CHOYA started as a viticulturist on a family farm in 1914, eventually using the grapes to produce wine and brandy. However, the company decided to produce Umeshu in 1959 because the family dreamed of inheriting a culture and tradition that was unique to Japan. Since then, thanks to CHOYA’s passion for ume cultivation shared by our Japanese farmers, we have committed to deliver high quality and reliable products that our customers can trust and enjoy.
Many centuries ago, our Japanese ancestors discovered "the power of ume". Seeking health and deliciousness, they researched and improved upon hundreds of ume varieties, eventually making Japan the biggest consumer of this fruit in the world. It is in the course of these historical times when the beloved “ume liquor" was born. While originally made by Japanese families at home, both sugar and alcohol used for steeping ume greatly evolved over time. In order to better extract full ume components, the alcohol changed from sake to shochu spirit and the sugar became rock sugar.
The Umeshu making culture in Japan as well as years of CHOYA's research and development resulted in the product series we call “The CHOYA”. Every bottle of "The CHOYA" uses large amounts of high-quality ume. Furthermore, without exposure to light and air under temperature-controlled conditions, our unique aging method allows them for a full retention of important ume components such as organic acids. The delicious tang and the rich aromas of this nature’s gift of ume are now highly regarded around the world.
CHOYA believes that quite a few Umeshu lovers enjoy it for the health-conscious reason as well as for the taste. For this reason, CHOYA developed Umeshu taste non-alcoholic product, which retains almost the same components as that of Umeshu except “alcohol”. We hope that charm of ume catches the interest of new consumers.
As a pioneer and leading producer of Umeshu, CHOYA with the slogan "The power of ume” will continue to deliver high quality products that bring joy to everyone around the world. To that end, we believe that pursuing to find new values for "ume" through continuous effort and change is the greatest contribution to our customers.
President and CEO
Shigehiro Kondo
