is the fifth-largest beer

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

in Japan, headquartered in Tomigusuku,

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

. The company commands approximately 1% of the Japanese beer market, and 60% of the Okinawan beer market.

History

Founded in 1957 in

Nago is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 61,659 and a population density of 293 persons per km2. Its total area is 210.30 km2. Geo ...

, Okinawa, during the US occupation of Okinawa, Orion began making beer in 1959. Orion struggled to compete with the other major Japanese breweries, but after changing from a German-style beer to an American-style beer, it gained the top share in the Okinawan market. Up until 2002, it had a market that was limited mostly to Okinawa. Since 2002, Orion partnered with

Asahi Breweries The is a Japanese beverage holding company headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo. In 2019, the group had revenue of JPY 2.1 trillion. Asahi's business portfolio can be segmented as follows: Alcoholic drink, alcoholic beverage business (40.5%), over ...

to manufacture Asahi beers in Okinawa, in return for Asahi's assistance in selling Orion beer outside of Okinawa. Asahi owns 10% of Orion Breweries.Nomura and Carlyle to acquire Okinawa's Orion Breweries
''Nikkei.com'', 18 January 2019 In January 2019,

Nomura Holdings is a financial holding company and a principal member of the Nomura Group, which is Japan's largest List of investment banks#Largest full-service investment banks#Bulge Bracket#Membership, investment bank and Broker-dealer#Japan, brokerage group. ...

and

The Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group Inc. is an American multinational company with operations in private equity, alternative asset management and financial services. As of 2023, the company had $426 billion of assets under management. Carlyle specializes in ...

entered talks to acquire Orion Breweries and help the beer brand expand in the US and Asia. On May 14, 2019, Orion entered the

chūhai , an abbreviation of "shōchū highball" (焼酎ハイボール), is an alcoholic drink originating from Japan. Traditional chūhai is made with barley shōchū and carbonated water flavored with lemon, but some modern commercial variants u ...

market with the release of the WATTA chūhai brand, using traditional Okinawan flavors. In July 2019, Keiju Hayase was appointed president and CEO of Orion Breweries. In 2020, Orion Breweries stopped the production and distribution of its 9% ABV beer, Watta Strong, in a move to fight alcoholism, the first major brewery in Japan to make a move in this direction. Keiju Hayase stepped down as president and CEO of Orion Breweries in June 2021 for personal reasons. Hajime Murano was appointed in his place in December 2021.

Description

Orion uses water that comes from springs out of the mountain near the brewery. The brewery imports its malt from Germany, and uses German

Hallertau The Hallertau ( or ) or Holledau is an area in Bavaria, Germany. With an area of 178 km2, it is listed as the largest continuous hops, hop-planting area in the world.Bentley, James; Catling, Christopher; & Locke, Tim (1994). ''Munich and Ba ...

and Czech Saaz hops. The brand is known by the US military personnel stationed in Okinawa. The company's sales outside of Japan make up 5% of its sales. In 2017, Orion Breweries recorded sales of 28.3 billion yen. In South Korea, Orion beer is marketed under the brand name Okinawa. Orion beer sponsors the Okinawan wrestler Menso-re Oyaji. Akihito Yagi, 8th Dan in Meibukan Goju Ryu Karate-do, which his late grandfather (Meitoku Yagi) created, and the current chairman of the International Meibukan Goju Ryu Karate Association (IMGKA), is a spokesman for Orion beer.

Products

* Draft beer * 75 Beer Premium Series Pilsner * 75 Beer Premium Series IPA * 75 Beer Craft Lager * 75 Beer Weizen

In popular culture

In one episode of '' Wakakozake'', the main character Wakako tries out different restaurants to pair foods with drinks, and pairs goya chanpuru with Orion beer.Vanessa Rose
10 Food-Based Anime That Feature Real-Life Brands
''Cbr.com'', 7 May 2021

References

External links

Orion official site

Orion official site
{{Authority control Beer brands of Japan Beer in Japan Breweries in Japan Japanese brands Companies based in Okinawa Prefecture Food and drink companies established in 1957 Japanese companies established in 1957