Saraya Co. Ltd
APAC
Osaka
,
Japan
Multinational
FOUNDED
1952
HEADCOUNT
1001-5000
FUNDING
Privately held
Keywords:
yeast, fermentation, biosurfactants, sweeteners
BUSINESS
Japanese diversified hygiene, sanitation, and bioingredient company headquartered in Osaka, founded in 1952 by Shota Saraya. The company operates four main business lines: professional hand hygiene and infection control products, household cleaning and sanitation products, the Lakanto® monk fruit natural sweetener brand, and fermentation-derived bioingredients including sophorolipid biosurfactants under the SOFORO® brand. Operations span Japan, Thailand (manufacturing hub), China, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and East Africa, with the company among the first Japanese signatories of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
BIOTECH INVOLVEMENT
Yeast-based microbial fermentation of sophorolipid biosurfactants using Starmerella bombicola on plant-oil substrates, commercialized since the 2000s as one of the earliest industrial-scale sophorolipid producers globally. Additional biotech-adjacent operations include erythritol-based sweetener formulations and the vertically integrated Lakanto monk fruit extraction business sourced from Guangxi, China.
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
PRIMARY PRODUCTS
Hand sanitizers; disinfectants; cleaning solutions; bio-based surfactants