Sawada Shuzo was founded in 1848 in Tokoname City on the Chita Peninsula of Aichi Prefecture, a region that was once Japan's second-largest sake-producing area. The sixth-generation family head leads production of Hakuo, a brand whose name reflects the carefully polished whiteness of rice and a wish for the health and longevity of customers. The brewery has won the National Research Institute of Brewing's Annual Japan Sake Award seven times, and it played an early role in yeast research by hosting the development of a spoilage-resistant yeast strain in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance's Brewing Research Institute.
