HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Hot Springs is known for its tourism industry.
Thousands flock to the Spa City during breaks from school, but a new business has been trying to draw a different type of crowd— one whose roots are from half a world away.
"It's a great thing for Arkansas, and elevates the state of Arkansas as well," Matt Bell, President of Origami Sake, said.
Origami Sake brews sake, a Japanese rice wine. The drink has ties that date back thousands of years to Japan, but Bell and the team at Origami have been making strides with plenty of firsts in Arkansas.
"This equipment is from Japan, and it's specific for Sake brewing," Matt said, as he pointed to one of their machines. "It's the first lab in the United States to have this equipment."
Matt will tell you, that not many people like sake— especially the cheaper stuff. That also includes him.
"That sake has a negative connotation, most people do not like that sake," he explained.
When the opportunity came to make "the good stuff," Matt jumped on board.
He met Ben Bell back in 2016. Ben spent a few years in Japan, learning sake brewing. From the start, both Bells had a plan to grow the sake industry outside of Japan.
"He told me that Arkansas should be the Napa Valley of sake," Matt said. "That was in 2016, and it was an idea that I never forgot."
Fast forward seven years later and those dreams are now a reality. They moved into their new building in May and started distributing in August.
They have also already started planning expansions outside of Arkansas.
"We hope to be in surrounding states here [in the] first quarter of next year, and throughout the United States by the end of next year," he said.
As for how they plan on doing that, they pointed to their main ingredients— Arkansas rice and water from Hot Springs.
They explained that their location makes sense— California for wine, Arkansas for sake.
"Same reason for why Napa Valley, right?" he said. "Napa Valley had the resource of the region that would grow really [wide] varietals of grapes that were ideal for making world-class wine. We have the same benefits here in the state."
It's a process that takes measured, calculated steps, much like their namesake— Origami.
"Taking rice, white kernels of rice, and making it into something beautiful," Bell said. "Same with origami, you take a white sheet of paper, and you can make infinite different shapes or characters with it."
It's a legacy the Bells hope to leave, a brewery unlike anything else in Arkansas— and a longstanding tradition with roots now buried deep in Arkansas soil.
"Definitely following the traditional methods of making sake," Bell said. "That's it, absolutely."
For more information on Origami Sake, including where to purchase it, click here.