SAKE DAY – International Sake Soul of the Year Award Winner 2024

“Thank you for this tremendous honor. My journey with sake brewing is only possible because of the community surrounding and supporting it, so it is with abundant gratitude to be recognized by this community.” 

Blake Richardson has been a pioneer in the American sake industry for as long as anyone has known him. Beginning his career in the craft beer industry, Blake opened his first concept ‘The Herkimer’ (a german-style brewery and pub) when he was 29 years old. 

While beer brewing was his first voyage into the beverage industry, it was only a few short years later that he discovered his intrigue for sake in a fashion relatable to everyone reading this– at a local restaurant, enjoying delicious sushi, surrounded by great company, sipping on a glass of Junmai Ginjo produced by Miyasaka Brewing for the very first time. “I was immediately taken aback by the complexity of flavors and was extremely interested in how this beverage was produced. I began my search for a sake brewpub in America to visit and learn more, but came to find that no such thing existed.”

 After a few years of studying, trips to Japan, and plenty of trial and error, Blake opened moto-i in 2008, the first sake brewpub outside of Japan and continues to be the only sake brewpub in Minnesota. “The first step was – I need to get to Japan and get some education. Once I went, I realized I needed to go again, and again, and again because it was helpful to see all the breweries in action. But it was also quite daunting to know that there was very little knowledge outside of Japan about how to produce sake let alone resources for ingredients and equipment.” 

When he didn’t have the resources or connections to acquire equipment or products from Japan, it was time to get creative. Making rice steamers out of soup kettles, finding and refurbishing a Yabuta press in an abandoned junk yard outside of Napa, or having rare moments of magic that led him to acquiring a Shinikanno rice mill. “Finding the rice mill was a game changer – special shoutout to Greg Johnson and Steve Ross of Far West Rice for selling me the mill to get this project going. 

Not only the ability to mill rice for our specific needs and desires, but it opened the door for the home brewing community to have access to multiple rice varieties in varying mill rates in amounts that were approachable. That had never been available before then.” As the industry grew, Blake passed along his knowledge and continues to do so for the many people that have had a similar need. He would discuss everything from heat exchangers, filtration, recipe ratios, and one of his all time favorites, the importance of wet bulbs. “I knew the challenges of not having all the resources, knowledge or connections and it has always been a blessing for me to share the tips and tricks I learned along the way.

 I’ve been fortunate to also learn a lot from a community of legends. John Gauntner, Keith Norum, Dr. Konno, and Harou Matsusake were some of the first people that helped shape the future of moto-i sake with real feedback, access to ingredients, special equipment, and a ton of support to keep crafting and growing.” 

At current, Blake and his team at moto-i continue to hone their craft while being both inventive and traditional. It’s always been the four main ingredients for moto-i: rice, water, yeast, and koji. Although the laws of the state of Minnesota prohibit moto-i from being able to distribute, the team consistently attends as many festivals and sake events as they can, including SAKE DAY in San Francisco. “We love attending and pouring our sake for events like SAKE DAY. It’s all about getting to share our craft with people that love sake, want to learn about sake, or simply enjoy a good beverage. Our team is passionate and the chance to connect with a community of like-minded people really gets us all going!”