Today I visited an old friend…. Matt Bell invited me to tour his new operation – creating Origami Sake in
Hot Springs, Arkansas. Matt and I have known each other a long time, even worked together when we
were just out of college in the banking industry. We have kept in touch socially – he is a great guy who
loves to have a great time – and I have followed his many career paths since college. He has made it
interesting to say the least. Matt told me today that the idea to create sake in Arkansas began back in
2016 and he was just never able to shake it. When he sold his last successful business, he decided to
take the plunge and develop the idea into reality. He has surrounded himself with experienced and
qualified people who know their Sake and he has put his entrepreneurial spirit full into developing a top
notch quality product with an extremely viable business plan.
He toured me around his facility, where they are currently brewing small quantities by hand and I was
able to taste some of the first batch of the White Lotus and the Thousand Cranes – 2 of three initial
varietals of sake that Origami intends to start with, and I was crazy impressed. They are both light and
flavorful – delightfully clean and refreshing with no after taste. Suffice to say that while he may have
some difficulty educating the market (only .02% of current beverage sales in the US are for Sake), but I
believe once educated he will have plenty of repeat buyers.
He is currently finalizing his facility to utilize vertical floors and gravity to better transport the water and
rice through an intricate and logistical/repeatable process to create a consistent product for his
customers to enjoy. His excitement and pride in his process, product, and team were impossible to
ignore and I must say…. Contagious. I am so excited for my friend’s success in this endeavor. And I am
even more excited to become one his first customers. Congratulations Matt! Looking forward to what
Origami will produce – in many more ways than one! Visit their website at https://origamisake.co
En Vino Veritas!
Alex
