consultancy

Japanese culture associated with refinement, sophistication and appealing quirks never goes out of fashion. Japanese cuisine in its turn, from the finest kaiseki experience to izakaya bites, and from its purest form to fusion interpretations, is conquering global hospitality. Japanese beverages from sake to Japanese tea and water are becoming must-have offerings in Michelin-star restaurants, trendy bars, airlines, and VIP events.Yet, making a well-balanced selection of Japanese beverages remains intimidating for even the most experienced professionals.

What does Ikigai-shu offer our partners and customers? At Ikigai-shu, we bridge the need and knowledge gap with certified expertise and extensive experience to guide you through the category landscape, rituals and unchartered trends.

Who are our customers?

  • Distributors and importers looking to refresh their portfolio, have a competitive edge and remain profitable.
  • Travel retail and aviation operators who need to continuously prove to global travellers and partners that they follow the latest industry trends, while taking efficiency and revenue to the next level.
  • Restaurants and bars who want to upsell and have a wow-product offering, who are open to experiment with beverage traditions and innovations, who want to stay trendy and empowered with knowledge and expertise.
  • Hotels who are ready to welcome and offer the highest standards of products and services to their customers.
  • Producers who are trying to enter the market and face language, cultural and business barriers.

BEVERAGE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT​

We passionately guide our clients at every stage of your business. We treat every part of the project as an exciting journey supported with tailor-made solutions – from in-depth beverage list consultancy to service ritual options and extensive training programmes.

What we are best at:

  • Product selection from brands available on the market, or developing special import programmes
  • Existing beverage programme makeover
  • Guided in-depth tastings
  • Food pairing workshops
  • Beverage menu design
  • Private label design
  • Marketing strategies to promote your beverage offerings

PRODUCER & IMPORTER RELATIONSHIPS​

Complicated route to market and lack of well-organised distribution channels may be an obstacle on the way to establishing relationships with producers and regional importers. Our team will turn this part of the project into a fun and productive process.

HOW CAN IKIGAI-SHU MAKE YOUR OPERATIONS MORE EFFICIENT:

  • Connect business opportunities with the most reliable supply chain solutions
  • Enhance the relationship between the client and distributor/producer to be more efficient
  • Use our extensive network of producers and industry experts for our clients’ needs

PRODUCER & IMPORTER RELATIONSHIPS​

Complicated route to market and lack of well-organised distribution channels may be an obstacle on the way to establishing relationships with producers and regional importers. Our team will turn this part of the project into a fun and productive process.

HOW CAN IKIGAI-SHU MAKE YOUR OPERATIONS MORE EFFICIENT:

  • Connect business opportunities with the most reliable supply chain solutions
  • Enhance the relationship between the client and distributor/producer to be more efficient
  • Use our extensive network of producers and industry experts for our clients’ needs

SAKE CELLAR MANAGEMENT​

Sake Cellar Management requires deep knowledge and language skills.

What could be more frustrating than to inherit a cellar or warehouse filled with ageing sake stock, and to have no idea how much of it is still fit for selling?

How operationally inefficient it is to have a house sake programme in place and lose control of how, and how long, to store open bottles without running the risk of upsetting customers with a disappointing sake flight?

Our experts will be at your service to create a neat and efficient system for organising, storing and stock rotating your inventory by offering the following services:

  • Japanese label translation
  • English back label design and production
  • Staff training focussed on sake serving and storing