Sake RD Co., Ltd.
[New product] Sake “Fukucho To” that goes well with Chinese food is now on sale in China
A sake that goes well with spicy dishes such as Sichuan cuisine and hot pot. Jointly developed by Sake RD and Imada Sake Brewery in Hiroshima Prefecture in response to Chinese consumer needs. Also exhibited at a sake business fair in Sichuan Province, China on October 19, 2023.
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Sake RD Co., Ltd. (read: Sake RD, Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and CEO: Hiroki Tsutsumi, Representative Director and CCO: Rokuro Watanabe, hereinafter referred to as the Company) is a Japanese sake sales business for the Chinese market. We will start selling “Fukucho To”, a sake that goes well with Japanese cuisine, in China. This new product is a sake that we jointly developed with Imada Sake Brewery Honten (Headquarters: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Representative Director: Miho Imada) in response to the voices of local consumers who said, “I want sake that goes well with Chinese food.”
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/109253/3/resize/d109253-3-a14db874b100defd374a-2.jpg&s3=109253-3-c8a16ab7949818718c969d38ef4151e9-2000×1125.jpg] Consumer needs for “sake” in China
The demand for sake in China is on the rise, and in 2021 China has become the largest export destination for sake (*1). Many Chinese people buy sake as souvenirs when they travel to Japan, and it can be predicted that latent demand for enjoying sake on a daily basis is increasing within China as well. However, according to a survey by the National Tax Agency, sake accounts for only 0.02% of alcohol consumption in China. Moreover, it has been announced that 63% of that amount is consumed at restaurants (*2).
Therefore, in order to understand the specific reality of the sake market in China, we conducted a consumer survey in China (*3). -Consumer survey in China by SakeRD-
・I want to try Japanese sake that goes well with Chinese food…84% ・I want to focus not only on famous brands, but also sake breweries and brands that are not yet known…41% ・I want to enjoy sake, but I don’t know how to pair it…23%
In response to these survey results, Sake RD and Imada Sake Brewery have jointly developed and released “Fukuchoto,” a sake that goes well with Chinese cuisine, with the aim of making sake more enjoyable in China on a daily basis. have become. *1 In 2021, the quantity increased by 52.3% from the previous year to 7,268 kiloliters, and the amount increased by 77.5% from the previous year to 10.28 billion yen Source: https://www.jetro.go.jp/biz/areareports/2022/aa4e4e3ce1463532 .html*2 National Tax Agency 2021 “Market research on Japanese alcoholic beverages in major overseas countries” – Japanese alcoholic beverage export strategy – Source:
https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/sake/yushutsu/chosa/
pdf/r03.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2X-wzRV8OgrnuOMl1DavZb449Zf-Oh2bnZbC1xG4SZkwvVfWLKOosdQcI *3 Sake RD original survey December 21, 2022: 650 people living in China who are interested in sake As of May 29, 2022, 1,000 people living in China who are interested in sake
Features of “Fukucho To” Japanese sake that goes well with Chinese food The new product “Fukucho To” was developed as a sake that goes well with Chinese cuisine, especially spicy dishes such as Sichuan cuisine and hot pot. During development, we conducted a tasting survey of 100 Japanese sake drinkers in Shanghai and interviewed the owners and chefs of 10 restaurants, including a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. We created this together with the Imada Sake Brewery Main Store while carefully examining local needs in China.
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/109253/3/resize/d109253-3-89e162e0b5c39130493a-0.jpg&s3=109253-3-4d1a81146eb37f2657a026021310f4fb-1909×1074.jpg] 1) Naming and packaging
Aiming for a new marriage of Chinese food and Japanese sake, we named it “Fukucho To” to connect the two. In a preliminary survey conducted in China, it was voiced that package design was an important aspect of what they were looking for in sake. The package design has a sophisticated Japanese feel and is perfect for home use or as a gift. 2) Taste
Rather than cancel out the spiciness of Chinese food, we aimed to create a flavor that enhances the flavor richly, colorfully, and synergistically. It has a refreshing taste, a rich aroma, sweetness and freshness, and a clear and strong acidity. It resets the spiciness of Chinese food and brings out the flavor of the ingredients even more. In addition, the design is tailored to the spiciness of Chinese food, so when you put it in your mouth, it combines spiciness, sourness, and the scent typical of sake, compared to regular Japanese sake, and the sweet aftertaste amidst the numbing spiciness. We are trying to emphasize the spiciness and flavor of Chinese food. 3) Price and sales channels
The EC sales price in China is 398 yuan (tax included).
At this time, there are no plans to sell it in Japan, and it will only be sold in mainland China. We are planning wholesale sales to Sake RD’s WeChat e-commerce site for sake in China (Seishu 图鉴) and restaurants.
-Sake business meeting from Hiroshima Prefecture in Sichuan Province, China- As part of efforts to strengthen sales of Fukucho To in China, we will participate in a sake business fair in Sichuan Province, China (October 19, 2023) hosted by the Hiroshima Sichuan Economic Exchange Office. Seven sake breweries, including Imada Sake Brewery head office, will be participating in this business meeting, and a sake pairing event will be held. Approximately 50 people from China, mainly from restaurants, are expected to participate. Sake RD, Imada Sake Brewery main store will participate in local events and invite local restaurant personnel to experience the pairing of “Fukucho To”. We will use this event as a hook to accelerate the strengthening of To’s sales in China.
Imada Sake Brewery Main Store ~ Thoughts put into the development of “Fukucho To” ~
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/109253/3/resize/d109253-3-c790823b566274096953-1.png&s3=109253-3-b830e704365678e4518fe3fa99447b17-512×341.png ]
Comment from Miho Imada, representative of Imada Sake Brewing Main Store (photo right)
“Although Imada Sake Brewery is a small sake brewery in Hiroshima, we have been expanding our sake overseas.As a result, we have had many opportunities to hear opinions about sake from Chinese people. I felt disappointed that the image and taste of sake were limited.In China, there is little information about sake, the alcohol content of sake is lower than baijiu, and there is no custom of drinking alcohol with meals. On the other hand, when I eat a wide variety of dishes in China, such as Sichuan cuisine and Shanghai cuisine, I strongly feel that I want to pair that sake with that food. I was conscious of this many times.China has a rich food culture where you can enjoy dishes that make use of regional and seasonal ingredients, and enjoy them with white rice.For Chinese people who have a sensitive sense of taste and smell, We would like people to experience the potential of Japanese sake by offering sake that goes well with Chinese cuisine.” About Imada Sake Brewery Main Store
Imada Sake Brewery is a sake brewery located in Hiroshima that continues to challenge itself while preserving tradition. The sake, which is made from Hiroshima prefecture’s native sake rice that had not been used for more than 100 years, has won numerous awards at contests in Europe and the United States, and accounts for more than 20% of the amount exported overseas. . Representative Miho Imada (fourth from the left in the photo) has been selected as one of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s “100 Women”, which selects women who have an impact on society every year.
This time, we have jointly developed “Fukucho” with the support of our efforts to expand our sales channels to China while taking care of the sake brewery’s brand image.
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/109253/3/resize/d109253-3-c03bd6904f66557bec39-3.jpg&s3=109253-3-821e957fa660e3b734d7c99ea4065821-512×341.jpg] About Sake RD
We are a startup whose purpose is to sell sake overseas, spread Japanese sake culture, and create a new industry. Aiming to become a leading company in the Japanese sake sales business for the Chinese market, we have been operating our business from two bases in Japan and China since our founding in April 2022. In addition to introducing sake to restaurants in China to spread awareness, we are promoting continued purchases on the e-commerce site dedicated to sake on WeChat, China’s largest SNS.
We aim to improve the sake experience by adapting sake from charming sake breweries across Japan to meet local needs in China, and realize a future where sake is commonplace on dining tables around the world. [Sake RD Co., Ltd. Company Profile]
Company name: Sake RD Co., Ltd.
Location: Tokyo Head Office Room 910, 9th floor, Tensho Shinbashi 5-chome Building, 5-12-11, Minato-ku, Tokyo
:Shanghai base: Tuguan (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd. No. 99, Xianxia Road, Changning District, Shanghai, Shangjia Center WeWork
Established: April 2022
Representatives: Hiroki Tsutsumi (Representative Director and CEO), Rokuro Watanabe (Representative Director and CCO)
Corporate website: https://www.sakerd.jp/
Business details: Sales, wholesale, and promotion of sake
[Contact information regarding this matter]
Sake RD Co., Ltd. Tsutsumi (050-3692-2804, contact@sakerd.com) More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000109253.html
MAIL:cr@prtimes.co.jp
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