Akabu Brewing Company

Akabu Sake Brewery was founded in 1896 in Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture. It was loved by the local people for its “Hamamusume” brand, but suffered devastating damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. The president, Hideho Furudate, worked hard to continue making sake by borrowing equipment from other sake breweries, and in 2013, he rebuilt the brewery in Morioka City using support from the Earthquake Disaster Recovery Project, which led to the name “Resurrection Brewery”. It is sometimes called.
The sixth generation, Ryunosuke, whose son studied brewing at Tokyo University of Agriculture, returned to the brewery and became chief brewer at the young age of 22, and in 2014 launched a new brand called “AKABU.” Although there were some concerns at first due to his youth, the brand steadily gained a reputation year after year due to its reliable taste and stability of alcohol quality, becoming a national brand not only in Iwate prefecture but also in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and receiving numerous awards. It has also been shining.
The average age of the brewery’s members, including the chief brewer, is young, and the majority are young people who have made a U-turn and returned to their hometowns. In order to allow them to continue working, the company installed machinery that allows four people to brew sake per day, and instituted a two-day work week. By aiming to make pure, high-quality sake, the sake brewery has gained a strong following and continues to grow, rather than just providing temporary support for reconstruction efforts. (Tomomi Seki)