Akemi and Andrew Balmuth own and operate Yokohama-based Nagano Trading, Japan’s largest importer, distributor and retailer of American craft beer. With roots going back to 2004, they incorporated the company in Yoshidamachi in 2012. Two years ago, after a 3.5-year stint in California where the couple operated the company remotely, they returned to Yokohama with ambitious plans for the future. Since then, the company has been expanding its staff and operational reach rapidly. While Nagano Trading is changing the landscape of beer in Yokohama for certain, its ripples are traveling ever wider.
“Our business is not political,” says Andrew. “It’s a place to gain appreciation for something that brings people together: beer and food.”
Andrew is describing Antenna America, the name of Nagano Trading’s directly operated retail business–a space where the company can sell its imported beer in draft or package, as well as hold events. They opened the first store in Yoshidamachi in 2013 and it’s been a popular watering hole since. It truly does bring people of all walks of life together. In 2016, they partnered with Isetan and opened their second branch in Atre Shinagawa, located in Shinagawa Station, Tokyo. On the heels of that success, they worked with Isetan again to open a third location in Joinus, Yokohama Station in 2018. The spaces are interesting hybrids of draft beer bars and bottle shops with rows of refrigerated shelves. Food is an important part of the experience, too.
A craft beer boom has been underway in Japan for the last few years. Laws allowing for small-scale beer brewing have been around for over 20 years, and there have been breweries across Japan operating during this time, but momentum started picking up recently. Although they are importers, the Balmuths should definitely be credited for raising the awareness and popularity of this beverage category.
As Andrew sees it, “These last two years, there’s been an obvious shift in the craft beer scene from mere production facilities to brewpubs.”
For most of Japan’s craft beer history, breweries delivered their products to bars and shops primarily located in Japan’s major cities. Brewpubs, however, are small breweries that sell most or all of their beer through an on-site bar or restaurant. Over a hundred have opened in the last five years, including a handful in Yokohama. Andrew admits that they are competitors to these businesses, but also points out that they are aligned in their goals. They are all local heroes, of a sort, who are introducing something new to the beer scene. They are creating an exciting space where customers can explore new flavors and ideas in a social setting.
The Balmuths naturally plan to expand on their successful business model. The question is where.
“COVID taught us that we need to have a variety of installations because of varying rules that govern hours of operation and access,” says Andrew. While their Shinagawa branch remained open under restricted hours, the Yokohama Station branch was closed for 45 days.
“We are looking for locations that provide us some control over how we can react to local guidelines for health and safety standards,” Andrew continues. “And we are looking for more locations in Yokohama. We have two projects that we are exploring right now–one is near completion.”
While COVID altered how they vet locations, it also affected their plans for expansion into Tokyo. They had hoped to find some retail space immediately after the Olympics. Andrew notes that high-traffic corridors will have pop-up businesses that will shutter following the Games. Those spaces will be opportunities for businesses with longer-term plans, like Antenna America. After that, the Balmuths are eyeing markets like Osaka that are seeing success with similar bar-and-bottle shop hybrid businesses.
When not working hard on their business, the Balmuths, together with their pre-teen daughter, enjoy all that Yokohama has to offer. They are rather keen on the city’s beautifully developed waterfront, which provides a calming feeling of openness for such a large city. Andrew sees this aesthetic as an extension of the city’s ethos.
“Yokohama is really open. It’s a place where ideas can develop and take root. There’s deep pride in the city and diversity, too, with places like Chinatown. I like that Yokohama is international and develops its identity based on actual activity, rather than history.”
Although the Balmuths describe themselves as a family that mostly stays close to home, they do like to get out for some of the city’s diverse food offerings.
“We’re always happy that there’s good Italian food. Soup dumplings in Chinatown are just awesome. And we’re big into mabodofu. The new Hammerhead wharf has been exciting to explore, too.”
He ticks off a few other places. It’s not unusual, however, to find Andrew at his own retail location, enjoying the great food and beverages with his customers. He’s gregarious and down-to-earth. Akemi sometimes has to tug him away.
Yokohama is lucky to have the Balmuths. It’s not just the business they’ve brought to the city. It’s the friendliness and sense of community they’ve created, too.
