Sake Export Association
Overview
Sake Export Association (SEA)
Chairman: Haruo MATSUZAKI (Sake journalist, consultant)
Director: John Gauntner (Sake journalist, based in Japan)
Member: 20 sake breweries
Sake Export Association was founded on October 1st, 1997 by the two representatives, Haruo Matsuzaki and an American sake journalist John Gauntner, to carry out international marketing of sake. The most important mission is to promote export of high-quality sake, and currently 20 local sake breweries are involved. It has organized events and seminars all over the world including an annual early summer project in North America since 1998.
Missions
- Promotion of overseas exports of high-quality
- Offering and developing sake marketing opportunities overseas
- International dissemination and awareness building activities of high-quality sake
- Dissemination and awareness building activities of high-quality sake for foreign residents in Japan
Main export destinations
Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Singapore, Myanmar, アラブ首長国連邦
Activities
A project in North America (mainly New York) every early summer, seminars and tasting sessions at “Japan Society” in NY, Chicago, Dallas, etc. Tasting and sales promotion events at “City Super” (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai) every spring.
Achivements
- Sake tasting events for foreign residents in Japan (November 1997, 1998)
- Sake tasting event and seminar at the "Japan Year" memorial event in Toronto (October 2000, September 2001)
- Participated in "IFE 2001" (Food and Beverage Trade Fair), Sake seminars and tastings at "The Japan Society" (March 2001) in London
- Sales event at "Selfridges" in London, "Japan Year" memorial event" at Hyde Park (May 2001)
- Tasting event at Hong Kong JETRO Center (September 2003)
- Participated in "Japan-Taiwan Sake Culture Exchange" to commemorate the publication of "Sake Tasting Magazine" in Taipei
- Participated in "Japan Day" in Dusseldorf (Germany) (June 2004, May 2005)
- Tasting events in Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne in Switzerland (2004-06)
- The movie "Kanpai! -World is in love with sake- entered in "San Sebastian Film Festival" in Spain. Held sake events (November 2015)
- Sake tasting business meetings in Yangon, Myanmar (May 2017, February 2018)
- 20th Anniversary Seminar at "Japan Society" in New York (June 2017)
- First online seminar held at "Japan Society" in New York (June 2020)
