Ine to Agave
Founded in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, in 2021, Ine to Agave is a brewery producing distinctive craft sake through a combination of locally grown naturally cultivated rice, unique secondary ingredients such as hops and agave syrup, and innovative brewing techniques. Its founder, Shuhei Okazumi, is also one of the initiators of the Craft Sake Brewery Association, making him a key figure in pioneering this new category.
Founded in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, in 2021, Ine to Agave is a brewery producing distinctive craft sake through a combination of locally grown naturally cultivated rice, unique secondary ingredients such as hops and agave syrup, and innovative brewing techniques. Its founder, Shuhei Okazumi, is also one of the initiators of the Craft Sake Brewery Association, making him a key figure in pioneering this new category.
Ine to Agave is a rare brewery that is engaged not only in sake production, but also in community revitalization. Oga City in Akita has been facing severe depopulation, and much of the area had effectively become a shuttered shopping street. After launching the brewery, however, the team opened the ramen shop Ogaya and the food processing facility SANABURI FACTORY in 2023. By continuing to reopen once-closed storefronts throughout the area, they have been sharing the appeal of both the brewery and their hometown of Oga. With one original initiative after another, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Ine to Agave is one of the most distinctive breweries among the many sake and SAKE producers around the world.
Ine to Agave’s sake is made using pesticide-free, fertilizer-free rice grown in Akita Prefecture and spring water from Mount Kampu. Alongside its use of unconventional secondary ingredients, another major hallmark of the brewery is its commitment to brewing that fully harnesses the local natural environment. The rice, grown in collaboration with local farmers, is used with minimal polishing, sometimes as little as 90% remaining, allowing it to be turned into sake with virtually no waste. The brewery also places strong emphasis on developing products that make use of sake lees, promoting the reuse of byproducts and contributing to the growth of the regional economy.
With its combination of high-quality ingredients rooted in the local environment, an innovative craft sake approach, and a commitment to coexistence with and development of the local community, Ine to Agave has become a brewery helping to shape the future of SAKE. Their ambitions continue to expand, and it is safe to say that this is a brewery well worth watching in the years ahead.
