GEORGE TOWN, July 26 — For nearly a century, the Kam family has relied on sunshine, time and patience to brew traditional soy sauce, preserving a craft passed down through generations at its factory in Jelutong.
Today, brothers Kam Kam Yoon, 87, and Kam Pak Yuen continue running San Kwan Loong Soy Sauce Factory using the same natural fermentation method their mother brought from China when the family business was established almost 100 years ago.
Kam Yoon took over the business when he was just 19 after learning the craft from his mother, and said while the recipe has evolved over the decades, the traditional way of making soy sauce has remained unchanged.
“We still make our soy sauce using natural fermentation under the sun,” he said.
Unlike mass-produced soy sauce, every batch at the factory takes between three and four months to complete, depending on the weather.
Imported soybeans are first boiled, cooled and mixed with flour before being left to ferment naturally under the sun.
“If the weather is rainy, the fermentation period takes longer because we have to cover the containers until the conditions improve,” Kam Yoon said.
Salt water is then added before the mixture is left to brew naturally until it develops its rich dark colour.
The soy sauce is then extracted, sterilised and bottled before making its way to homes, hawker stalls and restaurants.
Kam Yoon said the factory once depended largely on neighbourhood housewives who would regularly stop by to buy soy sauce.
Today, most of its business comes from local hawkers and eateries, while walk-in customers have become fewer as larger brands dominate supermarket shelves.
Even so, he said the family continues to welcome loyal customers who have supported the business for generations.
“We still get second and third generations of loyal customers who have moved to other states, but whenever they come to Penang, they will visit our factory to buy our soy sauce,” he said.
The factory now employs 10 local workers and produces about 1,000 bottles of soy sauce each week.
For the Kam brothers, the biggest challenge is ensuring the century-old family business survives into a third generation.
Kam Yoon said his nephew, Pak Yuen’s son, is now learning the trade and is expected to eventually take over the factory.
“We hope the younger generation in our family will learn the trade and continue preserving the handcrafted method of producing traditional soy sauce,” he said.
San Kwan Loong Soy Sauce Factory is one of 10 traditional trades featured in Penang Global Tourism’s traditional trades campaign this year, held in collaboration with Penang Heritage Trust.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the campaign serves as a reminder that every traditional trade, handmade product and family recipe forms part of Penang’s identity and soul.
He said these businesses represent the state’s living heritage by preserving traditional recipes, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and family legacies for future generations.
