Daimon, a traditional Japanese sake brewery founded in 1826, is entering the Chinese market for the first time this year

Established in 1826, Daimon is expanding to the Greater China market in the second half of this year. Now owned by the sixth-generation of the same family, the company is aiming to bring premium sakes to the rapidly growing Chinese market.

“China is the fastest growing importer of sake worldwide and is a critical growth market for our brand,” commented Fergus Fung, chief executive officer of Daimon Brewery.

“New markets outside of Japan present a great opportunity, so we continue to strategically invest our efforts to reach more consumers globally. Our mission remains to be the gateway of sake to the world by producing the highest quality craft sake.”

In China, sake consumption mostly occurs during social gatherings among friends or colleagues and during business meetings, with the premium sake category becoming an increasingly popular option. The company believes its variety of sake and versatility of taste profiles will appeal to Chinese consumers.

Daimon’s brewing process uses a free-flowing mountain water source at the foot of Mount Ikoma – a unique approach that only 3% of global sake breweries are still using today. The Rikyubai Series sakes is made using the “Ginjo” method, which uses a slower fermentation process at a lower temperature, with each grain of rice milled or polished at least 60%, resulting in a quality sake with a fragrant, clean, and distinctive flavour profile.

Meanwhile, the Daimon Series has a distinctive umami flavour which contributes to the sakes’ ability to pair with an array of dishes, from strong flavoured BBQ or grilled meat dishes to sushi, sashimi and sukiyaki.

Imported sake revenue from China has experienced rapid growth over the past three years. In 2018, China was the fastest growing importer of sake, having become the second largest importer of sake just behind America.