Original Craft Beer 'Seragaki Red Ale Coffee Cherry Beer' to be Released on Friday, May 15
Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa will release 'Seragaki Red Ale Coffee Cherry Beer,' an original craft beer co-developed with Ryukyu Coffee Energy Co., Ltd., starting Friday, May 15, 2026. This product is the world's first upcycled craft beer primarily using the pulp of coffee cherries, including those from Okinawa, which were previously discarded.
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- 📰 Published: May 16, 2026 at 19:00
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Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa (Location: Onna Village, Okinawa Prefecture) will launch its original craft beer, 'Seragaki Red Ale Coffee Cherry Beer,' co-developed with Ryukyu Coffee Energy Co., Ltd., starting Friday, May 15, 2026.
This product is the world's first upcycled craft beer that uses the pulp of coffee cherries, including those grown in Okinawa, as its main ingredient. Since July 2025, Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa has been the first hotel in Okinawa to carry 'Coffee Cherry Beer,' an upcycled craft beer utilizing coffee cherry pulp developed by Ryukyu Coffee Energy Co., Ltd. (introduced as a world-first by NHK in January 2023). This project evolved from that partnership into the co-development of an original hotel recipe.
While coffee has become an indispensable part of daily life, the pulp 'coffee cherry' produced when extracting coffee beans has mostly been discarded as industrial waste. By focusing on this pulp and utilizing it in the brewing process, a craft beer with a flavor derived from coffee cherries was born.
The hotel's original craft beer is designed as a 'table beer' to be paired with various genres of cuisine served in the hotel's restaurants. It features a moderate carbonation and the aroma of fresh red fruits, complementing the roasted notes of grilled dishes, the acidity and richness of tomatoes in Italian cuisine, and the soy sauce and vegetables in Japanese cooking. It is finished with a palate that expresses the elegance and volume of wine. You can also enjoy the expanding aroma as the temperature changes.
Ryukyu Coffee Energy Co., Ltd. is working to create a coffee industry in Okinawa through an industry-academia-government collaboration with the University of the Ryukyus. As a certified startup of 'Ryu-Labo,' a program developed by the university to foster entrepreneurs, it is expanding the potential of Okinawa's coffee industry from both research and business perspectives.
Ryukyu Coffee Beer Co., Ltd., the manufacturer, is a partner company that spun off from Ryukyu Coffee Energy's coffee industry creation project and is responsible for the production and sale of coffee cherry beer. The company sources coffee cherries from local coffee farmers, transforming a previously discarded material into new value. As a specialty coffee brewery, it communicates new experiential value through craft beer.
'We held numerous meetings with the hotel to devise this recipe, ensuring the coffee cherry's aroma is maximized and not overshadowed by the flavors of malt and hops. I believe it has become a drink where you can feel the fruitiness and acidity of the coffee cherry.'
Mr. Kota Matayoshi, CEO of Ryukyu Coffee Beer Co., Ltd. (left in photo)
Mr. Teruhiko Horinouchi, Plant Manager (right in photo)
Coffee is a globally important agricultural product, and Okinawa is located at the northern limit of the 'Coffee Belt' where it can be cultivated. As one of the few coffee-growing regions in Japan, the number of producers has more than doubled from the initial dozen, and the production area is steadily expanding. Currently, research is underway to establish Okinawa as the 'birthplace of domestic coffee,' and local media have reported the existence of coffee trees over 100 years old in the prefecture.
Miyahira Farm LLC, located in Nanjo City, Okinawa, which produces the coffee for the original craft beer, is cultivating 340 coffee trees as of April 2026 and plans to increase this to 500. There is a temperature difference of about two degrees compared to the northern and central parts of the prefecture where coffee cultivation is also active, and the alkaline soil requires工夫 in fertilization methods. As a major production area for coffee cultivation in Okinawa, they face the coffee trees day by day.
'We are still in a trial-and-error phase with coffee cultivation, but I think it's very meaningful that not only the coffee beans but also the coffee cherries can be utilized. It's very encouraging for future cultivation and expansion.'
Mr. Tsubasa Miyahira, General Affairs and Cultivation Manager of Miyahira Farm LLC
The Director of Food and Beverage at Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa, who was in charge of co-developing the recipe and proposing pairings at the hotel's restaurants, says:
'I am honored to have participated in this project, sympathizing with the potential of Okinawa's coffee industry and sustainable manufacturing. We will deliver Okinawa-originated stories to many guests by serving this craft beer, which leverages the charm of coffee cherries, alongside our cuisine.'
Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa
This product is the world's first upcycled craft beer that uses the pulp of coffee cherries, including those grown in Okinawa, as its main ingredient. Since July 2025, Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa has been the first hotel in Okinawa to carry 'Coffee Cherry Beer,' an upcycled craft beer utilizing coffee cherry pulp developed by Ryukyu Coffee Energy Co., Ltd. (introduced as a world-first by NHK in January 2023). This project evolved from that partnership into the co-development of an original hotel recipe.
While coffee has become an indispensable part of daily life, the pulp 'coffee cherry' produced when extracting coffee beans has mostly been discarded as industrial waste. By focusing on this pulp and utilizing it in the brewing process, a craft beer with a flavor derived from coffee cherries was born.
The hotel's original craft beer is designed as a 'table beer' to be paired with various genres of cuisine served in the hotel's restaurants. It features a moderate carbonation and the aroma of fresh red fruits, complementing the roasted notes of grilled dishes, the acidity and richness of tomatoes in Italian cuisine, and the soy sauce and vegetables in Japanese cooking. It is finished with a palate that expresses the elegance and volume of wine. You can also enjoy the expanding aroma as the temperature changes.
Ryukyu Coffee Energy Co., Ltd. is working to create a coffee industry in Okinawa through an industry-academia-government collaboration with the University of the Ryukyus. As a certified startup of 'Ryu-Labo,' a program developed by the university to foster entrepreneurs, it is expanding the potential of Okinawa's coffee industry from both research and business perspectives.
Ryukyu Coffee Beer Co., Ltd., the manufacturer, is a partner company that spun off from Ryukyu Coffee Energy's coffee industry creation project and is responsible for the production and sale of coffee cherry beer. The company sources coffee cherries from local coffee farmers, transforming a previously discarded material into new value. As a specialty coffee brewery, it communicates new experiential value through craft beer.
'We held numerous meetings with the hotel to devise this recipe, ensuring the coffee cherry's aroma is maximized and not overshadowed by the flavors of malt and hops. I believe it has become a drink where you can feel the fruitiness and acidity of the coffee cherry.'
Mr. Kota Matayoshi, CEO of Ryukyu Coffee Beer Co., Ltd. (left in photo)
Mr. Teruhiko Horinouchi, Plant Manager (right in photo)
Coffee is a globally important agricultural product, and Okinawa is located at the northern limit of the 'Coffee Belt' where it can be cultivated. As one of the few coffee-growing regions in Japan, the number of producers has more than doubled from the initial dozen, and the production area is steadily expanding. Currently, research is underway to establish Okinawa as the 'birthplace of domestic coffee,' and local media have reported the existence of coffee trees over 100 years old in the prefecture.
Miyahira Farm LLC, located in Nanjo City, Okinawa, which produces the coffee for the original craft beer, is cultivating 340 coffee trees as of April 2026 and plans to increase this to 500. There is a temperature difference of about two degrees compared to the northern and central parts of the prefecture where coffee cultivation is also active, and the alkaline soil requires工夫 in fertilization methods. As a major production area for coffee cultivation in Okinawa, they face the coffee trees day by day.
'We are still in a trial-and-error phase with coffee cultivation, but I think it's very meaningful that not only the coffee beans but also the coffee cherries can be utilized. It's very encouraging for future cultivation and expansion.'
Mr. Tsubasa Miyahira, General Affairs and Cultivation Manager of Miyahira Farm LLC
The Director of Food and Beverage at Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa, who was in charge of co-developing the recipe and proposing pairings at the hotel's restaurants, says:
'I am honored to have participated in this project, sympathizing with the potential of Okinawa's coffee industry and sustainable manufacturing. We will deliver Okinawa-originated stories to many guests by serving this craft beer, which leverages the charm of coffee cherries, alongside our cuisine.'
Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa