Small Business Spotlight: Bringing Japanese saké to Oregon

When Griff Frost lived in Japan during the 1970s and 1980s, he fell in love with saké. After he returned to the U.S., he soon discovered that it was impossible to buy the same high quality saké he had enjoyed in Japan.

Rather than wait around for someone else to solve the problem, Frost and his father, David Frost, put together an importing business in 1992, and by 1997 the group had opened a brewery. Today, SakéOne, located in Forest Grove, is still the only American-owned saké brewery in the world.

It's the water...
"The water in Forest Grove is perfect," says Steve Boone, CEO. "It's mineral free, sweet, and pure, just what is needed for saké."

In addition to water, saké is made from rice and yeast. The rice used is different from table rice. Usually a short grain brown rice is used, but different varieties can be used, creating different flavors of saké.

"Saké comes in many varieties," says Boone, "depending on the kind of rice, the brewing process, whether you filter it or leave it cloudy, what kind of yeast is used, and whether it is brewed slow or fast."

Although Oregon considers saké a wine for tax purposes, it is chemically more complicated than wine. The federal government considers it a beer. "It's made more like beer, but it's consumed more like wine," Boone says.

Libation innovations
SakéOne has a tasting room that is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and one Saturday a month is designated as Saketini Saturday, when visitors also have an opportunity to taste new mixed drink recipes.

"The purists think we are crazy," said Boone, "but saké is very mixable."

Recipes using saké, as well as a schedule of events, can be found at SakéOne's website: www.sakeone.com.

Safety is job one
"SakéOne is one of the best managed companies I represent," said Tom BeLusko of WSC Insurance. "They produce a unique and nationally recognized product that contributes to the rich culture of Washington County, but safety is still 'job one.' Mr. Boone and SakéOne's management team have been able to successfully link the success of the business to the safety and wellness of its staff."

"When I asked SAIF to give us some help on loss control," said Boone, "Angie Wisher, came out and did a plant walk through. During this walk through and subsequently, she gave me a lot of support."

Best in class
Since its founding, SakéOne has earned hundreds of medals in international competitions. The largest of these competitions is the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirit Competition, in which more than 3,300 wines were entered last year. In the saké division, SakéOne's Diamond saké earned a platinum award, the highest award given, as well as a "Best of Class" in the saké category.

"Nice for a small winery in Oregon," says Boone.