Our sake initiation on the island of Hokkaido was profound and created a spark for bringing premium sake back home and helping more people discover the beauty and enjoyment that we found during our trip. 

We needed a name for this experience, something that signified a connection between Japan and Southern California. As we researched different points of connectivity we discovered this incredible story of American troops stationed in Japan in the 1960’s teaching the locals how to surf. Not only did the joy of surfing take off along the coastlines, but so did surf culture. California state flags as well as California based surf brands’ flags fly high above the businesses along the coast to celebrate their love of surf. 

Inspired by this story of two worlds so far apart becoming connected by the joy of a cultural experience, we decided to name our company SAFU, which translates to SURF in Japanese. Surf can literally talk about the sport, but it can also reflect the waves that crash on both shores that continue to connect these two worlds.