FROM THE LENS WHY DIDN’ T I THINK OF THAT ?
Sake to Me
are serving our products. Unfortunately, we are not able to sell our products online yet, nor are we able to ship our products. Liquor laws are very strict when it comes to a producer selling its products retail or shipping them across state lines.” Wetlands Sake produces two variations on a theme, traditional sake, available in filtered and unfiltered, and new, on-trend sparkling sake, available in Blood Orange and Passionfruit. All are currently avail-
Louisiana rice has taken on a whole different role thanks to two New Orleans entrepreneurs. BY ASHLEY MCLELLAN PHOTOS BY SARA ESSEX BRADLEY
THIS SPRING, NEW ORLEANS NATIVES NAN
Wallis and Lindsey Brower launched Wetlands Sake, the first woman-owned brewery of its kind nestled in a historic warehouse in the Lower Garden District, a venture that takes Louisiana rice off the dinner plate and way beyond red beans and etouffee. “Our shared love of sake was the main inspiration,” Brower said. “In our travels we both noticed sake consumption starting to trend up in cities around the United States. It was appearing on more and more restaurant and bar menus, and it was just more visible than it had ever been before. Also, the fact that Louisiana is the third-largest rice-growing state in the USA was a huge part of why we started Wetlands; we weren’t going to do it if we couldn’t use Louisiana rice.” Wallis brings her entrepreneurial know-how working in the healthcare industry to the venture, while Brower’s portfolio of hospitality management, front of house and fine dining marketing adds to the company’s experience, dedication to community and knowledge of New Orleans palates. And what do New Orleanians and their palates love? Knocking back a brew or two, and trying the latest locally made creations. Microbreweries in New Orleans have become neighborhood staples — currently there are 16 — each with its own unique spin, from Zony Mash’s outdoor food and fun beer experience to the newly transformed Faubourg Brewery to Broad Street Cider and Mead keying in on cooking up apple and honey-based brews. Wetlands Sake adds to the mix with its unique blends of traditional and fruit-infused sakes. “We are thrilled to say that sales so far have been robust,” Wallis said. “We have had repeated reorders for all of our sakes ,and more and more bars and restaurants
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BIZ NEW ORLEANS
JULY 2021
(right) Wetlands Sake owners (left to right) Nan Wallis and Lindsey Brower brew up unique canned sake using Louisiana short grain rice at their distillery in the Lower Garden District. A taproom is scheduled to open to the public soon. (facing page) Four varieties of Wetlands Sake are currently available: traditional filtered and unfiltered sake, along with sparkling blood orange and passionfruit.
RICE — BY THE NUMBERS Louisiana is the third-largest riceproducing state. More than 425,000 acres of rice were planted on 823 farms in 2019. Rice production contributes more than $308 million to the state economy.
able for purchase at most major local grocery and liquor stores, as well as in Baton Rouge, on the Northshore, and soon in Thibodeaux, Houma and Lafayette. Sake brewing in the United States is booming, having taken off as early as 2015 in some areas, as consumer interest grew in novel brews and fermented products including hard kombuchas and ciders. Wetlands Sake joins a group of only 20 sake breweries in the U.S., although the
