In 1897, in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, in southern Japan, Nakata Gentaro founded our company. Now Japan’s leading ume producer, we offer a full lineup of umeboshi (salted pickled ume) and umeshu (ume liqueur, sometimes called plum wine). Let us introduce you to the samurais’ superfood and an essential part of washoku, or Japanese cuisine.

We create a line of premium umeshu made from 100% tree-ripened Nanko-ume and local award-winning spring water. Our focus on sourcing fruit at the peak of its ripeness gives our product an aroma, color, and tart rich flavor that other brands can't match. We offer a range of styles, including 8% fruit blends like peach and mango, 12% classic variations like royal jelly and brown sugar, and 20% Cask Strength. 1-, 5-, and 10-year oak barrel aged products are available in some areas.

Umeshu (sometimes called plum wine) is a fruit liqueur created by soaking ume in sugar and alcohol. The osmotic pressure from the sugar extracts the juice of the ume, after which the ume are removed from the liquid. The ume can be green or ripe, which of course affects the aroma, flavor, and color of the umeshu. The most common types of alcohol used are white liquor, nihonshu (Japanese sake), brandy, and shochu (single-distilled Japanese liquor).

Nakata Foods based in Wakayama, makes the highest quality Umeshu Fruit Liqueur offering 8% to 20% alc vol. Making premium spirits for more then 20 years more than 20 years of making premium spirits-based umeshu. We offer a full lineup of flavors from 8% to 20% alcohol.