A yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most important microorganisms for human beings, because this yeast is necessary to produce almost all the fermented foods and alcohol beverages. During industrial processes using S. cerevisiae , numerous environmental stresses, such as supraoptimal temperatures, oxidation, hyperosmolarity, drying and freezing/thawing, are exposed to yeast cells. To improve the industrial fermentation processes, yeast cells should have higher levels of the tolerance against the environmental stress. In this review, we describe 1) the importance of the tolerance against the environmental stress of yeast cells during industrial uses, 2) molecular mechanisms of the tolerance against the environmental stress, and 3) molecular breeding of stress tolerant yeast strains.