Providing Growth Capital for the Branding of Machida Shuzo's Kokuto Shochu and Global Distribution
- Company Name
- Machida Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Machida Shuzo Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Tatsugo-cho, Kagoshima) is a manufacturer of kokuto shochu (a spirit distilled using specially refined brown sugar). This product originates from the Amami archipelago and is distributed under brand names including Sato no Akebono, Isson, and Amami no Mori.
The company also engages in the cultivation of sugarcane and rice, both crucial ingredients in the manufacturing of kokuto shochu. Machida produces a shochu that boasts a mild yet deep flavor through the vacuum distillation, atmospheric distillation and long-term aging of its raw materials--brown sugar and rice koji (fermented rice). The company is winning high praise for its kokuto shochu in Japan and abroad. In May 2018, Sato no Akebono Gold was awarded BEST OF SHOCHU at the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. Then in 2019, Sato no Akebono was awarded a gold medal at the Berlin International Spirits Competition (Germany).
DBJ believes that Machida Shuzo's branding of kokuto shochu, which can only be manufactured in Amami Oshima, and its widespread expansion in Japan and overseas will contribute to the further development of the kokuto shochu industry, a specialty product of the Amami archipelago.
DBJ published a report on the shochu industry titled "New Age of Shochu--Potential of Putting Aromatic Premium Shochu and Authentic Shochu Back on the Frontlines" (released April 2017). DBJ is following industry trends and disseminating information on this industry.
