Tsurunoe Sake Brewery

Yuri Hayashi was born the eldest daughter at Tsurunoe Sake Brewery, which dates back to 1794. In 1996, she graduated from the same program as her father, the Department of Fermentation Science at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and joined the family brewery.

"I joined the family business because I wanted to try what I learned at university in a practical way," she says. "I had also seen firsthand how difficult the work of a small brewery owner was, so I wanted to help my family."

At the time, her father, the 7th generation owner, was in charge of sales and other external business, while her mother, a certified sake brewing technician, handled the important work inside the brewery.

Yuri: The Hit New Product Created with Her Mother

In the winter of her first year, Yuri, who was studying at the "Sake Academy," was entrusted with developing a new product. The concept, proposed by a department store in Tokyo, was "sake for women, by women."

She designed the sake quality with her mother, deciding on a Junmai Daiginjo with a floral and fragrant character, using Fukushima's sake rice and yeast. She also incorporated sub-zero bottle aging, which was rare at the time.

The resulting sake, "Yuri," was floral, crisp, clean, and dry, capturing the hearts not only of women but of many Japanese sake fans.