Mua Craft Sake brewery in HCMC, Vietnam has produced sake locally using Vietnamese rice, a product born during the pandemic when trade and logistics were severely impacted due to social restrictions.
Vietnamese deep appreciation for Japanese cuisine and culture, and the large number of Japanese restaurants in the country has led to the owner and CEO of Mua Craft Sake, Na Dai Kang’s idea of producing sake at home during the pandemic. Brewing sake outside Japan was already a challenge, but doing so in Vietnam’s hot and humid climate seemed even more improbable. But Kang has successfully brewed sake using Vietnamese rice, utilising resources within the country, and at the same time adapts to local palate.
In 2022, Mùa Craft Sake was born through a collaboration between Japan’s Heiwa Shuzo sake brewery, East West Brewing Co., and Mùa Trà Quế restaurant. Mùa Craft Sake has successfully produced sake using fragrant ST25 rice, which won the title of the world’s best rice in 2019 and 2023.
The result was CT25 sake – named after “Cò Trắng” (White Stork) to honor farmers, with “25” paying tribute to the rice variety. Due to the rice unique characteristics, it releases aromas of coconut, pineapple, and popcorn, with a dry finish.
The idea of brewing Japan’s national drink with Vietnamese rice, right in Vietnam, could be a good case study of innovation, but also a clever adjustment to an unpredictable world of growing tariffs, political unstability and rising logistic and manufacturing costs. Perhaps, countries that rely heavily on imports of certain food products for their local population could consider similar innovation path so as to be less reliant on imports.
