Lee Kum Kee

Lee Kum Kee

Lee Kum Kee International Holdings Ltd. is a food company which specialized in manufacturing oyster flavored sauce and a wide range of authentic Chinese and Asian sauces founded by Lee Kum Sheung in 1888 in Nanshui, a small town in Guangdong. Lee Kum Kee currently produces over 200 Chinese-style sauces, including soy sauce, hoisin sauce, XO sauce, one-step recipe sauce, chili products (Sriracha Chili sauce), cooking ingredients, and dipping sauce. The company is based in Hong Kong but its products are sold in over 100 countries worldwide including China, and in many overseas markets, including North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia. Its primary brand, Lee Kum Kee (Chinese: 李錦記; pinyin: Lǐjǐnjì; Cantonese: Lei Gam Gei) is well known throughout China and the overseas Chinese community. Lee Kum Kee was named Most Popular Brand On-line at the 2004 Hong Kong Top Brand Awards.

The company was founded by Lee Kum Sheung (pinyin: Lǐ Jǐnshàng), a chef at a small eatery that sold cooked oysters, who is credited with having invented oyster sauce in Nanshui, Zhuhai, Guangdong. In 1888, he formed the Lee Kum Kee company to market what has now become a staple sauce, seasoning and condiment in Cantonese and southern Chinese cuisine.

From 1902 to 1988, the company's office was located in Macau and in 1988 it moved to its newest headquarters in Hong Kong’s Taipo Industrial Estate. Lee Kum Kee opened a United States of America based headquarters in City of Industry, California in Greater Los Angeles followed by a Canadian headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. Production bases are located in Xinhui, Huangpu, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Los Angeles. The Xinhui factory is the largest operation occupying 1,700 acres.