[Press Release] Japan Craft Beer Co., Ltd. announces third-party allocation of new shares and establishment of subsidiary in Hong Kong

Nippon Craft Beer Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shiro Yamada; hereinafter referred to as "Nippon Craft Beer"), which sells the fragrant Japanese ale "KAGUA," has raised a total of 10,000,000 yen from investors in Hong Kong and Japan on June 15, 2012, in order to speed up its future overseas expansion.

Additionally, in preparation for full-scale overseas expansion, we will establish a wholly owned subsidiary, Nippon Craft Beer HK Limited (tentative name), in Hong Kong in July 2012. In the future, we will utilize this subsidiary to establish a logistics hub for sales in Asian countries and promote sales of "KAGUA" overseas.

The third-party allocation of new shares has been allocated to four investors active in Hong Kong and Japan, including Fergus Fung, founder of WOM Guide, Hong Kong's best-selling restaurant guide. This capital increase will enable the company to receive extremely valuable support in the areas of marketing, sales, and operations for business expansion in Hong Kong and other overseas markets.

[List of underwriters for this third-party allotment]
・Ardian International Limited
・Net Capital Partners Limited
・Hiroshi Shiiba ・Fergus Fung

Japanese Craft Beer has been enjoyed by many since its release on March 24, 2012, and in line with the concept of "KAGUA," "a beer that stands out on the Japanese dining table," it is now widely available in restaurants ranging from Michelin-starred, authentic Japanese restaurants to innovative new-style Japanese restaurants. It is also not limited to traditional Japanese cuisine, but is also enjoyed by French and Italian restaurants that value seasonal ingredients, as well as yakiniku and shabu-shabu restaurants that are particular about their ingredients. To achieve our mission of "Deliver the best beer throughout the world, to as many people as possible," we will begin overseas expansion, starting with Hong Kong.
By March 2013, one year after the product's release, we plan to have the product stocked at 250 stores in Japan and 100 stores overseas in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and other countries, for a total of 350 high-end restaurants in Japan and overseas.

Regarding this, CEO Shiro Yamada commented, "I am excited to be one step closer to our original goal of creating a beer that can be enjoyed at Japanese dining tables around the world. Fergus and the other four investors all have strong networks in the food world, and I believe we have gained a powerful partner, especially in sales activities."

● Reference: What is WOM Guide?
http://www.womguide.com/
Launched in 2004 by Fergus Fung and Samanta Pong, this Hong Kong restaurant guide focuses on reviews. It lists over 2,900 restaurants, primarily high-end restaurants, and its hard copy is a popular guidebook that consistently makes it onto the bestseller lists of major bookstores such as SCMP, Dymocks, and Bookazine.
In addition, the company that operates WOM Guide won the SME Entrepreneurship Award in 2010, which is given to Hong Kong's most successful venture company, and Fergus is also highly regarded as an entrepreneur.

● What is "KAGUA, the Fragrant Japanese Ale"? This beer (※1) is brewed by a Belgian brewer based on an original recipe designed by Nippon Craft Beer.
Starting from the idea of ​​"making a beer that looks great on the Japanese dining table available to people all over the world," this product was realized after four years of planning and 14 prototypes. We thoroughly pursued high quality in every aspect, including raw materials, manufacturing process, logistics process, and bottle design.
We use yuzu and sansho pepper, herbs that are symbols of Japan, and were born from the desire to "provide a fragrance that will complement the Japanese dining table." There are two lineups: "Blanc," a light-colored, top-fermented beer made with wheat, and "Rouge," a dark-colored, top-fermented beer made with roasted malt. Just like white and red wine, you can enjoy them by pairing them with food.

Product details page : http://www.nipponcraftbeer.com/kagua
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/kagua.beer/
twitter http://twitter.com/kaguabeer/

(※1) "KAGUA" is classified as a happoshu (low-malt beer) under Japan's liquor tax law.
Japan's liquor tax law limits the ingredients that can be used in beer, and KAGUA, which uses yuzu and sansho pepper, cannot be labeled as beer.
Although it is a happoshu, the malt ratio and production method are the same as those of beer, and the tax rate is also the same as that of beer, so it is different in purpose from so-called ``tax-saving happoshu.''
In addition, according to the standards of many countries, including Belgium, where it is produced, KAGUA is classified as beer, so it will be sold as beer in overseas markets.

"KAGUA" is a registered trademark of Japan Craft Beer.

● About Japan Craft Beer Co., Ltd.
"Deliver the best beer throughout the world, to as many people as possible"
Founded in 2011, we are working to promote Japanese beer brands around the world.
[Website] http://www.nipponcraftbeer.com/
[facebook] http://www.facebook.com/kagua.beer/
[twitter] http://twitter.com/kaguabeer/

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact: Japan Craft Beer Co., Ltd. Usami Erina
TEL 070-5594-6881
MAIL erina@nipponcraftbeer.com