Hifumiyo Brewing

Do you know Hifumiyo Brewing? It's a pretty unusual presence even in the craft beer industry.

The representative, Shigeki Shirasawa, originally founded a web production company at 23. At 34, he entered the welfare field and started employment support for people with disabilities, but when he faced the reality that monthly wages were only a few thousand yen, he realized, "We have to change the work itself."

Craft beer involves a lot of hands-on work, so it's a kind of job where each person's individuality can shine. They're aiming for a "social farm" model: a social enterprise that operates independently while working alongside people who have difficulty finding employment.

And that's where they've delivered results in international competitions. "Orange no Inazuma," a chili beer, won gold at the International Beer Cup 2025. "ROCK'N GINGER" is a beer made with ginger from Kirishima and won silver at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2026.

Another feature is that they use agricultural products from Kagoshima Prefecture as adjunct ingredients. Olives from Hioki City, green tea from Minamiosumi Town, ginger from Kirishima... They partner with local farmers to express Kagoshima's "terroir" through beer.

On Gourmet Street in Tenmonkan, there's the official beer restaurant "46 Kagoshima Craft" with 12 taps at all times. In addition to Hifumiyo's labels, you can also drink beers from other breweries in the prefecture. There's also a bottle shop attached to the brewery in Shinyashiki.