Takara Sake USA, Inc.

Country/Region From: Japan

Industry: Food and Agriculture

Takara Shuzo started exporting “Sho Chiku Bai” sake brands to California in 1951. By 1983, the company established Takara Sake USA Inc. in Berkeley, focusing on producing and distributing “Sho Chiku Bai” brand of sake, alongside other products. They chose Berkeley due to the availability of Calrose rice produced in Northern California and accessibility to high-quality water sourced from the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Climate was also important. Berkeley’s micro-Mediterranean climate, a result of its location facing the San Francisco Bay, provided a year-round cool climate essential to the brewing of sake. In the 1990s, the brewery became one of the largest sake producers in the Americas.

Takara Sake USA has thrived in California by expanding its production area and implemented new equipment to double its annual production capacity. They have benefited from California’s diverse communities and foodie culture.

Find them online at: takarasake.com

Publish Date: June 30, 2021