Kimlan, one of Taiwan’s leading soy sauce producers, has taken a bold approach to naming its kicap manis (sweet soy sauce), a staple in Indonesia. To differentiate on shelf, the company has unveled the halal‑certified KIM’AMA range under the name Kicap Boba to penetrate into the Southeast Asian market, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. The KIM’AMA Kicap Boba including the spicy variant were showcased at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026.
According to Kimlan, the choice of ‘boba’ is intended to evoke the association with brown sugar syrup, a key ingredient in the trendy brown sugar boba drinks. Naming the sauce Kicap Boba may raise eyebrows and even risk being misleading, but it undeniably serves as a way to catch consumer attention. However, such messaging can easily be lost in translation, as many local consumers may not understand what this sauce actually is.
Effective localisation means speaking to consumers in ways that feel familiar and relevant, rather than distant or misleading.
