Ever since the spring of 2020, many breweries have been in a difficult situation due to the pandemic. It was extremely tough on the industry when in April, 2021, the third state of emergency in Japan was announced. In addition to instructing citizens to stay indoors and restaurants to operate under reduced business hours, they were forbidden from serving alcohol.
We’ve interviewed Takenosuke Yasufuku, President of Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan Breweries, Ltd, a brewery which represents the No. 1 sake-producing region in Japan, Nada.
After Mr. Yasufuku became the 13th President in 2011, his more remarkable achievements included increasing the worldwide brand power of the company’s “Fukuju” by promoting exports to the US, Europe, and Asian nations and making efforts toward decreasing environmental burden during production. However, similar to other breweries, Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan has been in a tough situation during the pandemic.
- Regarding the Negative Effects of the Pandemic
Compared to how it was before the pandemic, sales had gone down by half at one point and later continued to be 20-30% less than normal. While retail at supermarkets did relatively well, our moderately priced sake, like Junmai and Junmai Ginjo became the main focus. Because higher-priced sake like our Daiginjo won’t sell at supermarkets, it is unfortunately sleeping in the warehouse. In cases such as this, it’s production requires reconsideration, which can lead to a decrease in production of Yamada Nishiki, the rice used in it’s production, which can also have an effect on farmers.
- Encouraging Prospects in America
We began to recover our sales in the US in the second half of 2020 and as the reopening of restaurants continues to progress, we can look forward to continued recovery. You can find Fukuju Junmai Ginjo in stores in Hawaii, and inquiries from Texas and the midwest have been increasing. Going forward, we would like to continue increasing our sales in online markets, which we’ve heard have been showing rapid growth during the pandemic.
- What does your company do to differentiate itself from others?
While it is of course important to improve the products’ quality and flavor, there are many breweries throughout Japan that make delicious sake. So, if our sake is only promoted as being delicious, it becomes more difficult to show customers how we are different from other companies. Though it is important to compete in the realm of flavor, by working toward fulfilling our SDGs, it is our sincere hope that our company making efforts toward a better society, a better environment, and a better future while producing sake leads to customers choosing our bottle of Fukuju.
It may be that these ways of thinking haven’t quite permeated into this traditional industry. However, we would like to continue to explore the role which sake brewing plays in our society.
- Regarding SDGs, Taking Care of our Precious Water
As we keep in mind the importance of improving our products’ quality, we have been proactive in our efforts toward sustainability in regards to water, which is the life force of our company’s sake production.
The Nada-Gogo breweries have abundant access to Miyamizu* water. Miyamizu water is not only managed by the region’s population and the storehouses, but the preservation association also makes efforts to ensure that the flow from Mt. Rokko goes uninterrupted. They also continue to protect the condition of the water by enforcing water-quality testing.
A great deal of water is used in sake production. In order to not waste that water, we set a water conservation goal and by using the most advanced machinery, we were able to increase production threefold from 2010 to 2017 while keeping the amount of water used down to an increase of only 35%. In recognition of these efforts, following our receiving of the Japan EcoPro Award, we’ve also received the Water Management Award from the Drinks Business Green Awards 2020 based in England.
* Miyamizu water is underground water that flows from the Rokko Mountain Range. Because it mainly flows through granite bedrock, it is low in iron and high in potassium and phosphorus, making it one of the best sources of water for sake production.
* SDGs - The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Through cultivating byproducts and organic digestive fluids from biomass and biogas plants from the local Yuge Farm in Kobe, we aim to establish a model which will popularize resource circulation and natural energy.
For Yamada Nishiki rice, they make efforts to improve cultivation techniques by not using less-advanced weed-killers and their ultimate goal is cultivation of completely organic brewer’s rice.
- Which bottle would you most recommend?
I would recommend Fukuju Junmai Ginjo. In America we call the Daiginjo “Black”, the Junmai “Green”, and the Junmai Ginjo “Blue”.
When Japanese people win the Nobel Prize, “Blue” is the only Japanese sake served at that Nobel dinner party. It’s characteristics include a subtle aroma with a hint of cumin, which changes to a scent of acacia after some time has passed. The pure and subtle minerality of stone can also be felt lingering in the taste. While it of course goes well with Japanese food, it also goes well with butter-sautéed Pacific Cod fish. I would most recommend pairing it with Mascarpone Cheese.
I would love for all of our customers to seek out their personal favorite marriage for our sake. Thank you very much. Enjoy Sake!
We will invite Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan Breweries to the upcoming "Sake Seminar" (online) where you can enjoy an online Sakagura tour and tasting. Please attend and explore this Sake world!
Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan Breweries, Ltd
1-8-17 Mikagetsukamachi, Higashinada, Kobe, Hyogo 658-0044 Japan
Website: https://www.enjoyfukuju.com/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fukujusake Twitter: https://twitter.com/fukujusake
Where to buy around the west coast.
A list of local distributors & retailers of Fukuju can be found in the document below!