Draft:Yo-Ho Brewing

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  • Comment: I believe this business is Notable but I think this article should be trimmed down tremendously because right now it doesn't read like an encyclopaedia entry Moritoriko (talk) 13:37, 16 September 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: just blatant advertising, non notable awards and hallucinated references. Theroadislong (talk) 07:22, 20 August 2025 (UTC)


Yo-Ho Brewing Company, Ltd.
Company typeKabushiki Kaisha
IndustryBrewing
Founded1996; 29 years ago (1996) in Karuizawa, Nagano
Area served
Asia
ProductsCraft beer
Number of employees
222 (as of July 2025)
ParentHoshino Resorts
Websitehttps://yohobrewing.com/e/

Yo-Ho Brewing Company, Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社ヤッホーブルーイング) is a craft beer manufacturing company headquartered in Karuizawa, Nagano with breweries located in Saku and Miyota, Nagano.[1][2] It is the largest craft brewery in Japan.[3]

Company Overview

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Yo-Ho Brewing was founded by Yoshiharu Hoshino, an executive at Hoshino Resorts in 1996, after the laws regarding brewing beer were changed in 1994.[4] In 2015 Kirin invested in the company with a 30% stake.[5] As of May 2023, the representative director and president is Naoyuki Ide.[6] Its main brands include "Yona Yona Ale", "Indo no Aooni", "Suiyoubi no Neko", "Uradori no Don Dabada", and "Shouki no Satan".

  • August 1996: Acquired beer manufacturing license (Saku Tax Office, Nagano Prefecture)[7]

Around 1999, the local beer boom in Japan ended, and business performance began to decline[8][9]

From 2004, Yo-Ho Brewing began to focus on online sales and starting in 2005, the company's overall sales increased by over 30% for three consecutive years, achieving growth not seen since the local beer boom.[10][11] Ide attended a course on online sales, learned how to write email newsletters and create web pages, and by diligently applying what he learned to day to day business, online sales began to take off .[12] Ide later reasoned that their success might have come from switching from BtoB, which involved wholesaling beer to retailers, to BtoC, which allowed direct access to consumers via the internet, which made it easier to convey information about their beer to consumers.[13] During this time they also began to produce new types of beers driven by customer feedback.[14][15]

From 2007 to 2008, they first sold an IPA beer which had a strong hops flavour. This was the predecessor of the beer that later gained popularity as "Indo no Aooni". Although IPA is highly popular worldwide now, it was not well-known in Japan at the time. Hoshino was the one who opposed the opinion that "an easier-to-drink (less bitter) beer" would be better.[16] Hoshino stated, "If we make easy-to-drink beer like the major companies, Yo-Ho has no reason to exist," and "Yo-Ho's mission is to provide variety to the Japanese beer market." Despite almost all employees opposing him, Hoshino took responsibility and pushed ahead with IPA production.[17] As a result, "Indo no Aooni" sold extremely well despite no major promotion . From 2008 to 2012, it was sold for a limited time, but due to its strong performance with an 80% increase in sales volume each year, it became a regular product in 2013. Over the next seven years, sales volume increased by 5 to 7 times, and it began to be sold in convenience stores .[18]

  • September 2014: Business and capital alliance with Kirin Beer, outsourcing part of production[19]
  • October 2017: Acquired Ginga Kogen Beer from Japan House Holdings[20]
  • March 2023: Opened a craft beer brewing restaurant "SORA to SHIBA by YONA YONA ALE" within ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO[21][22]

References

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  1. ^ "ヤッホーブルーイング／長野県に新拠点「御代田醸造所」限定品を製造".
  2. ^ "ヤッホーブルーイングの佐久醸造所見学ツアーが4年ぶりに開催！". 30 June 2023.
  3. ^ "A Renaissance Is Brewing Among Japan's Craft Beer Makers". nippon.com. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  4. ^ Natsume, Yukiaki (April 15, 2016). "Japan's Yo-Ho Brewing Company Tasting Success". The ORIENTAL ECONOMIST. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  5. ^ "Kirin to buy into Japan's top craft brewer". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  6. ^ "ヤッホー社長が語る廃業危機 星野リゾート社長の一言で涙の発奮".
  7. ^ "A Renaissance is Brewing Among Japan's Craft Beer Makers". 12 November 2018.
  8. ^ "大ヒットクラフトビール「インドの青鬼」どうやって命名？ 「水曜日のネコ」など個性あふれるセンスの源泉とは | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  9. ^ "クラフトビールのブームが終わったとき、「よなよなエール」はどう復活したのか ７年間、眠っていた「Ｉｔ業界の超大物」の手紙 | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  10. ^ "キリン社長もうならせた「よなよなエール」のネット販売術". 5 March 2015.
  11. ^ "楽天25周年 井手直行さんの楽天履歴｜楽天グループ株式会社".
  12. ^ "熱狂的ファンを味方に！よなよなエールも実践する「ファンベース」".
  13. ^ "熱狂顧客が1%いればいい ヤッホー社長を変えた三木谷氏の手紙".
  14. ^ "クラフトビールのブームが終わったとき、「よなよなエール」はどう復活したのか ７年間、眠っていた「Ｉｔ業界の超大物」の手紙 | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  15. ^ "クラフトビールのブームが終わったとき、「よなよなエール」はどう復活したのか ７年間、眠っていた「Ｉｔ業界の超大物」の手紙 | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  16. ^ "大ヒットクラフトビール「インドの青鬼」どうやって命名？ 「水曜日のネコ」など個性あふれるセンスの源泉とは | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  17. ^ "大ヒットクラフトビール「インドの青鬼」どうやって命名？ 「水曜日のネコ」など個性あふれるセンスの源泉とは | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  18. ^ "大ヒットクラフトビール「インドの青鬼」どうやって命名？ 「水曜日のネコ」など個性あふれるセンスの源泉とは | 事業承継総合メディア". December 2024.
  19. ^ "ヤッホーブルーイング社とキリンビール社の業務提携契約および資本提携契約締結について | 2014年 | Kirin - キリンホールディングス株式会社".
  20. ^ "「銀河高原ビール」の譲受けに関するお知らせ | 株式会社ヤッホーブルーイング コーポレートサイト". 28 September 2017.
  21. ^ "クラフトビール業界をリードするヤッホーブルーイング 井手社長が予見する業界の展望は？｜たのしいお酒.jp". 20 May 2024.
  22. ^ "世界初！フィールドが一望できるクラフトビール醸造レストラン「そらとしば by よなよなエール」3/30(木)オープン！".