A project to boost export sales of Hokkaido-made sake to China was announced on Dec. 1 as an effort to crack open up a new market for the rice wine, which has seen its demand drop off because of the prolonged effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Nitori Public Co., a subsidiary of major furniture manufacturer and retailer Nitori Holdings Co., and liquor wholesaler Hokusyuhan are the driving forces behind the effort, and five sake breweries in Hokkaido are now part of the project.
Donning happi coats, impassioned representatives of the five firms promoted their respective sake products at a press conference.
While it is difficult for small breweries in Hokkaido to establish their own sales channels, support from the Nitori group, which has strong ties with China in furniture manufacturing as well as other fields, can provide a great advantage.
For instance, 960 bottles of sake were produced as a gift item and exported to China through the project in time for the Chinese New Year in February, and each of the 720-milliliter offerings was well-received in Shanghai and other parts of the country.
Kobayashi Shuzo Co., located in the town of Kuriyama, is among the five firms. Founded in 1878, the brewery is known for its Kitanonishiki sake brand.
Said Yonesaburo Kobayashi, the brewery's 58-year-old president: "It had been difficult for us to expand into the Chinese market since not only sake made by manufacturers outside of Hokkaido already dominate the market, and China is also home to business customs that require relationships with the administrative authorities."
The company began exporting sake eight years ago. Now it ships its products to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia.
Exports to Southeast Asian nations are particularly strong, accounting for 5% of the company's total shipments that are buoyed by the popularity of Hokkaido with its snow, natural surroundings, cuisine and sake. However, the company had struggled to penetrate the Chinese market, finding itself unable to establish a sales channel there.
The company ships about 300 kiloliters of sake a year, but the figure dipped by more than 20% in 2020, in part because of the persistent pandemic.
Now with 90% of its shipments to locations in Hokkaido and demand sluggish, the company is natural1y pinning its hopes on the overseas markets.
Kitanonishiki holds a healthy resume. The sake earned the top honor, the platinum award, in the category of junmai daiginjo, or highly refined pure sake, and was also a top-five selection in the same category at the Kura Master sake competition last year.
Kobayashi Shuzo has been participating in the Paris-based competition since 2018. Kobayashi said the victories gave the company momentum for overseas expansion.
In addition, there are local fans of the product who continue to buy Kitanonishiki even in these difficult times. A memorial hall set up in the historic brewery hosts about 100,000 visitors every year. Said Kobayashi: "Targeting both the Hokkaido and overseas markets, we want to
cater to our longtime customers, while also attracting new clientele."
-- Leading breweries
The four other breweries that joined the sake export project include Asahikawa-based Otokoyama Co., which has won a Grand Gold Quality Award from Monde Selection, the International Quality Institute, in the category of Spirits and Liqueurs for 13 consecutive years; Takasago Shuzo Co., also in Asahikawa and known for its Kokushimuso brand of sake; the town of Mashike's Kunimare Sake Brewery, which calls itself the "northernmost sake brewery" and Nipponseishu Co. in Sapporo and is known for its Chitosetsuru sake.
All are well-established leading breweries in the region.
The group plans to encourage other area sake breweries in Hokkaido to join the project and to promote their products in northeastern China, including Dalian, which has close ties with Japan.
The Nitori group also benefits from this project as it can load sake into cargo ships when they return to China after delivering furniture to
Japan. Said a Nitori Public official: "Sake, along with Japanese food, is widely recognized in China as something good for the health. We hope to increase the demand for Hokkaido-produced sake."
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