Kumahei no Ume
Inoue Umeboshi Foods Co., Ltd
井上梅干食品
Founded in 1941 in Minabe Town, Wakayama
— the heart of Japan’s premium plum —
Inoue Umeboshi Foods is a long-established producer specialising in premium products made from Kishu Nanko plums, Japan’s most highly regarded plum variety.
The company cultivates plums in its own orchards and continues to value hands-on agricultural practices, working within the regional cultivation traditions that have shaped Minabe’s plum production for over 400 years.
Kishu Nanko Plum
Kishu Nanko plum is the signature plum variety of Minabe, a region where plum cultivation has been established since the Edo period (1603–1868).
Valued for its thin skin, small stone, and abundant, tender flesh, it is widely regarded as one of Japan’s finest plum varieties.
Strict cultivation and selection standards ensure a level of quality that is difficult to replicate outside the region.
Inoue Foods focuses on Kishu Nanko plum, continuing the local cultivation traditions that have shaped Minabe’s plum production over generations.
Estate orchards and a historic agricultural system
Inoue Umeboshi Foods cultivates Kishu Nanko plum in its own estate orchards, allowing direct control over cultivation standards, soil management, and harvest timing.
Plums are harvested by hand to prevent damage and to ensure only fruit meeting the company’s criteria is selected.
These orchards operate within the Minabe–Tanabe Ume System, a regional agricultural framework that has sustained plum cultivation for over 400 years and is recognised internationally as a GIAHS.
The system links orchards, surrounding forests, and charcoal-producing woodlands in a mutually supportive cycle, maintaining soil fertility, preventing erosion, and enabling high-quality plum cultivation to continue over generations.
Farmers, forestry cooperatives, and charcoal makers work in a tightly interconnected local economy, each reinforcing the other’s quality standards and sustainability.
This unique terroir and community system produce fruit with depth of flavour and aroma that represents Minabe - impossible to be replicated elsewhere.
Minabe, in southern Wakayama, is one of Japan’s best-known regions for ume cultivation. Influenced by the Kuroshio Current, the area benefits from a mild climate with relatively small temperature fluctuations, abundant rainfall, and long hours of sunshine — conditions well suited to the growth of Nankō plums.
The region is also characterised by steep slopes and well-drained, rocky soils. In parts of the area, the soil contains Uridani-ishi, a calcium-rich stone associated with the local growing environment.
Together, these natural conditions have helped establish Minabe as one of Japan’s leading production areas for high-quality ume, resulting in fruit with a depth of flavour that cannot be replicated outside this terroir.
Ready to taste it?
Kumahei Umeshu
Kumahei is a premium umeshu made exclusively with handpicked homegrown Kishu Nanko plums.
Only three ingredients — plums, sugar, and brewing alcohol — are matured for 9 months without dilution with water or additives.
It delivers a rich ripe plum aroma with gentle sweetness, refreshing acidity, and a smooth, clean finish that highlights the pure character of Japan’s most prized plum variety.
Minabe, Wakayama | 720ml | ABV: 16.0% | Best served: Rock, with soda
Orders are processed and shipped by our fulfilment partner, LIL GRN Brewery. You will be redirected to their website to complete your order.
At SAKEbito, we offer the finest Sake from small, family-run breweries hidden in Japan's rural villages that have been continuing the tradition for hundreds of years.
Each bottle is handcrafted using locally sourced rice, pristine spring water, and centuries-old techniques passed down through generations.
Our exclusive drops are released only when these rare cultural treasures become available, ensuring truly limited production and an authentic taste of regional heritage.
With every bottle, you receive not just premium sake but the story of its brewer, the history of its village, and the spirit of a community dedicated to preservation.