Kura One by Katsunari Sawada (Part 2)

Sake On Air

In our last podcast episode of Sake On Air, we had two of our regular hosts Chris Hughes and John Gauntner talk with Katsunari Sawada, the man behind the pocket-sized sake can, KURA One. If you have not had a chance to listen to it yet, we recommend you do so (here) before listening to the 2nd part, as we are looking further into the question of whether this could be indeed the future of packaging for the sake industry and beyond.

We will also be diving deeper into how to market sake overseas and KURA One’s strength in doing so. This comes as no surprise as Sawada-san has an incredible PR and marketing background and knows that putting in extensive research into what producers, sellers, and consumers want is crucial to building a successful concept and product.

But what is KURA One’s long-term strategy? With a huge demand for small format single-serving units in Japan, how will the company navigate the challenge of possibly cannibalizing brands that they are promoting (or vice versa) in other markets, and are these small cans really sustainable in the long run?
As always, we would love to hear what you think about this special double episode and make sure to check out KURA ONE on Instagram, as Sawada-san often posts promotions and special deals.

At the same time, if you’re looking for updates @sakeonair, you can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Don’t hesitate to also share any other sake or shochu-related thoughts or questions with the hosts at [email protected] and rate us on the podcast service of your choice while you’re at it.

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.
Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.