Kihachiro Okura then bought the Sapporo Brewery, which the Hokkaido government had decided to sell off. On two trips overseas, Okura had seen with his own eyes the beer business in the West. In November of 1886, the government-managed beer business was privatized and launched anew under the name Okuragumi Sapporo Beer Brewing.
Yet the following year, Okura transferred the brewery to Eiichi Shibuzawa and Soichiro Asano, who wielded considerable influence in political and business circles. Okura sought to make beer brewing a more established and remunerative business. In December of 1887, Okura himself joined the management and established the new Sapporo Beer Co., Ltd. With Shibuzawa joining the roster, the team had built a foundation for growth.