About us

A group of friends from different generations and backgrounds gathered together,
How can we approach the issue of Shizuoka's attractiveness?
"Let's use local resources effectively.
"If we can make alcohol, we can deliver it to people all over the world.
Let's build a distillery and create something new.
Let's create a distillery and create something new!
We decided to create a one-of-a-kind product that would allow people to feel the terroir (regional characteristics) of "Sunpu" Shizuoka City.

How to make the most of terroir?
To make the most of the terroir, it is important to identify the characteristics of the plants that grow in the soil, and to improve the varieties to suit the environment,
The key to making the most of the terroir is to identify the characteristics of the plants that grow in the soil, and to improve the varieties to suit the environment.

The key words are: breeding, discovering new characteristics, and so on,
All of these phenomena are connected to the clarification of genomic DNA information.
Take this idea as a hint,
The four bases that represent genomic DNA (A: adenine, G: guanine, C: cytosine, T: thymine) and the name of the company were crossed to create a new name for the company.
Aoi Gin Craft Technology was established by combining the four bases that represent genomic DNA (A: adenine, G: guanine, C: cytosine, T: thymine) with the company name.

AGCT was established as a venture company from Shizuoka University,
AGCT will promote Shizuoka City extensively both domestically and internationally based on scientific evidence.
Aoi Gin Craft Technology Co.
Past, Present, and Future
We hope you will be interested in what we are doing and our activities.

My name is Yuka Mochizuki and I work as a wasabi farmer in a mountainous area called Utogi in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
My name is Yuka Mochizuki, and I work as a wasabi farmer in a mountainous area called Utogi in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
At AGCT, I am mainly in charge of public relations,
This product was born from my background, so let me introduce it to you.

I am currently working for a local TV station, Shizuoka Daiichi Television.
I am also a commentator on an information program called "Marugoto" on Shizuoka Daiichi Television.

 

Did you know that the first cultivation of wasabi in Japan is said to have started about 400 years ago in Aritogi?
The area is called "Wasabi Mountain" in the region. In 1607, wasabi was presented to Tokugawa Ieyasu when he entered Sunpu Castle,
The village was praised for its delicacy, and it was designated as a delicacy that was not to be sold outside the village.
The village of Aritogi is also known as the Machu Picchu of Shizuoka,
The village of Aritogi is also called the Machu Picchu of Shizuoka, with more than 60 households living on a mountainside at an altitude of about 500 meters above sea level.
The village is not only famous for its wasabi production, but also for its traditional events such as Bon Odori (Bon dance) and Kagura (Shinto music and dance),
It is a beautiful place with a long history, where the local community has worked together to preserve the traditions of Bon Odori and Kagura.

I was born to parents who have been wasabi farmers for generations here in Aritogi,
I was born as the youngest of three siblings to parents who have been wasabi farmers for generations. Ever since I was a small child,
My father and mother were always busy with wasabi work without a break,
I have few memories of going out with my family.
On holidays, I would go with them to the wasabi fields to help them,
or watching my parents work in the workshop next to our house,
I played with my older brothers and sisters while watching my parents work in the workshop next to our house.
It was not a showy day,
But the backs of our father and mother, who faced wasabi with sincerity and devotion, were always there for us,
They always told us how to live our lives.

After graduating from a university in Yamanashi, I returned to Shizuoka to work.
After that, I got married and had two children, but I divorced and became a single mother.
I never imagined that such a thing would happen in my life,
There were times when I was almost crushed by sadness and anxiety,
I thought seriously about how I wanted to live my life from now on,
I chose to work as a wasabi farmer.

To my father
I still remember my father asking me, "It's not an easy job, you can't stay clean.
I still remember my father asking me, "It's not easy, and it's not a pretty job.
But I wanted to do what I could do to revitalize the local community in the place I was born and raised in and love.
I wanted to find something I could do to revitalize the local community,
I wanted to help my parents, who are getting older and older.
And most of all, I wanted to show my children the image of a mother who is working actively in her chosen career.
I wanted to help my parents as they grew older.
My oldest brother has already started farming,
My oldest brother had already started farming and was the leader of the family, leading the management of the farm,
As a woman, I wanted to contribute to the wasabi industry from a different angle,
I thought that there was definitely something I could contribute to the wasabi industry and agriculture from a different angle as a woman, so I started farming 6 years ago.

Since I started working, I sometimes feel that I can't move as much as men when doing heavy work.
I sometimes feel that I am not able to move as much as my male counterparts.
I have a feeling of impatience that I will never be able to match the farming skills and knowledge
I also feel impatient that I can never catch up with the farming skills and knowledge that my father and brother have cultivated.
Even in such a situation, through thoughts and activities that utilize a woman's unique perspective,
I feel that there are many ways to shine in other ways.
I am also very interested in the recent SDGs philosophy.
We do not waste the parts of wasabi that are not fully utilized,
We have been thinking every day whether we could use the underutilized parts of wasabi into something new and valuable without wasting them.

This project was born out of that,
Barcode, who has been running a bar in front of Shizuoka Station for about 16 years.
We went to bartender Seiya Mochizuki, who is a friend of my sister's and coincidentally has the last name Mochizuki,
He recommended a craft gin produced in Japan, and when I tasted it, I thought
I had a feeling of "This is it!
I had a feeling of "This is it!
I was surprised and intrigued by the variety of flavors, not to mention the delicious taste.

I was surprised and intrigued by the variety of flavors and ingredients, such as tea, spices, and wood,
GIN, with its freely chosen ingredients such as tea, spices, and wood, was a perfect match for wasabi in many aspects.
Wasabi is a refreshing addition to a wide range of meals, from Japanese to Western.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if its refreshing flavor could be gently fragrant with the sake that accompanies the meal?
It would be wonderful if its refreshing flavor could be gently fragrant in the sake that accompanies the meal!
Also, GIN is not strictly defined as a sake,
Not only wasabi, but other agricultural products as well,
We also thought that since GIN is not strictly defined as a sake, we could incorporate the good qualities of Shizuoka, not only wasabi but also other agricultural products, to make it a unique regional product.

Moreover, exports from Japan to overseas are also thriving,
I felt that there was an opportunity to promote the goodness of Shizuoka not only within Japan but also to the rest of the world.
Seiya and Mochizuki had a lively conversation,
After many prototypes were made using wasabi from our farm and other agricultural products, we were told, "This is really delicious, and we want lots of people to try it!
We felt that "This is really delicious, and we want many people to drink it!
I want lots of people to drink it!
However, there were obstacles that had to be overcome before we could move forward.
Distilling and making sake require a lot of experience and intuition,
Without going through a certain period of "training," it is impossible to make a satisfactory product,
I was vaguely concerned that I might not be able to produce satisfactory products without a certain period of "training.

I was discussing this with Seiya, the bartender,
I have had the pleasure of working with him,
I was reminded of Associate Professor Takashi Ichie of the Laboratory of Plant Functional Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, whom I have had the pleasure of working with.
Professor Ichie is a researcher on the relationship between crop quality and the cultivation environment,
He is also skilled in analyzing various chemical components.
Therefore, if we could make sake production visible in numbers,
The scientific viewpoint will help us to maximize the characteristics of our products,
We believe that if we can make sake production visible in numbers, we can maximize the characteristics of the product from a scientific perspective and efficiently produce sake with stable quality.

Furthermore, by quantifying and expressing flavors and tastes based on scientific evidence,
We thought that by quantifying and expressing flavors and tastes with scientific evidence, consumers would be able to enjoy our products in a way that is easy to understand.
This is how the project team of Dr. Ichie and Double Mochizuki started.
Dr. Ichie and Double Mochizuki started the project team with a few members from his past research experience and personal connections,
Aoi Gin Craft Technology," a Shizuoka University venture company, was launched,
Things progressed smoothly.



Bartender Seiya Mochizuki's friend from his Shizuoka High School days
Kohei Kubota, president of Ukitsukirou, who has been a friend of bartender Seiya Mochizuki since his high school days in Shizuoka,
In the midst of the unprecedented highball boom, I was wondering if highballs and Japanese food really don't go well together..." said Kohei Kubota, president of Ukitsukiro.
He has been searching for the possibility of a sake that goes well with Japanese food.
Our Wasabi GIN aims to be a bridge between Japanese and Western cuisine.
At AGCT, Mr. Kubota will explore the "marriage of seasonal Japanese cuisine and the sake (GIN) that goes with it.
and the sake (GIN) that goes with it. And one more important thing.
In order to deepen the exploration of the marriage with food,
We have decided to name the distillery "Ukitsuki Distillery" and "Ukitsuki Distillery Away".
Ukigetsuro is associated with Prince Yoshinobu Tokugawa,
Ieyasu Tokugawa was so fond of the wasabi from the Arigatogi that he did not allow it to leave the premises.
How do you cooperate with Ukitsukiro, which has such a connection with the restaurant?
We believe that the cooperation with Ukigetsuro, which has such a connection, will easily appeal to both domestic and international customers as well as to inbound demand.

The AGCT Ukigetsu Distillery, thus established, will begin with the following activities.
(1) Produce and sell the first craft gin in central Shizuoka (Shizuoka City) (wasabi sake first)
(2) To promote the attractiveness of Shizuoka City by accepting OEM orders for small quantities of attractive raw materials from Shizuoka City.
(3) Analyze and reflect the knowledge and technology of Shizuoka University in agricultural-industrial-academic collaboration in manufacturing.
(4) Promote farmers and restaurants in Shizuoka City.
(5) Opening of distillery "AGCT Distillery"