Area Development
Blue Current Brewery of Kittery, Maine, plans to become the first Japanese Sake micro brewer and manufacturer east of Texas.

According to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, the firm is awaiting a final pieces of brewing equipment to produce the spirited beverage of Japanese origin made from rice that dates back to the early 700’s AD. Once all the equipment is in place, Blue Current Brewery plans to become the largest micro brewer of the Japanese spirit in the nation.

BCB will take its place as one of seven breweries nationwide and will become one of only two that brew, bottle and distribute micro brewed sake. Sake is an intensely complex rice-based spirit and “is the most difficult thing to brew in the world, hands down,” said BCB founder Dan Ford.

Dan Ford, a former financial data systems consultant and 1998 graduate of Harvard, studied in both New York and Tokyo to earn the titles of advanced sake professional and master-taster. “There’s a lot to be said about starting a business in Maine,” stated Ford, “and the help is already here; you just have to reach out and engage the right people.”

Gov. Paul R LePage said his account executive who worked on the project, “Kristine Schuman, as well as the entire Account Executive team, provides a critical link to the available economic resources and assistance that help Maine businesses grow and thrive. As Blue Current Brewery can attest, this type of support and guidance helps businesses navigate the sometimes complex array of economic development programs and regulations to ensure a smoother and more seamless experience. That was my goal when we created the Account Executive team at the Department of Economic and Community Development, and I am delighted that it continues to yield positive results.”