Kirin Ichiban Shibori Raw Beer's nationwide producer support initiative gradually launched: Utilizing a portion of sales to support producers challenging to create "new deliciousness" in Japan

Kirin Beer Co., Ltd. (President Hideki Horiguchi, hereinafter "Kirin Beer")'s flagship brand, "Kirin Ichiban Shibori Raw Beer" (hereinafter "Ichiban Shibori"), has been highly praised by many customers since its launch in 1990. Based on the aspiration to "brighten Japan with the joy brought by delicious beer," it is a beer made with the "Ichiban Shibori Method®*1," which extracts only the most delicious part of the malt.

With the desire to energize all of Japan with "deliciousness," "Ichiban Shibori" focused on the "new deliciousness" being created across the country, particularly within the "delicious food from all over Japan" essential for beer, and began activities in December 2025 to deliver its appeal to more customers. This initiative will now evolve into an activity to support producers nationwide, starting in stages.

This activity is an initiative to support producers who are challenging to create "new deliciousness" across Japan, utilizing a portion of "Ichiban Shibori" sales. Recently, producers have faced serious challenges such as climate change and a shortage of successors. To support producers who continue to take on challenges with originality and advancement even under such circumstances, public recruitment for producers wishing to participate in this activity will begin on Monday, April 6, 2026. Further details about this activity, including future developments, will be announced sequentially.

*1: A method that uses only the first wort that flows out during the wort filtration process.

[Regarding applications for this activity]

This activity is recruiting producers who handle "new food" as follows. From Monday, April 6, 2026, application guidelines and forms will be sent to those who inquire via the inquiry form on the special website (https://www.kirin.co.jp/alcohol/beer/ichiban/contact-action/).

・What is "new food" eligible for recruitment?

In this activity, "new food" refers to new varieties or new products within the target genres below that possess originality or advanced characteristics, going beyond generally distributed products or varieties.

However, new varieties or new products eligible for this activity are limited to those that, at the time of application, meet necessary related laws and regulations and are in a state where they can be manufactured and sold as food in Japan.

・Target Genres

① Grains (rice, wheat, corn, buckwheat, soybeans, etc.)

② Fruits and vegetables (vegetables, fruits, wild vegetables, mushrooms, etc.)

③ Marine products (fish, crustaceans, shellfish, seaweed, etc.)

④ Livestock products (meat, milk, eggs, etc.)

⑤ Processed foods (ham/sausage, fish paste products, canned goods, jam, honey, etc.)

⑥ Daily fresh products (bread, tofu, dairy products, natto, etc.)

⑦ Seasonings (miso, soy sauce, dashi, related seasoning products, etc.)

*If it is difficult to determine whether an item falls under the target genre, please inquire with the secretariat listed at the end of the release in advance.

・Scope and Coverage of Donations

The use of these donations shall be for the purpose of contributing to the further development of "new food." Examples of primary uses are shown below.

＜Examples of Uses＞

・Costs for purchasing equipment and supplies used in the production/manufacturing of the relevant food ingredients, etc.

・Costs for purchasing land necessary for the production/manufacturing of the relevant food ingredients, land development costs, etc.

・Expenses related to public relations activities to further develop the relevant food ingredients, such as information dissemination, customer attraction, recognition acquisition, and branding (including e-commerce site construction and listing-related expenses).

・Expenses related to holding events or exhibiting, such as providing the relevant food ingredients, etc.

・Improvement of the quality of the relevant food ingredients, creation of successors (e.g., research for variety improvement for further popularization, utilization for successor training)

*If it is difficult to determine the scope and coverage of the donations, please inquire with the secretariat in advance.

*If, based on the application content, the purpose and content are completely different from the objective of these donations, it will be deemed ineligible. Please also note that for other uses, if the application content indicates that the expenses have a low relevance to "new food," they may also be deemed ineligible.

・Application Period *Congestion is expected just before the deadline, so please inquire early.

Monday, April 6, 2026 ~ Monday, May 11, 2026, until 6:00 PM.

[Product Overview]

1. Product Name: "Kirin Ichiban Shibori Raw Beer"

2. Sales Region: Nationwide

3. Volume/Container: 135ml can, 250ml can, 350ml can, 500ml can, small bottle, medium bottle, large bottle, celebratory label medium bottle, 7L keg, 15L keg, 20L keg, 3L PET bottle

4. Price: Open price

5. Alcohol Content: 5%

6. Pure Alcohol Amount: 350ml can: 14g, 500ml can: 20g

7. Manufacturing Plants: Kirin Beer Hokkaido Chitose Plant, Sendai Plant, Toride Plant, Yokohama Plant, Nagoya Plant, Shiga Plant, Kobe Plant, Okayama Plant, Fukuoka Plant

Secretariat Information

Ichiban Shibori ACTION Secretariat

Phone: 03-6432-4707

Email: info-kirin-is-action@unei-jimukyoku.jp

*Reception hours: Weekdays 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM