[Taka Town] Soy sauce brewed using traditional techniques and safe ingredients in wooden barrels that have been used for over 100 years

• Table of Contents
• Brewing 25-30 types in two breweries
• Features natural wooden barrel preparation
• Directly managed stores are select shops with unique products.
• Events held 5 times a year
• basic information

Brewing 25-30 types in two breweries

Head office factory

Adachi Brewery, located in Taka-cho, Taka-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, was founded in 1889 by Kazushige Adachi, the great-grandfather of current CEO Yutaka Adachi. When the company first opened, it was located about 100 meters away from the current location of the company along National Route 427, and although the first generation was running a different business, they started by taking over a soy sauce brewing company.

Organic soy sauce aging storehouse in the back on the left

Currently, we produce 25 to 30 types of products, including 15 types of our own products, PB products, and special products for export overseas, at our main factory, which we built in 2012, and our organic soy sauce aging warehouse, which we newly opened in 2022. Masu.

Features natural wooden barrel preparation

Prepared in wooden barrels that have been preserved for generations.

The most distinctive feature of this brewery is that it is brewed in wooden barrels. Currently, 99% of Japanese soy sauce is brewed in tanks made of stainless steel or plastic, and less than 1% is brewed in wooden barrels. Adachi Brewing is particular about brewing using only wooden barrels.

Looking back at history, the only brewing containers available before the war were wooden barrels, and it seems that the barrels used in the sake industry were often reused.

There was a time when Japanese sake brewers switched to wooden vats every 20 years or so, and old vats were sold to soy sauce and miso breweries. Used wooden vats were used to brew soy sauce and miso, and new ones were rarely purchased. And. Unlike sake, soy sauce and miso use salt, so the advantage of reusing them was that they were less likely to clog and leak.

After the war, as the sake industry changed from wooden vats to stainless steel or enamel tanks to improve hygiene and taste, soy sauce breweries also made similar changes.

The new bucket in the back is used for export.

At Adachi Brewing, we currently use 60 wooden barrels of different sizes for brewing. This is the largest scale in Kansai. The advantage of preparing sake in a wooden barrel is that it increases the complexity of the flavor and brings out a deep flavor, including aroma. It seems that the environment in which microorganisms live is also involved.

And, as with wine, it is important to be able to make wine in a way that suits the local climate. This allows for preparations suitable for natural brewing that takes advantage of Japan's four seasons.

Major soy sauce companies that use large tanks tend to produce products in 3 to 6 months while adjusting the temperature inside the tank, but at Adachi Jozo, it takes 1 to 1.5 years for brewing. . We will take a month and a half off from mid-July to the end of August, and then start preparing in September.

Fermentation does not begin until the following spring, so the craftsman's skill is in blending and adjusting so that there is no difference in taste between the previously brewed ingredients and the most recently brewed ingredients. And.

Stir daily immediately after brewing.

There is an old saying that goes, ``1st is the koji, 2nd is the paddle, and 3rd is the pasteurization.'' When making soy sauce, it seems that this order is important.

``There are only a few companies in Hyogo Prefecture that carry out their own in-house production, from making koji to bottling.We truly value and take pride in making koji,'' says Yutaka proudly.

old-fashioned wooden bucket

This time, we had a special opportunity to see the wooden barrels that have been used for generations in the aging room. Of course, he is still an active player. The wood's surface shows that it has been used for a long time, and I realized that it is an environment in which microorganisms can easily thrive.

*Kura tour is available for groups of 10 or more people (reservations required, negotiable)

Directly managed stores are select shops with unique products.

Directly managed store along National Route 427

A store lined with products

The directly managed store, which opened in 1990 and was renovated in 2019, carries not only our own products, but also unique products such as natural foods from all over the country, seasonings and foods made by carefully selected producers, and sake from Hyogo Prefecture. are lined up.

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"Kake soy sauce" (900ml, 950 yen), "Domestic organic soy sauce" (900ml, 1,642 yen)

Let's introduce the best sellers and recommendations from among the 15 types of our own products.

First up is ``kake soy sauce''. It has a slightly sweet, deep, and impressive taste. It is a signature product that is the most popular in Hyogo Prefecture and has been the best-selling product for a long time. Another good thing is that it is available in 5 sizes: 200ml, 300ml, 360ml, 900ml, and 1800ml.

Domestic Organic Soy Sauce, which has been the top seller for about 10 years, is a soy sauce made in wooden vats using organic soybeans, organic wheat, and Ako salt from contracted farmers across the country. This is also available in a wide variety of sizes including 200ml, 300ml, 500ml, and 900ml.

Other popular items include dashi soy sauce based on domestic organic soy sauce and yuzu ponzu.

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"Freshly squeezed organic raw soy sauce" (100ml, 400 yen)

There are also products available only at the direct sales office.

"Freshly squeezed organic raw soy sauce" using domestically produced organic ingredients is recommended for cold tofu, sashimi, salads, etc.

Inside the directly managed store

The north side of the directly managed store mainly sells seasonings and sake.

When it opened in 1990, there were no convenience stores or roadside stations in the area, so it stocked cup ramen, seasonings, and everything you could want at a shop.

Hyogo local sake corner

The fourth generation owner, Tatsuaki Adachi, who is Yutaka's father, has started selecting sake mainly from within Hyogo Prefecture, such as Yamana Sake Brewery and Honda Shoten.

Seasoning corner

In the seasoning corner, we have selected carefully recommended items.

A wide variety of organic foods

At the same time as the renewal, we have strengthened our selection of organic products, including products from carefully selected producers.

``Rather than buying products if they don't sell like they do at a supermarket, we carefully select good products that people will continue to buy for a long time,'' Yu says.

There is also a rich gift corner

The gift corner is also well-stocked, with not only an assortment of our own products, but also a combination of our own products with other products, and a "Taka no Sato direct delivery" service that combines soy sauce with eggs and sausages from Taka town. We also have gift packs filled with delicious local food.

When you receive a gift like this, your mood will improve.

Events held 5 times a year

Photo provided by: Adachi Brewing Brewery Festival

Photo provided by: Adachi Brewing Brewery Festival

The Adachi Brewery Festival is a three-day event held five times a year in March, May, July, October, and November. Throughout the three days, not only will they be selling their own products at discounted prices, but they will also be collaborating with stores in Taka Town, Nishiwaki City, and Tamba City, and there will be around 10 stores lined up as food and merchandise booths.

We also offer brewery tours (from 11:00 a.m. and from 2:00 p.m.) with no reservations required.

“We value the Kura Festival as a relationship with the local community.As far as future prospects go, I would like to not make any major changes, and while valuing the use of wooden barrels and organic products, I would like to develop new products and branding. ” said Yu.

The ``kake soy sauce'' I bought this time was really delicious and perfect for egg-cooked rice. Also, I wanted to go buy a different product.

Adachi Soy Sauce Brewery Festival Date and time: November 17th (Friday), 18th (Saturday), 19th (Sunday) 9:00-17:00 Contents: Food and beverage/product sales booths, discounts on in-house products (soy sauce, miso, gifts) Sales, brewery tour (11:00~, 14:00~)

(Writer Utami)

*This article is information as of September 2023. Prices include tax. Product contents and prices may change.

basic information

Adachi Brewery

Address: 81-1 Nishiwaki, Kami-ku, Taka-cho, Taka-gun, Hyogo Prefecture

Phone number: 0795-35-0031

Business hours: 9:00-17:30

Regular holidays: Irregular holidays

Access: Approximately 45 minutes from Nishiwaki City Station on the Wing Shinki bound for Yamayosekami, 1 minute walk from Tsukigahana, 22 minutes from Kanzaki Minami IC on the Bantan Access Road, 33 minutes from Takinosha IC on the Chugoku Expressway.

Parking lot: 10 spaces

HP: https://adachi-jozo.co.jp/

SNS: Instagram