Hakkaisan looking to start brewing in the US

After living in Niigata for years now, I fully believe that sake is more than just a drink but a point of regional pride. However, I saw an article via Nikkei recently that Hakkaisan (one of our most well-known local sake breweries) might start moving some operations offshore and begin brewing in the US. It says a lot about how global pressures are changing even the most traditional corners of Japanese life.

The issue at hand is a mix of rising rice prices (which we're all acutely aware of!) and US tariffs that have made exporting premium sake more expensive. According to Hakkaisan's CEO, they already had to raise their prices last year and they might need to do so again. Since nearly half of their overseas business is in the States, they're seriously considering producing Hakkaisan-style sake on American soil.

I hope this isn't going to impact local jobs, and is more of an expansion than anything. It's a good reminder, though, that adapting to survive seems to be the way to go in the current global climate.

How would you feel about a beloved local industry moving some of their production abroad?