The SOTO Outdoors success story began in 1978 with Shinfuji Burner of Japan. At the time of its foundation, the company manufactured and sold industrial burners that were used for tasks such as plumbing work. In many regions, winter temperatures often fall below freezing and many burners needed 2 to 3 minutes to preheat at this time. The founder, Hajime Yamamoto, recognized the benefits of reducing the preheating time and put together a team of the most creative, technical and innovative individuals. They shared his determination to develop a burner that would take seconds to preheat, not minutes. Shortly afterwards, the Shinfuji burner was born, setting a new industry standard. The team became famous in Japan under the name “Master of the Blue Flame.”
The burner enjoyed ever greater success, from 1986 also in weed control in both the agricultural and private sectors. The success inspired Yamamoto and his engineering team to make the power of the blue flame available for home and outdoor use. The result was the Pocket Torch, a small lighter with a powerful flame that is wind-resistant. The team realized that this little burner would be well-suited for adventurers in extreme weather. With this vision in mind, the innovative engineers founded the SOTO Outdoors brand. SOTO means ‘outdoor’ in Japanese.
The SOTO Outdoors brand was launched on the global market in 2009. SOTO has received several coveted industry awards for its pioneering innovations. The core of the brand lies in the technical innovations for the production and integration of the “blue flame” in outdoor cookers, but the engineers at SOTO are also active with numerous innovations in the areas of tableware and accessories.