Bungo Meijo was originally founded in 1910 as Kariu Sake Brewery in Saiki City, Oita Prefecture, where it has produced sake and shochu for over a century among the forested mountains of southeastern Kyushu. The brewery identifies closely with its local roots, using ingredients sourced exclusively from Oita and Saiki in its Kakujou sake and other products. Beyond sake, the brewery's umeshu made from fully ripened Oyama-town plums won first prize at the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau Sake and Shochu Awards.
