Okay good morning good afternoon good Evening everyone uh thank you so much For joining this uh diversity event hub Series event for sake So this is called trends challenges and Opportunities in the world of sake And we are bringing the amazing three Um educators from around the globe Especially in Asia Pacific asia and pacific areas My name is natsuki kuya i am a sake of Vacation development manager at the wct I’ve been involved with the diversity Education since uh it’s been launched Nine years ago i’m very happy to Being hosting this seminar for you guys So today we have this very specific Themes and in areas uh Talking about the update of the sake World how sake industries is struggling Or challenging and doing successful in Asia and Asian pacific areas Um so before moving on to the Introduction to the of the speakers i Kind of wanted to bring up some polls For Uh people who just Joined the terminal today so If we can pull some of the Pole yes so Um feel free to vote for this false or Psychic preference do you prefer the
Sake to be this is a temperature Um for the sake which you like chills Like a warm sake or hot sake And feel free to add any chat um section Saying hi or any message from where you Are If you’re drinking any sake tell us what You’re drinking Hello everyone Oh great so everybody prefers the hot Chill sake um i think yeah hot and warm Still seeing us as traditions but it’s Really great um i think it’s like it Will be in a season or in the wintertime Great so some people coming from india Hong kong london Thank you very much amazing So let me move on to The introduction of this wonderful Speakers today So Let me just introduce one by one one the First one first person is from hong kong Miki chan he’s a co-founder of hong kong Wine academy So mickey is has been involved in wine And sake circles as educator writer International judge and consultant as a Wine and japanese sake educator he has Been delivering courses and training in Hong kong macau taiwan and mainland China He’s appointed as overseas support desk Of japan’s akasaki maker sakyansho
Jamaica’s association Moba he is a sake samurai and which is a Second chinese to achieve this title as To recognize his contribution and Achievement in our sake So goes for mickey mickey do you want to Say something just the one one word Before hi [Laughter] How are you today Yeah yes yes Yes great um so mickey will introduce You a little bit more detail deeply About the hong kong market later on So the second speaker is sean all He’s the head of education at the Beverage creek creek Singapore he’s based in singapore and he Is a diversity certified educator his Long aspiration of becoming a master of Wine led him to elusive diversity level Four diploma and his lipitor of practice Helped him become master sake somalia And certified whiskey ambassador Currently the head of education at the Village creek Uh shawn’s past professional experience Spun different areas such as role of Sommelier and trainer at the singapore Airlines and the head of wine of Southeast asia under the salmon group Okay Here we have shawn Thank you very much
Thank you thank you so much thank you We’re looking forward to hear your Stories today Great and finally we have wonderful Melissa mills from australia so she is a Founder of sake connect More than a decade of fascination for Sake led melisa to establish sake Connect in 2018 She works as a psychic consultant Specializing in the most demystifying Sake for audiences in australia and Working with clients in the food Privilege and second industry to raise The profile and enjoyment of sake she Also works as a diversity psych educator And participating in judging team for The iwc such a competition Great And melissa Hi everybody from a very cold wet and Wintery night here in melbourne Australia really good to be here and Really great to see you guys again Great thank you Maybe moving on to the second um topic i Kind of wanted to pull the second poll We Wanted to Hear what you Think so Maybe quite basic question but where do You know my drinks okay i know some People want to do like plus everywhere
Or anywhere but where is the most Location that you drink at the Restaurant or the bus or at home please Let us know So Maybe at home very interesting half and A half And a half yes it’s great to see that People drinking hussak at home i think It might be the culture that’s been Pushed more on the covet lockdown time And I think that’s really great great things To see sake is becoming a part of your Life Okay so um because we have such a great Talks um i just wanted to move on Quickly for the main discussion if Possible Um so Um i would like for three of the Speakers to introduce the second Industry in their own countries so they Have prepared this nice Powerpoint presentation and each of us Will talk about five minutes about Individual sake markets and overview of The of the sake in their country so Maybe let’s open up the market in hong Kong so we have hong kong singapore and Australia and i think it’s nice to see Then the biggest stake market out of all This outside of japan market hong kong Um so miki would you like to share your
Powerpoint and open up your presentation Please Hand it over to you Thank you that’s the key Um well hello everyone uh really glad to See you all in the um in the webinar uh Yeah this is uh what about the hong kong Markets actually uh we have a very hot Topic about japanese sake and Japanese is actually trendy things yeah And products uh in hong kong uh well Uh if you’re thinking of uh well just Just have a quick look about the uh uh Hong kong markets and i think nacho keys Is already introduced myself uh this is Mickey chen here uh of sports semi and The uh co-founders of hong kong academy Uh indeed i’ve been teaching at wsct Course wine courses for more than 13 Years and uh and about this okay i think Since the start of the Japanese sake uh qualifications Available by uh wfct i’ve been start um Teaching on that so let’s take a look at The um markets uh in hong kong it’s Actually quite a long-standing uh Sake exporting markets uh in the world Already uh for many many years uh since The start and the hong kong people’s Really admiring about the japanese Culture Especially for the dining culture so This is the figures that you can get From the ministry of finance from japan
Of japan uh this is top 10 sake Exporting markets in hong kong in the World um you can see that this is the Latest uh 2021 figures uh for the hong Kong um no matters in terms of Values or volume hong kong is in the Third place This is what we had last year But i would like to add a remark on that Uh As 2018 in year 2020 hong kong in terms of Value was the number one places Because of the situations of kovite 19 Then suffer a lot by the in the u.s Market and the main chinese market so Hong kong was the number one of them so Um That’s that’s a very interesting market Because even though the coffee the Situation of profit 19 hong kong market Is still an increase in numbers having Increasing numbers on them so this is um It’s because of the uh quite a special Combinations And the components in hong kong so let’s Take a look at it so um Yeah Um i would say if if i want to Have a conclusion about hong kong sake Markets actually it’s a premium second Markets and if you can see the exporting Numbers the values that prefer per Volume uh or per liter on that um
Compared with the global average is About uh 1 200 yen per liters upper Bottles of sake that they are exporting But hong kong is more like a two to Three times um 2.3 times More than that so which means that we Drink not in a very high volume but we Have relatively High value On the on the circuit no matter those Those uh Premium brands and famous friends Actually is are all available in hong Kong markets no matter in the official Importance way or parallel importance That’s because of the policies so we Talked about the policies later So um You can see the exporting trend for the Past 20 years in hong kong second Markets So since the start of 2000 To the year 2000 we have just a little a Tiny little numbers but at the time we Are still placing at top five markets For the sake exporting but If you Really took a look at the past two years Since 2019 to 2021 you can see the Straight line increasing numbers uh on The japanese circuit it which is talking About two to three times more than Before No matters on the volume or the um value
As well so it’s quite um I would say it’s quite uh which reflects A lot of things uh it’s not just because Of the mainland china we got a lot of Sake and we do the parallel imports to The main markets but also attract more Trendy things and more uh Favorable for the hong kong people or Really get used to have japanese sake in Their In that during their dinner or even Though have their home party as well So um this is a brief uh briefly Introduction about the hong kong markets But you can see the liquor stores uh we Have quite a Significance increasing figures uh since 2008 to 2021 So which is talking about three times More and but you can see that uh 10 years about 10 years before like 2012 And 13 we have quite a high numbers of Liquor store available in hong kong but Actually at the time at that time the Liquor store mainly sells wines instead Of japanese sake but Even though now we have more much more Wine shops but uh on the proportions we Have a very significant increase number On the retail shops and the liquor store Uh about japanese sake and we are trying To handle it in more Professional ways like Containers and also the refrigerations
Uh in in the small shops even though in The politics small shops They’re doing like that but before that Um the wine shops uh wants to sell most Again and all even want to have more Success available in the store but they Are most likely putting in the wine Cabin instead of the refrigerator so um So that’s that’s why we got the Numbers of that Even though the numbers you can see that Compared with 2014 uh to the years now 2021 so you can see the similar figures Or even the same figures on the liquid Stove but the combination is has been Changed So um that’s the situation about liquor Store But on the entree this that’s the off Trade markets but for the restaurant Markets Uh for sure in hong kong we have a huge Influence by the chinese culture or even The mainland chinese culture and we have Our own Hong kong dining culture too so for the Restaurant combinations you can see the Huge proportions on the hong kong style Tea restaurants Which is which means that so many shops And so many um Dishes are available no matter western Or eastern cuisine will be available in This kind of restaurants but we we do
Have some more chinese restaurant no Matters the canton Cantonese Cuisine or shanghainese or bay or peking Style or even the citroen style Those are the chinese Restaurants that’s That’s easy to understand that we have Such Such a huge influences because we are All chinese And but besides on that we got a lot of Takeaway shops and the fast food shops Uh which is uh which Has been growing rapidly especially Because of the Coffee 19. so uh people’s getting a lot Of takeaways um or even do deliveries Shops too so besides that uh the next Highest uh numbers of the restaurant is Japanese restaurants so uh just like Hong kong we’re we’ll really get used to The japanese culture so um that’s why we Have A huge number of japanese restaurants Available uh from the very basic uh uh Entry levels of ice to the very premium One um even though some master chef in In japan uh Choose to open shops in hong kong Instead of other places or even though They close their shops in japan as well So um we are more like a premium Tendency especially for past uh past uh
One or two one and a half years uh we Have crazy increase on the japanese Cuisine prices Which is talking about 300 u.s per Person or even the more you have 300 to 400 us per person at night for the sushi Stock or what we call it okay shops uh Restaurants that are available So we have Uh we have i i think probably more Almost hundred shops they’re charging at That price So um So we have a quite a quite a strong Premium tendency on the japanese Restaurants and the people preferred That and because we’re easy to get Access to the japanese ingredients we Have almost every day we have right Connections about the ingredients Available But For those premium japanese cuisine People are preferred to have a byo Culture a byob culture so which means That we bring our own bottles there so Even though for the japanese sake we are They are not consumed well they are not Purchased from uh in the restaurants They are just buying from online or Retail stores and then bring bottles to Them so We have such a such a strong culture on The biop
Um so that’s why even the japanese and The people thought that japanese Sake still have the concepts like um Japanese sake is still associated with The japanese restaurant but not the Chinese not the western or some other Places only a few numbers of the western Uh cuisine Will take a japanese sake into their Their beverage list So um We have just five minutes so we have Rush about the hong kong markets so um We have because of the policies we have Three important markets we don’t have Any import tax well we don’t have any um Sales tax or even though alcoholic tax On japanese targets so which is free for Us to trade uh between japan and hong Kong so um so we have numerous choices And numerous uh uh uh kinds of uh Circuit that available in the markets so Which makes that uh our customer have no Uh uh our end consumers not much brand Loyalty we are not looking for brand Loyalties but we are looking for 20 Things instead or something like premium Things and really prime sensitive on on Products Um And we do have a new product secrets uh So which means that uh okay a lot of uh Items that available in the markets but They have already checked
They have already Uh Tasted it before so they want to see Something new uh they want to see new Labels they want to see the new story They want to see the new brands and the Premium tendencies because we have no Tax well we have no entry barriers on That so people are tense that people Tends to Consume less on the low end Or daily drinking circuits so there they Tend to have more like jun my night Injury and buy ninja style or even Though extra premium premiums uh jumei Dankinjo is more sellables than the fuji I would say That’s that’s um that’s the very special Place in the case in hong kong And for the entree and of trade just Like the poll that we we have before People are drinking sake in the Restaurants or at home actually it’s Just half half because we have the home Party we have a gathering especially for The coffee 19 we cannot get out for for Dinner so people’s getting to home or Some other places and they drink Cigarettes and they bought the bob that They purchased the bottle From the online store or even the retail Store Um So but
In between we have a very significant Increasing numbers on the sake bars so Which means that they are they’re Serving only less Food but they focus more on the on the Numerous choices or various choices uh On the sake so we have such kind of bars So especially it’s not just served by Bottles but also chef by glasses So um But at the moment at hong kong i would Say hong kong market is still a wine Driven market so our drinking wines White circle is still much bigger than Uh the sake of circles so we can see the Potentials of growing in the next few Years in the hong kong markets So So we have increasing numbers on the Second bars but also increasing numbers Of the retail shops And the online stores Too so especially for the online shops Because um Uh We have uh we have no entry barriers on The uh tax so uh people can just trade From uh directly from japan exporting Company and then sell it online so they Are really in this price Competitive in the markets So um different uh different activities And workshops are available in hong kong We have every month
I think more than more than 100 uh if it Is normal more than hundreds events that Are available in hong kong no matter What Uh sake pairing dinner Or Tasting events or some small workshops Or Even though problem workshops Or just like a diy from my workshop it’s All available so this is about the hong Kong markets and you can see that hunger Market is a very energetic market A japanese circuit and you can see Trends there still at the uh at the Tendency for increasing so um i think we Can discuss it later on um might be um That might have different Uh opinions on that this is what uh what The background about the hong kong Markets um well this is that’s all for Me at the moment so Amazing Thank you so much I think it’s from home thank you so much I think the mickey Hong kong market is very interesting Especially this the importing tax is a Zero percent so it’s almost japanese Blue uh seeing hong kong as one of the Different prefecture of japan so it’s a Lot of potentials and growth i’m sure There are two questions for you so one Question from jenny is how much of the
Big jump in export market to hong kong In 2020 to 2021 is due to border Closures as a result of covet Buses and organic growth in the consumer Market Yeah well that’s the retail markets Because because um actually for the Japanese again it’s not relying really Strongly in on the entree in hong kong They are relying on more on all trade But uh we cannot get out for dinner then People just brought up all the bottles From the retails and the uh at the Online store and they have their parties Every day Yeah so that’s the situation and and i Heard from many uh importers actually They got the off trade figures Increasing which covers the business on The entree so that’s helped them to Survive in the uh during the coffee Night Great the second question is from herald So in hong kong are you seeing a growth Since like a specific liquor stores or In izusaki mainly so together with the Wine in wine shops Well We see much more petite Sake specific shops instead of wines One business is so mature in hong kong So we have much more items that are Available there but Previously for the hong kong markets for
The circuitry the circuit traders may Need selling to the restaurants and you Cannot find a lot of choices or just Tiny Some Some seasonal items that are available In the retail shops but now um But now we can see that a smaller Protein circuit shops that Which is increasing and even though some Wine companies Would like to add sake into their Portfolio instead Okay so that’s yeah that’s the situation And the online shops yeah and uh she was Also asking about the shochu is being Sold at the shop as well Um not really uh sochu culture is not That strong in hong kong so we are more Like a wine culture because of the Business uh british influences uh before So uh fermented alcoholic beverages Market is much stronger than the sweet Markets okay for this for the spirit Markets uh we are focusing mainly on Whiskey but not others uh spirits Yeah i think it’s a global kind of Challenge that sho2 has to be introduced As a whole new category So the last one sorry um there’s quite Many questions coming in to you so what Do you think the main driver of sake Sales grows in hong kong Uh
That’s uh that’s a very difficult Question for me well i think um They uh growing increase uh They’re putting the spots on on the Markets for the uh to the end consumers About japanese again i think offshore Markets is increasing And uh but previously they got a problem They cannot find a good channels to get In touch of those products But now they have more chance so that’s Why people Is easy to access with more products in The markets so i think off trade is Still the main driver Thank you so much and the education yeah Great thank you so much so we can hear More more about hong kong market from Mickey on the later when we’re having a Panel talk but let’s move on to second Speaker sean thank you vicky So sean would you like to share your Presentation Sure uh well thank you maggie that was Really insightful Actually i see a lot of similarities in Terms of our markets i’m just going to Quickly share my my slides i only have About three or four slides so it’s going To be really quick Um so this is just an introduction of Myself uh i’m the co-founder and head of Education for the beverage clique as Natsuki-san has very kindly introduced
Um Currently We are well as a school um well actually Just a bit more about a little bit more Backstory on the uh the whole circuit Thing Um i i just became colleagues with uh With mickey with uh at the jss so that’s That’s great that’s why i do represent The southeast asia site for the support Desk Um as a School i mean we have been doing Training and and certification programs Since 2016. so But i think we we kind of ramped up Um quite a bit of volume in terms of Training uh since 20 2018 and i mean We’ll be doing quite a bit of programs Uh alongside wct we’ll be doing if we’re Talking about sake related ones would be Things like the ssa and ssi Uh personally i i did do the program With gss as well same with uh with Mickey To give you an idea of A consolidated amount of psychic courses That we have done uh throughout the Years So as i mentioned that 2018 c That was when i Was starting to to focus a little bit More on on sake i mean we have been Doing trainings
Since 2016 but 2018 we started uh focusing Prep doing preparation in terms of Administration and whatnot And we saw a hike now this might seem Counterintuitive because 2019 uh the end Of 2019 that was when Uh the start of the pandemic uh happened Uh and the start of 2020 that was the Height of the of the pandemic we Actually entered a lockdown but you do See a Significant increase in terms of The total number of courses conducted Partially also because we Did we did shift our investment Towards Things like Infrastructure You know like investment in In zoom trainings As well as Our lockdown period wasn’t as long As as many countries i think We we had like about two two of about Two or three months locked down and then After we came out of lockdown um the Lockdown was a little bit ambiguous Because for for for academies and Schools technically you could still Train and deliver courses but there were Certain Restrictions involved we call them smm Safety
And then i totally forgot what it Actually stands for now safety Measurements Something something anyway that those Those restrictions that they were in Place uh we had to abide by them quite Um quite firmly So as long as we abide by them we were Allowed to um conduct courses Uh we saw that significant amount Increase was also partially because Nobody was leaving singapore There was pretty much nothing to do i Think i think a lot of countries can Actually relate to that Um so fast forward to 2021 Um we still see a steady increase and i Think this is a little bit more Representative of what The current trend of sake or the sake Appetite is with our current consumers And enthusiasts more and more people are Slowing converting towards Um sake consumption they want to know More about them You know previously they were wine Drinkers and they were moving on towards That Uh in terms of Student enrollment uh in terms but but This is again it’s a consolidated amount Of all our saki courses combined Uh this would
Will also reflect the number of courses That we have conducted so we do see a Significant increase but it it took a Little bit of um Well sidestepping i won’t say slight Stepping in terms of growth but in terms Of being very nimble and trying to to be Innovative into how we’re going to Promote courses how we’re going to get People to join causes Um and you know i have my team to thank For that so I and moving into 2022 i think we would Still see a good uh a good growth good Growth Um this is us well this is my final Slide actually with saki exports Actually i do see quite a bit of Similarities in terms of what mickey Shared So You know um he said earlier he showed The uh the The ranking in terms of the export value And numbers we are actually ranked Behind hong kong still a lot to catch up I i must admit Um there are many reasons for that Um but again just just to just to show You a little bit of the numbers that we Have we’re doing a bit of comparison Because With southeast asian countries uh Partially because well we’re part of
Southeast asia It’s it’s it’s kind of not the same Thing Um Uh and i think in terms of numbers we Have we have done pretty well for Ourselves for the past Well if you look at the past 10 years in Comparison versus how much we have grown In between 20 20 2020 and 2021 the Percentage in growth increase it’s it’s Quite significant And i think i think it’s all to a couple Of uh reasons so besides playing catch Up with hong kong there’s certain a lot Of similarities but there are also a lot Of um I should say uh differences because we Do have alcohol attacks right our Alcohol taxes are based on alcohol Percentage Uh and i think that’s also another Similarity to hong kong is that we are More of a premium Sake market because What’s the point of bringing in An entry level circuit whereby It’s going to cost the same right the Tax amount is about nine to ten dollars Singapore dollars per bottle So For those singaporean Listeners you should be drinking Something that’s at least 30 or 40
Dollars above Um but also because of that reason i Mean some something points might feel That I’m drinking a bottle of sake and if They are not very familiar socket it Would feel that Well this forty dollars i could get a Ball of wine but you have to understand That uh and i’m sure my my fellow Panelists would agree that logistics is A Problem it’s a huge problem Um breaking motor shops just to just to Fast Fast track a little bit and pull Reference to what mickey has mentioned Brick and mortar shops we don’t have That many Um [Music] I i do I think there will be an increase but Right now the the the Most direct easiest entry is still E-commerce so Every other day you know i think i do See a new e-commerce shop popping up and It’s it’s It’s encouraging and yeah at the same Time very competitive um with more and More importers coming into play Uh with restaurants now i think Singapore is pretty much
Has gone into Some form of normalcy so Our social distancing Measures hasn’t been Uh it’s not it’s not too rigid you know We are allowed to Not wear masks up outdoors now uh if You’re indoors you still have wear masks But if you’re drinking and eating that’s That’s perfectly fine because we can Have a dinner Of more than 10 people so i had a i had A wine dinner last night and you know There were like 14 people at one table Yeah but then again all of us got Covered already so that’s That’s Fine uh i do see a new trend uh but this Trend is still in its infancy stage um Mickey mentioned about byob well i see Icbiof bring your own food So Why i see some More and more brick and mortar shops Being um Gonna well they’re gonna establish Themselves sooner or later because they Are there’s this trend of of having People buy The alcohol on site and you can bring Your food over and just eat you know so There’s just minimal i would say minimal Service but I think this trend um could lead
Somewhere you never know but we will We’ll see we’ll see yeah so that’s uh All from me i’m going to stop share and I’m going to give past the bedroom back To natsuki-san Thank you very much sean very Interesting as well um so From your kind of a understanding of Sake market i could see that you know Hong kong singapore is really chasing Hong kong Premium markets um Even though with a very very high tax um On on alcohol in general um i think they Singaporeans still still like to drink Psychiatrists i think great um From your experience do you think um How much people how what’s the ratio Between the people drink suck at Restaurant at buses home After the cove time Um Well if If you’re talking about cuisine clearly If if you’re in a japanese restaurant i Would assume that that’s still You know you do see people still Drinking but Because Because there was the lockdown and There were phases in in our trade that We had to go Um you know they opened up and then they Did they took that role back again and
It was uh two steps Three steps back kind of situation So i think right now um with just about Because we only started Going into some form of normalcy in On april 26th So i will i think there will be an Increase in terms of consumption in Restaurants um People are starting to and this is Again from from my from my own grapevine People uh from the Distributor side they’ve been citing That Their e-commerce sales actually has Dipped a bit Right and i think it’s because more and More people are actually heading out to Eat i’ve been eating out Almost five days a week these days yeah But in the past i’ve been eating You know At home So i think the trend will will continue To increase so it is encouraging Uh but then again that that plays into Many things about pricing and making Sure that the selection is good Yeah more fresh So so i got one question maybe this can Be for everybody so which type of sake Is the most popular in each country to My daiginjo or kimoto any specific Category that works best apart from dai
Ginger because i from my Kind of stereotypes that asians love Thai gingers and maya in your super Premium top label is there any other Category that you’ve been seeing kind of As a trend these days So far I mean if i’m allowed to answer first of All i think so far it’s still it’s still The genji style that is taking Leading a trend partially because Consumers are still Well People who are drinking and then they’re Not too Fixated on learning too much about sake I think that you know it’s the easiest Slam dunk they could They can relate to it they can enjoy it And it’s pleasant A lot of the other styles like a kimoto Or a koshu even it’s still a little Quiet so For the geeky people yeah maybe But you know well hopefully we’re Getting there but i don’t see it Happening so soon And i believe melissa in your country The audience might be slightly different To that tendency is that right Yeah i think um we’re predominantly john My focused um in australia um jun my Jungmai um and you know talk about Sujoon mai and i think that’s a factor
Of people in australia really love those Big bold flavors those big earthy Savoury spicy flavours that you get from Jumbai sake But i also think it’s price sensitive And i think that that’s a really good Entry point for our market But We certainly are seeing a trend towards Premiumization in our market and people Wanting to explore more the genjo and Daiginjo categories So um Yeah it’s happening It’s great yeah i love to see all this Diverse you know attendance your Preference in each market and you know France has a grand master you know to Reflect the market of france and what French people loves and i think each Country should have this kind of sake Competition what the market chooses as The best sake um just to reflect the Market okay so the last question for um Uh sean is uh from herald again did i Understand correctly that the most sales Of sake in singapore are over the web Than the physical stores Do you know yes yes harold so so As far as um Well this is happening this this webinar Is happening so far Web sales are still are still dominating But i
I think it’s it’s gonna we will we will See some some form of um counterbalance Soon enough because people are drinking Outside more often more often yeah great Okay so um before sorry moving on to Melissa i just wanted to share that uh So make sure if you are having any Questions please post on a q a instead Of a comment so we can make sure keep Tracking of it Okay so let’s move on to medisa the Final speaker of your market Introduction please Hi guys right sorry about that i think i Was muted um everybody should be able to See that that slide so i’m just going to Jump straight in to talk about australia So i think um we’re quite different um From hong kong and singapore and it’s Been amazing to have that transition as We move down the Asia pacific region and i think the big Thing about australia is we are a big Country But we’re a small market and i think Those are really important things to Remember because those are the key words That we have So our market over the last 10 years has Been Pretty amazing really it has been slow And steady growth year in year out so From 2011 to 2020 we were kind of Growing at about you know 10
10 to 16 percent per year which anybody Would think is amazing and it’s really Really good so we have been very very Steady growers and we find ourselves in The top ten and i think a lot of uh People are surprised that australia is Actually um within the top 10 in terms Of export value and volume from japan to Our region And you know considering our size of our Population which is around 20 million um I think the majority of our population Is non-asian descent so this is quite Surprising really So australia is positioned at number Seven in terms of value so we’re just Tucked in behind uh you know the Singapores And south koreans really the asian Sector and then in terms of volume we’re Hovering at around Number eight in the world um so we’re We’re around the same level as canada And we in terms of volume we’re just Tucked in behind shawn and the Singaporean market So the difference is i think shown Between me and you is that the value of Sake that is being bought into your Country is much higher which means that The bottle cost is much a greater value And i think this reflects you know our Interest in jungmai and tokubetsujimai And futsushu um well not so much with
Sushi but just the in the the lower Categories the price point is a little Bit different so our price point is uh Our average value of imports into Australia is around 977 yen leaving uh Leaving japan So We’ve had really steady growth and then Uh suddenly in 2021 our market shot up 48 From the year before so this was kind of Huge to go from steady growth of 10 to 16 percent to suddenly go up 48 in One year and 2021 was a rough year Particularly in australia you know we Had a really really hard time we were Locked down particularly here in Melbourne for a very very long time so i Think australians would be really Surprised to know that our market grew 48 Um so i think that reflects a lot of um Off-premises drinking that was going on To drown our sorrows and i’m really Really intrigued as to what will be Happening in 2022 You know just what are we going to find With this year’s figures because to all Intents and purposes the australian Market has sort of normalized since January 2022 With most of the cities being open So i suppose we benefit from proximity To asia we’re seeing trends trickle down
To us so i’m seeing the trend of Premiumization that mickey was talking About in hong kong and that also coming Through down from singapore we’re seeing The same things happen in our market Very slowly and that sort of reflective Of high asian immigration coming into Our country and our passionate love for Japanese food and food trends and we’re Certainly seeing more japanese and Pan-asian restaurants opening up which Is fueling this desire for sake which is Really encouraging for the import market So i wanted to just say a brief word About what value in port market is into Australia so it equates to about eight Million dollars worth of australia Australian dollars um leaving japan Which if we ask what that is in terms of Sales in australia that probably equates To around 30 million dollars of australian um 30 million australian dollars of sake Sales in this country um by the time we Have a tax and um The big t word and uh markups put on to The product so you can see down in the Bottom there underneath the map of Australia you can see our taxation Situation so sake is a luxury good it is Very expensive compared to wine and Spirits and the australian government Actively makes it so because we have What’s called a wine equalization tax to
Protect our domestic wine Economy and our wine industry We have a wine equalization tax applied To imported sake Of 29 Of the value and then we have a further 10 goods and services tax applied so Before sake has even started to get on a Ship we know that we’re going to add 39 And taxation for it to enter into this Country which is pretty daunting for the Importers or actually for the sake Consumers so it means that sake is an Expensive product Wine imports how do we compare to wine Imports so i said that we were worth About probably 30 million dollars in the australian Market well wine imports this is Imported wine from overseas is 900 Million dollars so that gives you some Idea of where we’re sitting compared to Wine imports so we are very wine Dominated uh territory down here so um Sake we’ve got a long way to go um it’s Really exciting for us lots and lots of Challenges so Let’s talk about those challenges as i Said very large country with main Centres scattered around the outer coast And what that means for us is that our Logistics are very expensive they are Difficult It’s difficult to have a base in perth
And Send yosaki to the other coast and vice Versa so It is logistics are difficult Importing is difficult because it takes Us minimum 37 days to get the ship down Here And also we stop at all the ports along The way so this is why during covert our Import time has become stretched out and Delayed more and more and more so we Have a long distance to travel we have To cross the equator And so refrigerated containers are Pretty much the norm now for importers And so high import costs And of course storage and distribution Are major major hurdles and factors that We’re still having to deal with down Here so those are the those are really Big cons and difficulties in our market You know i kind of wish we were in Singapore or hong kong where you’re so Close to the centers and so close to Your warehouses that logistics are not So much of an issue So just to finish off trends in our Market Very much minimal intervention we’ve got A focus we’re interested in craft sake We’re interested in natural brewing Styles we’re interested very much in Sustainability and seeing that reflected In breweries we’re really interested
About the environment environmental Impact for brewing We’re interested in lower abv sake The Australian market is very Oriented towards lower abv’s drinks Right across the board and we’re Interested in sake hybrids we’re Interested in people who are using you Know adding hops and or adding fruit and Or doing unusual and interesting things So those sort of things are starting to Have a you know a bit of traction in This market so it’s an exciting time for Us um and as i just to finish off as i Said we are becoming more premiumised we Can see that our value of bottles coming Into the country is increasing we are Jun my only dominant But we also the japanese export figures We have to remember that we are now Getting secondary imports coming from Secondary markets so we are getting Imports here from hong kong and Singapore so we the figures are not Completely telling the whole story about How much sake is actually coming into Australia so it’s super interesting time For us Thanks You melissa thank you so much Great yeah i think australia i think the Big big land issues with the shipping And logistics sounds very very tricky
Plus this uh wine accusation tax sounds A little bit tricky as well to introduce This new category to the country but so Let’s open up the panel talk um if Possible so Um Let’s bring all of the speaker here so We have roughly two topics we actually Got 10 more minutes to go but um we we Can actually put some um you know we can Lenovo a little bit as long as the Audience is happy to stay but the first Topic I wanted to Discuss together is the challenges of Introducing sake to beginners outside of Japan so it’s very general um i think Topics to talk about what other Difficulties but um i would like to talk A little bit with the positive side and How can um how do you country and each Market overcome it so um i think one big Thing is the communication part Whether that is language or the cultural Barriers Lack of resources in in Local languages and so on uh mickey do You have any ideas of the difficulties And is there any like successful example Of how they overcome it overcame well Thank you uh well we have quite a Successful understanding about the Characters and the label readings Because we share the similar chinese
Characters from there but um the problem On the on the language is about How to pronounce it or how to Communicate with the japanese people Because uh we have different system when We pronounce in different ways So that’s uh that’s this that’s Something about language but uh But the um The the other problem on in our markets Is about The meanings uh behind the labels i Always said that in hong kong it’s like A premium market so we have only one Items in hong kong it’s just to maid So um but among those two my dad angels Available in the markets but they share Different style and different Ways of making so um uh and consumer may Get lost and if we choose one uh gmail Dietician but they cannot find uh Similar things on the the other bottles Of the genetic engine and they they will Confuse and they don’t understand Uh How can they choose the products in in This so we we have this kind of problem Uh in our markets so that’s why we need The educations we need some more brand Buildings and we have difficulties on Selling uh relatively um a cheap person Okay like a horn joseo and the june my Shoe and we need to put a lot of efforts In there so that’s markets in in hong
Kong Great Sean do you have any connections to what Mickey said or do you have any new Challenges that’s not been mentioned Yeah i mean i can i can relate to mickey Because um predominantly singapore is Although it’s multi-racial but um Majority i think we have a large Percentage of um Of chinese so Language isn’t too much of a issue i Think because it’s easy easy easy to Identify Uh what i feel that Challenges us when Um the lack of advocacy so Would somebody willingly you know go to An e-commerce site and buy a bottle of Sake if they have never tried it before Or they don’t know anything about sake i Don’t think that’s You know most of most of the The learners that come for our courses Most of the time they got interested in Sake because they have tasted this in a Restaurant or somebody brought a bottle And they thought that wow this is Amazing Um And you know I’m just using um quran masters uh President xavier tweezer he’s one of i Think i think he he did a fantastic job
In in in promoting in promoting sake in A Foreign language speaking you know Country whereby he started Proactively promoting um Even i mean uh This might sound like uh oh you know why Are you giving out free drinks but he he Does from time to time you know as a Service personnel you know just it’s Just offering a glass and Out of being hospitable And then when the person tries it and They like it you can actually talk more About it so i think that advocacy is What is needed in in most markets Including mine So The you know i agree with mickey the the Training part uh But training The ones that are actually on the front Line that’s most important and then you Know and then comes to the consumers Whereby they can also start spread that Word Right Yeah do you think Yeah yeah i mean i think you know in our Market of market sorry on market is Really driving our business which is the Restaurant and bars and the sommeliers Who are working in those places or the People who are working in those places
And i agree with with sean is that Advocacy and education is really the Main thing because if those guys really Understand it and really have the Confidence and they can can really sell It um it’s it’s a lot easier but i also Think it’s about breaking it down and Making it simple for Non-um japanese speaking people to Understand What is in the bottle and whether that’s Um you know categorizing your menu or Being able to talk about it in really Simplistic terms like talking about you Know Fruity Floral aromatic sakes compared to Savoury bold spicy sakes and just Putting it in terms that people Understand because the biggest barrier i Think we have is that we don’t have many Chinese speakers or asian you know who Can read the labels and at the back Label even though it’s there in english Often it’s just too it’s too difficult It’s not showing visually to them and so It’s trying to make it more approachable And um So that people really have the Confidence around it i think is really Vitally important Yeah i completely agree i think the Second industry is so Diverse and quite quite completely
Complicated i think compared to other Drinks and it’s very When you ask one question there’s always No one answer there’s always 10 or 100 Answers and then everybody’s right in in Their own way so in order to understand This cultural side of sake it is i think A quite tricky thing and i think but Because of this you can appreciate the Whole you know whole idea and Everybody’s passion behind it so um So you know we are all welcome to join On this kind of Lifelong education of sake i’d say So We’re actually five minutes away to the Plant ending time so i wanted to move on To this last topic if possible to talk About the trend around the demand for Sake As well as how the demand within a Hospitality venue or at home market so Consumer or professional for sucker Training In your own vision so Maybe we can do the same order or if you Want to store something that’ll be great Mickey no okay oh well yeah yeah Maliciously You you you you start make it you start Okay thank you well Um for us actually we need um well we Have a very increasing demand on the Trainings uh because uh as the
Background of uh i mentioned uh because The end consumer wants to know more About this style and how to choose this Okay in the markets so um in the in the Industry no matters on uh somalis um or Uh even the servers in the in the Restaurants or even those small shops The liquor shops uh shopkeepers they do Want to have training they um they’re Looking for more in-depth knowledge or More story details To tell the people more about style and To lead the end consumer to choose the Right choices uh the the appropriate Choices for them to enjoy The sake or even to lead them to get Indeed In into the um Into the sake of circles um well quite We see us quite a lot of successful Successful cases uh in hong kong but we Still need more people to be trained and Uh now uh we are for the education we Are not focused on the entry levels of Knowledge here we are not talking about The how to distinguish to making your Journey into because uh people three we Can easily guess All those informations online no matters Online or even though some workshops uh In the in the wine store but what they Want to know is more like in-depth Knowledge uh so just like the level Three wsct psychic courses so how to uh
Different parts of the yes i can making So how to change the style and the Quality of that and they they hope to Know more about it and how to book What about the equipments and the tools Was what are those names and how can They communicate uh with this again Breweries for more details and their Making philosophy so that’s uh that’s The uh things that we are looking for And uh no matter on the um by the um end Consumers or even though the work uh the Industry people i think both sides we Have quite a high demand on on such kind Of uh uh education context uh uh well i Just want to add one more points about The choices uh well uh natsuki just Mentioned about the ecuador master but Uh we have just started our very first Uh psychic competition in hong kong Let’s just focus more on the uh Yeah thank you uh which is focused more On the chinese or great china Preferences what we call the oriental Sake awards so we we we just started and And we hope to invite more people among Uh more professionals Among asian countries to come and help To tell us about this preference in the Markets and to tell the people and uh we We will we will have this uh uh more Like A buying guy or guidance or indicator to The end consumers for easy to
Distinguish whether um this is aromatic Type or more like a restrained and Subtlety on the on the subject so oh Well yeah sorry about that Exciting news I’d love to know the result and what was The competition called again Uh well oriented awards okay so Yeah we will start the judging in the August But we will have the result announcement Later on in September So anyone who wants to contribute to This topic about the trend Um trends oh maybe i’ll go next down you Know we can end with a lady um Uh trends wise i think I i think the the appetite for sake is It’s constantly growing it’s just that Um people are starting to try kraft sake And you know you start finding lots of Um circuits on On drinks lists that that belong to Maybe high-end restaurants in fact I think most of the fine dining Restaurants that are non-japanese are Actually listing such sake so it is a Trend But that also poses a danger In my opinion Because The list is Relatively small and
Usually what do they put on that list is Something that is pretty well known Already so that that might pose an Opportunity but also pose a danger Because a lot of craft craft sakes out There are still being Missed you know they They don’t have necessarily the right Kind of marketing uh to match up um [Music] You know for example a brand like dasai You know dasa is doing a great job the Sake is is it’s fantastic but again There’s just so much out there to try You know and So i think Um You know to end off with uh with a more Constructive note We should have a little bit Of focus on on on building some form of Marketing for For these craft brewers Um you know because some of them might Not actually have that kind of Access or finance help so That’s that’s again my constructive uh Point of view and i’ll pass it on to Melissa then Yeah thank you Um i think the main trends that we’re Seeing here is that we’re getting more And more the classes are dominated by Hospitality people i think in my area um
Before it was sort of like 50 50 but now It’s sort of like 80 percent 90 percent Hospitality focused Or somalia’s and i think now um Mainstream smelly education is actually Including sake as part of their Curriculum but i really think that’s Been reflected by by them wanting to Delve deeper um and i think we’re seeing That as sean said coming through in High-end restaurants now including sake As part of the menu And then feeling that they need to know About this and understand it which is Great I think there’s still a long way to go There as you’ve said but i think it’s a Positive step forward where i’ve been Really interested is to see the sort of What i would call um Other associated industries suddenly Becoming very interested and i’ve just Had a whole lot of bear brewers and Fermenters in the in my classes and i’m Finding that really interesting we do Not have a whole kraft sake scene Developing here yet but i’m sure it’s Just a breath away because suddenly um Bear brewers are popping up in the Classes they’re really really interested In sake fermentation and so i think That’s been really interesting to see That that we’re moving into those sort Of areas as well so that’s definitely a
Trend um here at the moment so i think People wanting to expand their horizons And their knowledge base and also people Traveling to japan because they’re keen To go back um so i think that we’re Seeing that happening too um but yeah Definitely um the spec it’s very Exciting and it’s definitely um the Trend is up Ingredient thank you so much i think uh Yeah melissa’s comment clearly summed up Saying you know i think the sake trend Has been really pushed through together With the japanese food um trend and Sushi you know popularities around the Globe but i think you know the next step Will be really merging and connecting Together with a local culture like Drinking food culture of each country And how you know that turned into Something new and probably hopefully They’ll go back to japan as a New introduction of Culture around the world so Thank you so much for sharing all this Amazing um insight of three different Markets um sean mickey and melissa so Unless you everybody anybody has any Questions um i would like to close up This one sorry Harold again thank you so much for the Great question so in each of your Markets are you seeing sake kegs sake on The draft in restaurants or bars do you
Think they would be popular in your Market i’ve recently seen them in Restaurants in nagoya um run by a brewer And it’s been so popular that second Restaurant has opened it was opened the Giraffe to namazaki was very fresh and Delicious Mickey i think everybody yeah I just got my i just saw my my machines Out there uh well we we got one um kept Um stuck here that available in our Classroom and which is free for our Students to taste so um it is uh it’s Coming to be um Um normal to us uh we because we just Mentioned about increasing numbers of Research bars so um some supplier bars They have such a cat circuit that Available circadian cat set available on That uh as i mentioned that people are Going for a juman daginjo in hong kong But on the other hand actually a lot of Hong kong people prefer more like uh Drafts again what’s uh which call um the Unparalyzed one and uh we Especially for those uh wine drinkers And they want to swap to Sake uh i want to swap to enjoy sake Then they will they would probably Choose Namasaki so uh which is Higher intensity and more faithful for Them so um i i see i see increasing Numbers uh on the uh uh success that are
Available in in hong kong yeah i just Got one Yeah i wish i had one uh in our school The things we have uh Well well mickey has to tell me where to Get his um we we have a we have a we Have cakes for for beer that’s that’s Free for our students drink But again uh i i on country i actually Don’t see that many kegs in singapore Now that being said i think it will work Excellent in the singapore market Because For one week well we have a booming bar Scene Which you know if you if you’re pulling Draught That would be fantastic And also we have um Again our food culture here a local food Culture a hawker centers You know the outdoor Such a such a environment actually is It’s suited for such um Such drinks because we you know we have Draft beers all the time in in such Hawker centers so i think It’s something that A lot of producers should look into um My only concern is about preservation Yeah Yeah Yeah no i think that was a good point That that feeds in perfectly to me so
We’ve had a little bit of experience With the kegs coming down to australia Um they have appeared in a couple of Restaurants and bars And there has been mixed reports around It and i think some concerns some Concerns are not so much about the cask Or the keg but it’s the connecting Pieces and how that is handled and i Think this is still an issue that needs To be addressed you know the hygiene Components of that and how that is Handled We’re worried about preservation and We’ve had some issues with storage and Deterioration so i think that In our market um those factors need to Be solved and i mean i really love the Idea of having namazake on draft like Keg We just we’re just not quite there yet But let’s see what happens with Technology right Sure yeah i think it’s just Experimenting stage how everything works And not work so hopefully that can that Can be a standard in the future Great so um Is it I think i see so sarah thank you so hi From denmark Which courses would you recommend to Learn more about sake um if you pass la Suisake
So i know you i know this is a double Diversity uh hosted events But um you know i think i think as a Sake family we need to promote all the Other qualifications too so um there are Somebody also earlier asked about the Qualification so Um i know many of you teaches other Psychic qualifications so if you have Any other promotions let me know Yeah i just think keep on just keep on Learning just keep on studying even Self-study and reading books and meeting People come and meet us come and talk to Us And that’s a great way to learn and i Really have got to kick out i actually Turned up at mickey’s place in hong kong And did a blind tasting session with him Um in his class with his class and that To me was a huge learning experience so I just think um actually after you get Through level three you’ve got all the Backbone you need it’s about you Enhancing it Okay hopefully that was Level four sake will happen nearly in The future but sean would you want to Say something no no i actually actually Stole my thunder there i i was keeping My fingers crossed for level four This is what exactly what what i i Thought so i’m just thinking yeah Hopefully we got the level 4 sake
Available there so i i love the way some Uh well how the wsct presented i’m about To explain the factors subtracting Things and we are looking for a number Of uh level 4 which is focus more on the Quality assessment and yes exactly how To analyze things Sure and um you know as a community of Level three sake you know students and Educator networks um you know our target For the next probably five ten years is Is how can we bring this lifelong uh Lifelong education to such a category so Um probably not for this year so but Hopefully next year we can come and set Up some platform for all the students to Communicate and ask questions you know Connect with educators in the world and You know stay updated with the psychic Industry so Um Yes if you can keep Studying tasting your drinking circuit It’ll be amazing Okay so It’s nearly 10 past as we planned so i just wanted To close a party here if possible and Just few housekeeping notes before Closing so all the recording uh here Today will be uh on the youtube wcd Youtube channel so if anybody missed This uh wanted to see watch it again Please go to wct youtube channel and you
Can watch the whole Session here today and the second point Is apac team is running ongoing wcd Bursary funds since 2021 to help Potential students in asia and pacific Region who’d Otherwise be unable to take diversity Qualification mainly due to the Financial reasons so in the past year The the bruisery fund successfully Helped some students from japan thailand Hong kong new zealand australia etc but Unfortunately this year we haven’t Received much application from sake so Please make sure if you if you know Anybody or yourself it’s interest Interested to apply for this missouri Fund uh please the link is in the Chat box so you can click here or you Can look up for the booster refund Stability and find application how to do It so thank you so much everybody for Joining and i want to again say thank You for all the speakers melissa sean And mickey to be here today and uh very Happy to see all of you Thank you very much have a good day Thank you everyone Thank you thank you thank you Bye everybody