NEWS ARTICLES / MEDIA RELEASES
Takara Sake USA Inc. Expands its Production Facilities to
Respond to Market Growth
October 10, 2011—Takara Sake USA Inc. has completed the expansion and improvement of its production facilities. Construction for the expansion commenced in 2009, and in two years, capacity for production has increased 1.5 times from 5,000KL to 7,500KL.
Since its inception in 1982, Takara Sake USA Inc., located in Berkeley, California, has been engaged in the production and sales of sake, mirin, plum wine and other products. Takara Sake USA Inc. also imports products from its parent company, Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. in Kyoto, Japan.
Takara Sake USA Inc. expanded its facilities to respond to the growing Japanese food market in the U.S., Europe, and other countries. The company invested approximately $10,000,000 for this construction project, which includes an additional small lot production system dedicated to the production of premium products.
Takara Sake USA Inc. remains committed to providing quality products consistently and responding quickly to the trends in the market.
Facility investment summary
1. Facility investment capital: Approximately $10,000,000
2. Facility investment details: Raw material preparation facility, fermentation and aging tanks, small lot production system
3. Annual production capacity: An increase from 5,000 KL to 7,500 KL
Takara Sake USA Inc.
President: Yoichiro Miyakuni
708 Addison St., Berkeley, California 94710-1925
Sho Chiku Bai Classic becomes the only U.S. sake to receive the Gold Award at the 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal
September 26, 2011-- Sho Chiku Bai Classic, brewed by Takara Sake USA Inc. was awarded the highest prize in the Junmai category of the 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal. Out of all 326 entries, Sho Chiku Bai Classic was the only sake made in the U.S. to win the Gold Award at the 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal.
The U.S. National Sake Appraisal is an international annual event held since 2001 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Presented by the International Sake Association (Kokusai Sake Kai), the event evaluates over 300 sake entries and is the largest event of its kind. The Appraisal is conducted by ten judges (five from Japan and five from the U.S.) under the auspices of the Japan National Research Institute of Brewing, which has supervised Japan’s National Sake Appraisal since its inception in 1910.
The tasting is conducted “blind” and in two phases: a first tasting for all entries and a second tasting for those placing in the top fifty percent of the first tasting.
The 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal was held on September 7th and 8th, and evaluated 326 entries from 154 sake breweries. Each entry is considered within the following categories: Daiginjo, Ginjo and Junmai. This year, 86 entries were awarded the Gold Award while 91 entries were awarded the Silver Award.
Takara Sake USA Inc. was awarded three prizes total, all in the Junmai category.
1) Gold Award: Sho Chiku Bai Classic (Berkeley, California)
2) Silver Award: Shirakabegura Kimoto Tokubetsu Junmai (imported: Nada, Japan)
3) Silver Award: Shirakabegura Tokubetsu Junmai (imported: Nada, Japan)
ShirakabeGura, an award winning brewery: ShirakabeGura was created as one of the premium brands of Sho Chiku Bai in 2003 by Takara Sake. ShirakabeGura was built in the Nada region of Kobe city at former Sho Chiku Bai Nada Brewery. Nada region is known most for its rich history of sake brewing, making it the perfect location for ShirakabeGura. The production achieves a delicate balance between traditional handcrafted sake and advanced sake brewing technology with a vision to create the highest quality sake. As of 2011, the ShirakabeGura has received the Gold Medal award of Japan Sake Appraisal for 8 consecutive years.
August 2008 -- Takara Sake participated in the 8th U.S. National Sake Appraisal event receiving multiple awards for its sakes. Takara received the Gold Award for ShirakabeGura DaiGinjo, Gold Award for ShirakabeGura Tokubetsu Junmai, and Silver Awards for both ShirakabeGura Tokubetsu Junmai Kimoto, and ShirakabeGura Tokubetsu Junmai Yamahai.
July 27, 2008 (San Francisco Chronicle, Business section) – “The past and future meet” is a feature article covering major corporate museums in the San Francisco Bay Area. Takara Sake USA’s museum is one of the museums featured.
February 2008 – A wine writer, Lynn Hoffman, and teacher wrote in his new book, The New Short Course in Wine, it’s a book about his pleasant discovery of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori, Silky–Mild and Sho Chiku Bai, Classic. He noted these sakes as his choice of pairing with sushi. “Cépage de Sake-try this at home.”
August 2007 -- Takara Sake participated in the 7th U.S. National Sake Appraisal event. Takara received the Gold Award for ShirakabeGura Dai-Ginjo, the Silver Award for Sho Chiku Bai Dai-Ginjo, and the Silver Award for Sho Chiku Bai Tokubetsu Junmai.
Spring 2007 - Takara Sake USA Bridges Cultural Devide by Becoming OU Kosher.
Publisher: Behind The Union Symbol
July 16, 2006 - FORAGING - Berkeley, Calif.:
Takara Sake USA
Publisher: The New York Times