling).
Heydoh, an Anglicized version of the Mandarin Chinese word for black soybeans, enlisted design studio Herefor to dream up the packaging. The brand identity is playful, modern, and fresh, a departure from conventional soy sauce branding at your local grocery store.
Illustrations throughout the branding and packaging effectively communicate Heydoh’s key differentiators, including its single-origin status, twice-brewed process, and non-GMO standing. The tall, slender bottles are made from thick glass, adding a premium, quality touch.
Meanwhile, the color palette is soft and serene. Heydoh’s classic bottle utilizes blues accented with orange, while the silky variation uses green and yellow with pink as a complementary color. Both labels depict a deep black river with rounded mountains in the background, a bowl in the foreground, and a hand pouring soy sauce from a spoon.
If pantry staples like salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil can inspire a passion for obtaining the very best, finely crafted versions, then why not soy sauce, too? It’s a fundamental component of many dishes and plays a vital supporting role. Not being in the forefront doesn’t diminish its importance, however. Heydoh’s deep love for complex and flavorful soy sauce shines through an exquisite, comforting brand identity by Herefor. The combination of superb soy sauce and a contemporary brand identity might just be enough to get consumers to nerd out on this staple just as much as other ingredients in their pantries.
