Couple Makes Cider Exclusively From Aomori Apples; Nakamuras Offer Beverages With Subtly Differing Flavors

By Masato Yasunaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:00 JST, July 28, 2024

HIROSAKI, Aomori — Aomori Prefecture produces more apples than any other prefecture of Japan. A married couple living at the foot of Mt. Iwaki, in the prefecture’s city of Hirosaki, has begun producing alcoholic sparkling ciders made exclusively from Aomori apples.

Last year they produced their first beverage, which proceeded to win a bronze award in an international cider contest. With a vision of revitalizing the local area, the couple plans to produce a variety of ciders, using apples cultivated in an orchard behind their house and nearby.

Ryoko Nakamura, 44, and her husband Nobuhiko, 48, founded the company zattana to produce and sell their cider. She serves as company president, and he is responsible for brewing.

Previously, Ryoko, an Osaka native, and Nobuhiko, from Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, lived together in Tokyo, where Ryoko worked at a consulting firm and Nobuhiko at a design company.

Starting around 2013, Nobuhiko, who had an existing interest in work connected to alcohol production, toured wineries, breweries and distilleries in Yamagata and other prefectures as he considered starting his own business.

The wine market was highly competitive, so in 2015 they moved to Hirosaki, a center for apple cultivation, in the expectation that apple cider would soon become more popular. They worked on Tamura Farm, which handled everything from growing apples to cider manufacturing and sales, and there they learned how to produce cider from scratch.

After obtaining a liquor production license in November 2023 through a local brewing and agricultural cooperative, they started producing ciders.

Their first product, Kougan Kitaru, which means “arrival of wild geese,” is made from Toki and Jonagold apples. The beverage won a bronze award at the international Japan Cider Cup this April, the same month it was put up for sale.

Their ciders stand out because yeast is not added artificially. For this reason, the flavors are subtly different depending on the location and season of production. “This is a method that really lets drinkers get the flavors of the apples,” said Nobuhiko. “Our ciders are cloudy because they are not filtered, but that’s part of the flavor.”

In May, they have started selling their second product, Tsubaki Hajimete Hiraku, which means “camellia’s first blooming.”

They own an apple orchard of about 1.8 hectares in the city’s Yayoi district, where they also reside. Ryoko said, “We want to produce ciders with apples cultivated in our orchard and by other farmers in the area.”

Ryoko also said, “I hope people will learn more about Aomori through cider.” Nobuhiko added, “We want to create a place where visitors can try tasting some ciders and local residents can get together.” Their dreams are growing.

Kougan Kitaru and Tsubaki Hajimete Hiraku are both priced at ¥2,750, including tax, for 750 milliliters.