Sake Brewery

         

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Interview with Kaito Nakamura, Owner of Sake Brewery in San Francisco, California

Hi Kaito Nakamura, thank you for taking the time to chat with me! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the sake business?

Hello! Thank you for having me. I was born and raised in Japan, and I always had a passion for sake. After moving to the United States, I had a difficult time finding high-quality sake that was readily available. This led me to start my own sake brewery.

What challenges did you face when starting your sake brewery, and how did you overcome them?

There were many challenges, especially since sake is not as well-known in the United States as it is in Japan. I had to educate the public on sake and its many different styles. I also had to find a way to make my sake stand out from other breweries. One of the biggest challenges was finding a way to sell my sake to people who are not located near my physical store. This is where Shopify came in handy.

Can you elaborate on how you used Shopify to overcome the challenge of selling sake to people who are not located near your physical store?

Shopify has been a game changer for my business. It allowed me to reach a wider audience who were interested in trying our sake but were unable to visit our physical store. Shopify made it easy for us to take orders and ship our sake throughout the United States. This has greatly expanded our customer base and allowed us to grow our business in unexpected ways.

That's great to hear! Can you tell us about a specific moment or event that stood out to you in your journey with Sake Brewery?

One event that stands out to me is when we were featured on a popular food blog. The exposure we received from that feature greatly increased our website traffic, resulting in a surge of sales. This event allowed us to see the true potential of our business and showed us that we were on the right track.

What's the most important thing you've learned about running a sake brewery?

The most important thing I've learned is to stay true to what makes our sake unique. We use traditional Japanese techniques and ingredients, and we strive for the highest quality in all of our sake. This dedication to quality and tradition has helped us create a loyal customer base and has allowed us to stand out in the market.

Lastly, what's next for Sake Brewery?

We plan to expand our production and continue to focus on quality. We also plan to grow our online sales, as we have seen a significant increase in demand for our sake outside of California. Additionally, we will continue to offer tastings and brewery tours to provide a full experience for our customers.

         

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