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Nov 05, 2024

WATCH | Origami Sake announces expanded distribution, new products | Hot Springs Sentinel Record

Origami Sake, located on East Grand Avenue, recently announced plans to greatly increase its distribution area, along with the introduction of a single-serve canned sake to its product line along with

Origami Sake, located on East Grand Avenue, recently announced plans to greatly increase its distribution area, along with the introduction of a single-serve canned sake to its product line along with an alcohol-free sake.

Founded in 2022 by President Matt Bell and Vice President Ben Bell, the firm expanded into 10 states in 2023 and will add 14 to 15 markets next year, Matt Bell said.

"We could probably go more than that by the end of the year," he said.

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The company began with statewide distribution, moving on to "get our backyard ... states around Arkansas," he said, and is now set to move into America's two largest sake markets: California and New York.

This week, Origami Sake will introduce canned beverages to its lineup, "which is going to be really a pretty high volume product for us," Matt Bell said. "It allows people to take an introductory try" without spending the full bottle price.

The brewery also plans to introduce "the first nonalcoholic sake in America," he said, citing the growth in demand for nonalcoholic alternatives to popular drinks. "It's trending to be about 5-6% of the overall alcoholic market."

The sake will be produced using a fermentation method that produces no alcohol, according to Ben Bell. "We're using lactobacillus, which is lactic acid-making bacteria," rather than yeast.

The lactobacillus will be combined with "100% koji, or malted rice, to provide those sugars and also provide those more complex and sake-like flavors," he said. "The fermentation is happening from the ... bacteria, but that bacteria doesn't make alcohol."

Ben Bell noted the current market presents a unique opportunity for nonalcoholic sake. "If you tried to do this years ago ... you may not be successful."

However, Matt Bell added that "nonalcoholic beverages are better for you and people are drinking less."

The growth of sake has coincided with a decrease in the market for wine and craft beer, as well as "a shift to better for you categories ... sake is the best for you category," Matt Bell said.

Origami Sake's expansion in distribution and product variety is part of the company's effort to position sake as an Arkansas product, he said.

"You think of Kentucky and bourbon, like Napa and wine ... Arkansas has everything needed to make premium world-class sake," he said, with the availability of sake rice and Hot Springs water.

"Arkansas is the Napa Valley of sake in America," Matt Bell said.

"We'd love for folks to think of our sake as a real local beverage. Arkansas doesn't have a lot of famous foods and drinks like, let's say Texas barbecue or ... Kentucky bourbon, but (Origami Sake) is truly ... a local thing," Ben Bell said.