Mabi, located in the northwestern part of Kurashiki City.
In the Hattori district, where peaceful rural scenery stretches across the area south of the Oda River, there is a workshop called “HOIDA CRAFT” that began producing amazake and liqueurs in 2024.
The workshop renovated a building that had been used as a sake brewery until the 1960s, and produces and sells small batches of liqueurs and amazake made with locally grown fruit and other ingredients.
We visited to learn about the story of a new kind of sake-making emerging from a historic brewery.
The information presented was current when this article was published in May 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About HOIDA CRAFT
HOIDA CRAFT is a workshop established in 2024 that produces liqueurs and amazake.
Representative Director Watanabe Nobuyuki was formerly the head of Yoikigen Co., Ltd., a long-established sake brewery with a history of more than 100 years. After leaving the family business of sake brewing, he renovated the old brewery at his family home, the place where Yoikigen was based and made sake until it moved to Soja City in 1966, and established HOIDA CRAFT, driven by his desire to “once again make sake rooted in the local community.”
The name “HOIDA” comes from Hoida Village in Kibi District, the name of the area when sake brewing began here in 1907. It expresses the intention to “return home” to the place where the business began and move forward with a new philosophy.
Hoida Village
A village that once existed in the present-day Hoida district of Tamashima, Kurashiki City, and part of Mabi. It was incorporated into Tamashima City and Mabi Town, Kibi District, and abolished on April 1, 1956.
About the workshop
The workshop, created by renovating the old brewery, takes advantage of the benefits of small-scale production to make a variety of liqueurs.
The main fruit-based liqueurs are prepared to coincide with the harvest season of each fruit.
The machine used to bottle the finished liqueurs can fill two bottles at a time. Watanabe said that this size is easy to handle for small-scale production.
In the room at the back is equipment for making amazake that has been used since the Yoikigen days.
This large, pot-like machine is a “saccharification machine,” which converts the starch in rice into sugar. It is essential to making amazake and can handle batches of up to 300 liters.
To use it, an immersion heater is placed in the adjacent tank to heat the water. A pump then circulates the hot water around the vessel, keeping the temperature constant. Watanabe explained that it works on the same principle as making amazake in a household rice cooker.
Using this equipment, they usually prepare about 100–120 liters of amazake per batch.
Outside the workshop is the koji room, the heart of amazake production. Watanabe calls it the “wooden room,” a small space with a handmade feel, built as a DIY project.
“Niwa Bar,” also used as an event venue
The premises include a DIY-built “Niwa Bar” space, which they are considering using for events and other purposes in the future.
The stylish interior, with its warm wood accents, has a bar counter and offers a variety of alcoholic drinks in addition to the company’s own products.
Products
HOIDA CRAFT currently makes original liqueurs using locally grown fruit and other ingredients, as well as amazake made using techniques developed over many years of sake brewing.
Original liqueurs
Made with the motto “exploring the possibilities of liqueurs,” these fruit liqueurs are produced in small batches with a commitment to handmade craftsmanship. They make the most of fresh local ingredients, hand-cutting seasonal fruits such as white peaches, pears, and mandarins.
A key feature is that no coloring or flavoring is used during preparation, preserving the fruit’s natural flavor and generous fruitiness.
They also make yuzu liqueur. This carefully crafted liqueur uses yuzu juice from Kochi Prefecture, renowned as a yuzu-producing region.
The company also makes “hakkan-sui” (Japanese mint water).
From 1873 to 1941, Japan was the world’s largest producer of Japanese mint.
Okayama Prefecture was the second-largest producer in Japan, after Hokkaido. Against this historical backdrop, the company uses “Shinbi Midori,” a variety grown in Yakage Town, where cultivation has recently been revived, and extracts its essence.
Adding the mint water to mandarin or yuzu liqueur creates an even more refreshing flavor.
Amazake
As mentioned in the introduction to the workshop, amazake made using techniques developed over many years of sake brewing is one of HOIDA CRAFT’s popular products.
They use koji made by hand in a dedicated koji room to produce amazake that brings out the natural sweetness of rice.
The distinctive amazake packaging features humorous illustrations of cats, pandas, penguins, and cows, making you want to pick up a bottle.
Participation in various events
As this is only the company’s second year since its founding (2026), it is actively taking part in events to introduce itself to more people.
In Kurashiki City, they have set up booths (or plan to) at events such as “Ishichi New Sake Festival,” “BEER SMILES,” “Achi Festival,” and “Enjoy Bitchu Jizake Fes SAKEbe!!.”
It also plans to take part in larger events, including the “WASHU FES,” to be held in Tokyo and Osaka in July 2026, as well as trade exhibitions for industry professionals to expand its business partnerships.
We spoke with company president Watanabe Nobuyuki about his commitment to product development and his outlook for the future.
HOIDA CRAFT Co., Ltd. Information
| Organization Name | HOIDA CRAFT Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacture and sale of liqueurs, amazake, and other products |
| Representative | Watanabe Nobuyuki |
| Year Established | 2024 |
| Address | 431 Hattori, Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | Phone 086-697-5533 (090-7372-1009 Watanabe) Fax 086-697-5539 |
| Website | HOIDA CRAFT |
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