Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

The Tentaka brewery is located in the heart of Tochigi Prefecture in the city of Otawara. A region where nature is rich and climate pleasant, sunny, with mild temperatures in summer and cool in winter. The surroundings, between the Nakagawa River and Tokugawa River, are fertile. Rice farming has always been carried out here. Water is abundant and pure, available from the Nasudake spring in the northern part of the Prefecture. The conditions for producing quality sake are therefore largely favourable, and Tentaka Brewery uses them in a rather original production approach. Within this ideal environment, the brewery combines a very strict approach to raw material quality using organically grown rice with a strong commitment to promoting automation and computerization of its production processes by introducing the most advanced equipment. This is a necessity in Japan, where the working population is tending to shrink, but it is also a desire from Tentaka to enable its employees to work safely, while maintaining a high level of quality. A rare thing at the moment is that the brewery produces its own rice, combining tradition and modernity.