The story of Yoro Shuzo Sake Brewery - The journey from heavy rains in western Japan to recovery -

"Disaster"

Due to heavy rains in western Japan, the warehouse and home were flooded by approximately 3 meters. After witnessing the devastation, he almost gave up on making sake.

Due to flooding caused by the heavy rains that occurred in western Japan on July 7, 2018, three sake breweries, a workshop, and an adjacent home were submerged in water to a height of approximately 3 meters. The building's mud walls were peeling off, and more than 30 sake tanks were tossed around, with some even breaking through the ceiling.

Sluddy mud covers the entire floor, and tools that have been passed down over the years are scattered on top of it. The moment I saw such a tragic situation, the two words that went through my mind were "going out of business."

"Resurrection"

Taking courage from his friends and volunteers, a week later he decided to start brewing sake in the new year.

I started cleaning up, but I felt depressed and my body wasn't moving as I wanted. The people who gave us courage were the local people, our friends at the Prefectural Sake Brewers Association, and all the volunteers.

Seeing him sweating and carrying mud away, he thought to himself, ``I shouldn't give up so easily,'' and one week after the disaster, he decided to start making sake in January of the following year. Having a goal gives me a sense of motivation and makes cleaning up easier.

"support"

The funds raised through crowdfunding are the driving force that motivates us.

In the end, it was decided that the two sake breweries and his home, which were severely damaged, would be demolished. Cleaning up continued into the new year, but in January they started preparing sake. Most of the necessary equipment and machinery was purchased new, and part of the cost was raised through crowdfunding.

In the end, approximately 1.77 million yen was raised, but what struck me more than the size of the amount was the warmth of the people. Crowdfunding has become the driving force that motivates us to rebuild.

"bond"

The eldest son, who returned home before the preparation, became the successor. My heart warms when I receive an offer from a colleague.

Just before we started preparing sake, our eldest son, who had returned home, told us, ``I want to continue the family business so that we can preserve the traditional sake brewery,'' which gave us great strength.

Also, when I told my colleagues in the same industry that I would be starting preparations in January, they were surprised and said, ``What's the situation like?'', but they immediately told me, ``Please use the tools we have if you need them.'' It's getting hot. It is thanks to everyone involved that we were able to restart sake brewing.

"challenge"

I want to do my best so that ``Kaze no Sato'' can stir up a new spirit in people's hearts and become a banner for regional recovery.

I'm sure I'll be scolded for saying this, but when I finished the new sake, I was so excited that it was done, that the taste became secondary (lol).

By continuing to produce and ship sake, we will continue to send the message to those who have supported us that ``Yoro Shuzo Sake Brewery is doing its best!''

We also hope that ``Kaze no Sato'' can become a banner for the recovery of the region, so that it can stir up a new wave of positivity in the hearts of those affected by the disaster.