The discussion of the economic impact of sake production in Hot Springs has been discussed for years because of the natural connection with Hot Springs water and Arkansas being the number one rice producer in the United States, and one farm even growing the variety of rice that is used to brew high-quality sake.
In 2012, this idea of the potential of Hot Springs having a sake brewery took hold when a business delegation visited Hanamaki. In 2014, leaders in our sister city assisted in making connections for an internship to move this concept forward and Ben Bell spent almost two years at Nanbu Bijin increasing his knowledge about sake production. Now, after almost 10 years the dream of a sake brewery in Hot Springs is coming to fruition.
Matt Bell, a name many may know from his leadership at the Arkansas sustainable energy company Integrity Energy, began plans in 2021 to build a sake brewery in Hot Springs. He purchased the property, began renovations, brought Ben Bell on board as well as other sake brewers and professionals, and the brewery, named Origami Sake, is nearing completion and will begin brewing test batches this summer. Visit their website at www.origamisake.co for more information about this exciting addition to Hot Springs.
