Upcycled craft beer made by a bakery that has been in business for 100 years and a rare organic Iyokan citrus with a production of only 0.09%(*1). Iyokan Saison, a brand new Iyokan ale beer Iyokan Saison", a brand new Iyokan ale beer, will be on sale from January 14 (Tuesday), the "Iyokan" day.

Better life with upcycle (1-19-13 Shimo-Imaizumi, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa-ken, CEO: Takatsugu Umeda), which makes craft beer by upcycling bread loaves, and MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM Co. (Head office: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture; Representative Directors: Ryuji Matsuda and Jiro Takaoka) will start selling Iyokan Saison, an aromatic Iyokan ale beer with a fresh aroma by upcycling Iyokan peels, which were previously thrown away, on January 14, "Iyokan" day.

(*1)See data for the 2028 fiscal year prepared by the Agricultural Environment Division based on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website "Organic Agricultural Products Grading Results" and "Organic JAS Field Area in Japan".

Upcycling Iyokan citrus fruits that would normally be discarded contributes to the reduction of agricultural losses.

MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM is a farmer who wants to reduce food loss, and to contribute to the "meaning" for the earth, society, community, and local community. MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM has been promoting the "IMI" project to open the way to the future of sustainable agriculture, in order to reduce food loss and to provide products that have "meaning" to the earth, society, and local communities, so that they can be enjoyed. Iyokan oranges are produced using organic farming methods by taking the time to carefully control pests and weeds. Unlike Iyokan citrus grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, even the peels of the picked fruit can be used without disposal.

Iyokan Saison

Iyokan field 1

Better life with upcycle, a craft beer brewery with the basic concept of reducing food loss, has agreed to participate in the "IMI" project, which aims not only to reduce agricultural loss, but also to realize sustainable agriculture and revitalize rural areas through products and services that are valuable to customers. We share the objectives of the project "IMI," which aims not only to reduce agricultural losses, but also to realize sustainable agriculture and revitalize rural areas through products and services of value to customers, and were able to produce a saison-style craft beer "Iyokan Saison"(*3) in collaboration with organic Iyokan that is JAS certified(*2). By macerating Iyokan peels picked during the fermentation stage in wort extracted by substituting bread mimi for part of the malt, the beer has a refreshing, rich Iyokan flavor that makes it easy to drink.

(*2) Organic JAS certification number 382011021

(*3) Classified as a sparkling wine

Brewed by replacing part of the malt with breadcrumbs

Brewing process with Mr. Matsuda of MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM

Carefully peeled Iyokan citrus peels

Spicy and fresh aroma, crisp and refreshing taste

This fruit beer is lavishly brewed with extremely rare JAS-certified organic fruit, which accounts for only 0.09% of the total production in Japan. The softness of wheat derived from bread mimi and the spicy black pepper-like aroma brewed by Belgian Saison yeast are in complex harmony with the clear, blue Iyokan citrus aroma. The aroma is complex and harmonious with the blue clear citrus aroma of Iyokan. It also has a refreshing finish with a good sharpness and a hint of sourness.

Product Name ：Iyokan Saison Iyokan Ale Beer

Release Date ：January 14, 2012 (Tuesday)

Sales channel : EC site

　　　　　　 https://upcycle-beer.com/collections/upcycle

Stores offering Iyokan Ale "Iyokan Saison" (as of January 14, 2025)

Name: coffee and xxx

Location: Horikawa Building, 2-21-5 Nishi Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Name: Better life with upcycle BD Lab

Location : 1-19-13 Shimo-Izumi, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa-ken

Name : Minato no Shokutaku mesa

Location : 2-12-19 Sumiyoshi, Matsuyama-city, Ehime pref.

Name : Kotani Sake Shop

Location : 1596 Higashi-Ozu, Ozu City, Ehime Pref.

Reference materials

Better life with upcycle

Sustainable brewery brought to you by a bakery that has been in business for 100 years. All products are made by brewing craft beer by substituting the crusts (mimis) of bread produced in the baking process for a portion of the malt.

With the goal of providing kindness and enjoyment to society, we create new products from end products by combining the craft of bakery and brewery. Because we are a manufacturer that has been creating food products for many years, we do not end with our philosophy, but focus on pure taste as a craft beer. (Operating entity: Sakaeya Bread Co. Representative: Takatsugu Umeda)

The operating company is a bread maker.

Better life with upcycle

Kenichi Yoshioka, Brand Representative

Mr. Yoshioka has been engaged in the baking industry for many years, overseeing the entire management from the production site through liaison. In 2021, he founded the Better life with upcycle division as an in-house venture to tackle the problem of food loss, a social issue associated with economic activities. In 2024, he established his own brewery to demonstrate new possibilities for food manufacturers in the proximity field and to establish a new business scheme called "upcycling" as a business model. In order to establish a new business model of upcycling, he is currently working hard as a baker and a brewer.

Reference information: NHK World Japan's "Zero Waste Life" featured this project/Video available on YouTube, search for "Bread Crust Brewing" (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2093069/)

MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM Co.

MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM was established in December 2022 with the aim of creating sustainable agriculture in Japan. In order to solve the problems of Japanese agriculture, such as the decrease in the number of farmers due to the aging of the farming population, the increase in abandoned farmland, and the problem of crop waste, we aim to create a sustainable future for Japanese agriculture by realizing agricultural and welfare partnerships and collaborations with a variety of companies.

Project "IMI" (meaning) represents our desire to reduce food loss and to provide everyone with products that have "meaning = IMI" for the earth, society, community and region, and that can be enjoyed in a delicious way.

Iyokan Field 2

Iyokan Field 3

Representative Director: Ryuji Matsuda

Born in Iyo City, Ehime Prefecture. After graduating from an agricultural high school, he became interested in European food culture and wine and worked at a restaurant in Matsuyama City for 7 years.

He started with a cultivation area of 420 a. and has now expanded to 630 a. He is trying to solve the problem of securing labor, which is an issue in agricultural management, with the help of welfare services, and is aiming for a new form of agricultural management.

He also sells Iyokan citrus juice by requesting processing of those that cannot be shipped as finished products due to their appearance or size. They grow mainly Iyokan, but also Benimadonna, Kanpei, Setaka, and other varieties.

Mr. Matsuda of MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM