After a decade of planning, the goal of bringing a sake brewery to Hot Springs came one step closer to reality on Sunday during the Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Little Rock businessman Matt Bell, a partner in Entegrity, an energy services company, announced at the festival's opening that he and Ben Bell, no relation, were opening Origami Sake in Hot Springs.
"We are located at 2360 E. Grand, the old Texamerican building, and to our knowledge, it will be the largest U.S.-based sake brewery in the country," Matt Bell said.
"Hot Springs in particular, Arkansas in particular, is uniquely positioned for this industry. You know we grow 50% of the rice, one of our farmers today is here, Isbell Farms, next to us -- and they grow sake rice. It's a specific medium-grain rice. Hot Springs has water that is perfect for brewing sake, as well. The PH and the mineral content is ideal, and the Sister City program with Hanamaki has made all this come together," Matt Bell said.
"And most importantly, we're fortunate to have Ben Bell, who's probably the most educated sake professional in the United States," Matt Bell said.
Matt Bell said the journey started about six years ago when he talked to Ben Bell, and "as a direct result of the Sister City Program, Ben was sent to Japan and learned the art of sake brewing, and we're proud to announced that we're opening Origami Sake here in Hot Springs."
Michelle Roberts, the festival's committee chair, and Mary Zunick, Hot Springs Sister City Foundation executive director, welcomed attendees to Sunday's event, which opened with the brewery announcement.
"As Mary said this is kind of a long time coming, making sake here in Hot Springs. For me personally, I started homebrewing sake in 2007 and that's when I met Chris Isbell and he and his family were growing sake rice in Arkansas and making the rice side famous," Ben Bell said.
He said that, in 2014, with the help of the Sister City Program, he was able to go to Japan "and train for two years at one of the greatest sake breweries in Japan, and now I'm thrilled to come back and bring that training and technical support and help put Arkansas sake on the map."
Roberts and Zunick both expressed enthusiasm for the endeavor.
"We are really excited here as a part of the Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival, again you know we expanded it this year because it's more than just about Hot Springs, and today's big announcement really just highlights that," Zunick said.
"In attendance today we have Isbell Farms. Isbell Farms has been growing, not only are they a huge rice producer, but growing the correct type of rice, the correct variety of rice to brew sake, and they have been since the '90s," Zunick said.
Zunick noted that they started planning this idea in 2012.
"I think it's wonderful. I mean Hot Springs is, you know we have the thermal waters, and our Sister City, that's one of the reasons way we formed the partnership is because that tie with the formal waters, so using that water and the tradition in the brewing process and it being right here in Hot Springs where we have such a tie to Japan, I think it's wonderful and I'm super excited, and I can't wait to try it," Roberts said.
Also in attendance was Arkansas Agricultural Secretary Wes Ward.
"It's a pleasure to be here to represent Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the state of Arkansas. Thank y'all for putting on this event. I know the governor wishes he could be here personally, but his travel kept him from personally being here today," Ward said.
"I just want to remark briefly about how important the relationship is between the U.S. and Japan and Arkansas and Japan. I've been in the Marine Corps for 22 years now and I've had the opportunity to travel to Japan a couple of times, and just an honor to be able to do that to represent not just Arkansas but the U.S. and our military relationship with Japan, so I would just ask for each of you, when you think about the festival today just pause and take a step back and just think about the broader relationship between the United States and Japan and just how important that is," Ward said.
"When you think about some of the issues that we face around the globe -- North Korea, China, Russia -- all of those issues, Japan is so incredibly important, such a strategic incredible alley for the United States as a whole," he said.
Matt Bell, owner of Origami Sake, announces the opening of the brewery in Hot Springs on Sunday at the Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record
Origami is folded during Sunday's Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record