COMPANY - OUTSIDER BREWING

OVERVIEW

Company: Outsider LLC
Head Office: 1-17-4 Midorigaoka Kofu Yamanashi 400-0008
TEL / FAX: 055-223-2622

Business Description: Production and sale of craft beer
Management of restaurants.
Date of establishment: July 1, 2015
Owner: Mark Major

HISTORY

1985

Owner, Mark Major's first visit to Japan

Summer vacation homestay organized by the Lions Club and enjoyed his time so much.

1990

He came back on a working holiday visa and became an English teacher.Lived in Japan for six years and enjoyed the charms of Kofu's nightlife district.

1996

Returned to an Australia

Returned to an Australia that was in recession and decided to return to Japan.

1998

Returned to Japan where deflation continued unabated

He was shocked by the decrease in the number of people on Kofu's streets.He came back as a teacher but with the plan of starting a new career.

2000

Opened The Legend's Bar

With no money he opened an old bar that was more a gathering place for friends than a serious business.

2003

Closed The Legend's Bar and opened The Vault.

With a baby on the way The Vault needed to be a serious business.He increased the number of beers, whiskies and food on the menu so that anybody could find something they liked which led to increased sales.

The city of Kofu has continued its decline.

Wanting a new challenge and hoping to breathe some life back into Kofu we began planning a new business venture for Kofu.

2010

Began planning for Outsider Brewing

Seeing the popularity of craft beer worldwide he began planning for Outsider Brewing.

2012

Opened Outsider Brewing

With the experienced Satoshi Niwa as head brewer he opened Outsider Brewing near The Vault. The goal is to make craft beer readily available to everyday workers as well as to tourists visiting Kofu.

2015

Outsdier LLC is established.

Outsider Brewing becomes a limited liability company to further expand the concept of Outsider Brewing.

MEMBER

Owner

OWNER

Mark Major

Head Brewer

HEAD BREWER

Momoko Kobayashi

MESSAGE

I fell in love with Japan during my first visit in 1985. In 1990 I returned to Japan on a working holiday visa and became an English teacher in Kofu.
In 1985 and when I returned Kofu was a vibrant city with a thriving night life.
As the years went by deflation and the end of guaranteed employment started to affect the city and people started to move away from the city centre.
Wanting a change of pace I opened my first bar, The Legend's Bar, in 2000 while still teaching English. More of a hobby than a serious business it was a gathering place for friends.
In 2003, with a baby on the way, we closed Legend's and opened The Vault which focuses on high quality food and a wide variety of drinks. The Vault has become a favourite of locals and foreigners alike, not only for the food and drink, but also for billiards, darts and viewing sports.
Then in 2010 we decided to take on a new challenge.
The effects of deflation and stricter drink driving regulations had seen Kofu become a ghost of its former self. Wanting to halt this and bring back some of Kofu's former glory we decided to build a brewery in the city centre. That was the beginning of Outsider Brewing and its taproom, Hops and Herbs.
In addition to The Vault's concept of serving high quality food and beverages we are also committed to using local ingredients in our beer and food. Locally grown wheat and fruit is used in our beers while locally grown meat and vegetables are served in Hops and Herbs.
In addition, to further contribute to Kofu and our local community we give away spent malt from the brewing process to local farmers to be used as fertilizer.