Achieving Three Consecutive World Titles Through Technical Excellence - Niizawa Sake Brewery, Miyagi

Niizawa Sake Brewery, renowned for its exceptional sake quality, is a name that frequently appears among the top prize winners at sake competitions. Based in Miyagi Prefecture, the brewery has attracted attention with bold innovations and actions, such as achieving an incredible rice polishing ratio of 0% and appointing a 22-year-old as head brewer—a groundbreaking move at the time. In recent years, the brewery has continued to push boundaries by establishing ventures like a gin distillery and a staffing agency, embracing new challenges to diversify its operations. However, the path to success was far from smooth.

When Iwao Niizawa, the fifth-generation head of the brewery, took over 24 years ago, the company was burdened with 200 million yen in debt and ranked among the lowest in the prefecture in sake quality competitions. Since then, the brewery has transformed itself into a global leader, supported by a team of skilled artisans, including a young female chief brewer, whose collective efforts exemplify a relentless pursuit of excellence.

In this article, we delve into the remarkable journey of Niizawa Brewery—how it overcame adversity, including the Great East Japan Earthquake, to achieve world-class recognition—and explore the organizational strength that underpins its continued success.

A Fifth-Generation Kuramoto Forged by Adversity

Honing tasting skills to identify challenges

Niizawa Brewery, founded in 1873 in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (formerly Sanbongi Town), has been known for its beloved local sake, "Atago no Matsu." However, like many others in the industry, the brewery faced significant challenges during the 1970s sake industry decline, eventually falling into financial trouble.

“When I enrolled at Tokyo University of Agriculture, the brewery was burdened with over 200 million yen in debt, while our annual sales barely reached 20 million yen. We couldn’t even afford my university entrance fee—my parents had to borrow money from all our relatives. I supported myself as a scholarship student, delivering newspapers to make ends meet,” recalls Iwao Niizawa, the fifth-generation head of the brewery.

While studying at Tokyo University of Agriculture, Iwao Niizawa honed his skills at Asahiya Sake Shop, a specialty store for local sake near the university. Determined to sharpen his palate, he trained rigorously, by tasting five different types of sake each morning, afternoon, and evening. Through this intense practice, he discovered that “the way flavors are perceived changes completely depending on the time of day and temperature.” His dedication paid off at the age of 20, when he became the youngest person to win a sake tasting competition hosted by the Junsui Nihonshu Kyokai (Pure Sake Association of Japan), achieving a perfect score.

“While I was tasting and comparing various types of sake in Tokyo, I came to a harsh realization: the sake from my family’s brewery wasn’t good. Entering the world of sake through tasting was a blessing—if I hadn’t, I might have ended up asking people to buy our sake without truly understanding its quality,” Niizawa reflects.

At the university, often attended by the successors of sake breweries, Niizawa found himself on the sidelines. “When having meals with sake retailers and other business partners, my classmates would engage in conversations, but I wasn’t spoken to,” he recalls.

“After meetings where I was ignored for two hours, I’d go home alone, reflecting on what had happened. I’d tell myself, 'If you don’t have money, you have to use your ingenuity and find ways to gather information.’ These are words I still share with my employees today.”

Rapid growth to total destruction in the wake of the earthquake

While working part-time as a private tutor, Iwao Niizawa briefly considered pursuing a career in education. However, the environment at Tokyo University of Agriculture, where many of his peers were successors to sake breweries, strengthened his determination to take over the family business. After graduating in 2000, he joined Niizawa Brewery. In 2002, he launched a new brand, Hakurakusei, designed specifically to complement food.

The sake gained national attention in 2003 when it was featured as a "hidden local gem" in the popular magazine dancyu, propelling it into the spotlight seemingly overnight.

“When it wasn’t selling, no one paid attention to us. But after the magazine feature, we were inundated with hundreds of inquiries. It was overwhelming, and I felt a sense of fear that if we weren’t in the magazine anymore, the sales would disappear,” Niizawa explains. “To mitigate that risk, we chose not to aggressively expand our sales channels and instead focused on ensuring that our existing customers never ran out of stock.”

The production volume at Niizawa Brewery, which had initially been 200 koku (approximately 36 kiloliters), had grown to 1,500 koku (about 270 kiloliters), with sales reaching the 300 to 400 million yen range. Just as the brewery was on the brink of repaying its debts in full, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11, 2011, bringing yet another major challenge.

The disaster completely destroyed the three warehouses in Osaki City. Amidst the chaos, with many employees searching for missing family members, the brewery began salvaging the moromi (fermenting mash) under the guidance of the Miyagi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center just three days after the quake.

“Thanks to the support of around 50 sake breweries from across the country, we were able to continue shipping sake without interruption. It was deeply moving to feel such solidarity within the industry,” Niizawa recalls. “Since we had nothing tangible to offer in return, we decided to give back by sharing our techniques. Together, we collaborated to brew a non-commercial sake called Unite 311 Super 7, featuring a record-breaking rice polishing ratio of 7%.”

To secure a future for their brewing operations, Niizawa Brewery purchased the former site of the Maruya Tensho sake brewery in Kawasaki-machi, which had gone out of business due to the earthquake. In 2012, they established the current Kawasaki brewery on the site. However, the 80-kilometer distance from Osaki City posed significant challenges, leading to 90% of the brewery’s employees at the time deciding to leave.

The Key to the world title: "data" and "information"

In 2024, Niizawa Sake Brewery had accumulated 115 awards across 16 competitions in Japan and abroad. Remarkably, they became the first brewery in history to claim the top spot in the World Sakagura Rankings for three consecutive years.

Niizawa explains that their initial motivation for entering so many competitions was to inspire the team during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It wasn’t until we won that I noticed how the perception from outside the industry began to shift,” he recalls. “From that point, I thought we might aim for consecutive championships—something no one had achieved before.”

The key to Niizawa Brewery’s success in sake competitions lies in the exceptional tasting abilities of both Iwao Niizawa and chief brewer Nanami Watanabe, combined with meticulous data management.

To ensure their sake is evaluated favorably by judges under any conditions, they categorize room temperatures into three levels and use sensory training to deeply understand the characteristics of their sake. Additionally, they analyze key factors such as acidity, amino acid content, and glucose levels in award-winning sakes from competitions, compiling the data into Excel sheets to identify trends over the years.

Niizawa Sake Brewery takes precision a step further by adjusting glucose values by 0.1 for each production lot. They also tailor specifications based on bottle size (1.8L or 720ml) and shipping region. This meticulous approach ensures consistent quality across their entire range, from cup sake to premium labels, elevating the standard of all their products.

This meticulous approach stems from Niizawa Sake Brewery’s "fresh rotation" policy, where they travel across the country to replace products that have passed their prime with fresh stock.

“Once a year, we travel about 4,000 kilometers, from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south, over the course of two weeks,” Niizawa explains. “During these visits, we noticed that the same sake can taste different depending on the climate and local cuisine. This led us to start adjusting the specifications for each business partner.”

While arranging samples from the 2023 brewing year during our September 2024 interview, Niizawa shared a recent observation: “This year was particularly hot, so all the lots with a glucose level below 1.0 sold out completely.”

“People experience flavors differently in hot and cold weather. If you serve the same product year-round, some may feel the flavor has changed. Adding a touch of sweetness can mask some differences, but if you want sake to complement food as a table sake, it must remain balanced and not overly heavy.”

Niizawa emphasizes a distinct philosophy: “Sake breweries often focus on the production process—what yeast they use or how they make their koji—and the discussion of the final product can take a back seat. At our brewery, we prioritize ‘what kind of sake we are shipping out’ over ‘what kind of sake we are making.’”

Cultivating an ownership mindset among employees

At Niizawa Sake Brewery, a system has been implemented to share data and information across all employees, fostering an environment where everyone is encouraged to think independently about both sake production and the broader management of the company. According to Iwao Niizawa, this approach has led to significant improvements: “Every three days, we see two issues resolved—ranging from the detergents we use to the design of business cards and even the layout of our drainage system.”

A critical element in attracting and retaining talented staff is creating a workplace that employees find engaging and inspiring. After earning Youth Yell certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for maintaining an excellent working environment, Niizawa Sake Brewery has continued to enhance its workplace culture by sharing management-level information and actively seeking input from its employees. This collaborative approach not only improves the company’s operations but also strengthens its organizational foundation.

“We conduct three interviews with each employee annually. Additionally, we gradually grant them decision-making authority over company expenses, and all employees collectively decide how to allocate each year’s budget,” explains Iwao Niizawa.

During the interview, we were shown an online bulletin board accessible via the cloud, where employees propose and prioritize site improvements. Suggestions such as adding a refrigerator, installing a steam control device in the koji room, and replacing the forklift were listed along with cost estimates, all aligned with the annual budget.

“We don’t employ sales representatives, nor do we disclose individual performance results,” Niizawa continues. “This is because it could demotivate employees or encourage sales tactics that pressure customers. While we ask customers to evaluate us numerically, we measure our success based on whether we are delivering good sake and maintaining the same standards as in competitions.”

In addition to these daily operational improvements, Niizawa Sake Brewery is actively expanding into new ventures. They have launched affiliated businesses, including a rice polishing service, a craft gin distillery, and a temporary staffing company. Employees are being appointed to executive roles in these ventures, with decision-making authority, further fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility.

“Rice Corporation, our rice milling business, was established in 2008 to bring the management of sake rice entirely in-house. One of the major advantages of this approach is the ability to mill rice according to the specific condition of the brown rice. Currently, we are also planning to construct a new rice mill dedicated to pesticide-free rice to produce organic JAS-certified sake.”

Niizawa explains, “When employees become shareholders and have a say in how money is spent, they naturally adopt the mindset of a manager. Beyond daily data and operational issues, we share information with business partners and insights from other companies, encouraging active discussions about what we can achieve on our own.”

“There are limits to what a single person can observe, consider, and improve,” Niizawa continues. “At Niizawa Brewery, we aim to harness the perspectives and ideas of our 40 employees to drive continuous improvement.”

All-in on quality preservation technology

The brewery actively invests in equipment deemed necessary from an on-site perspective.

Under this approach, the brewery has introduced sterilizable ozone shoe boxes, designed to store boots with their soles facing forward for thorough germ prevention.

Daily moromi analysis, including measurements of alcohol content and acidity, is streamlined by setting up the equipment each morning and allowing it to operate unattended. The brewery has also adopted cutting-edge tools, such as devices for measuring bacteria levels, including koji mold, and is the first in the industry to utilize high-performance medical equipment for glucose level measurement.

During our visit, we happened to see the cleaning of mesh boxes used for making koji. When Mr. Niizawa suggested washing them with hot water, the team quickly tested the idea. Shortly afterward, the person in charge sent an email reporting a significant reduction in bacteria, further demonstrating the brewery’s commitment to data-driven improvements and on-site problem-solving.

From the preparation stage to bottling, every room in the brewery is kept at a temperature cold enough to make people feel chilly. Bottling is handled by industrial robots and automated lines that perform all tasks up to stacking bottles on pallets, minimizing human involvement. The philosophy is clear: “If the quality doesn’t improve or decline, there’s no need for people to be involved.”

“When we were on the verge of bankruptcy, I knew we needed a breakthrough. As a technician myself, I decided to build a team of engineers,” Niizawa explains. “To eliminate uncertainties, we thoroughly collected data and focused our limited budget on achieving ideal flavor profiles. We used clear numerical indicators as benchmarks and combined them with superior tasting abilities to exceed those targets.”

“With this approach, if we can’t sell sake based on our skills, I’d be ready to stop making it altogether without any regrets,” says Niizawa with conviction. Reflecting on more than 20 years of progress since taking over as head of the brewery, it becomes evident that steady investments and continuous improvements have driven their success.

"There are no miracle solutions in the success of a sake brewery. It’s about sacrificing sleep to study and thinking deeply about what your brewery truly needs."

Niizawa Sake Brewery, renowned for its remarkable investments and achievements, has left an indelible mark on the sake industry. Behind its impressive accolades lies a story of adversity that forged exceptional technical expertise and relentless, methodical efforts to secure victory.

Brewery Inforamtion

Niizawa Sake Brewery
Address: 63 Kitamachi, Sanbongi, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan 989-6321
Established: 1873
Chief Brewer: Nanami Watanabe
HP: https://niizawa-brewery.co.jp/