Craft activations
Niigata SakeSakura Matsuri
They had the audience, and no way into Niigata.
A Thai partner wanted to bring their audience to Japan to meet sake at the source. They had no route into the breweries, no venue, no permits, and no standing with a brewery that had never worked with a foreign partner.
What we did
- Approached Niigata breweries directly, securing 8 for the festival
- Brought in a house on Sado island and one of Niigata’s best-known names
- Took on the venue, the permits and the certification
- Ran the catering and the whole promotion
- Built 560 importer and distributor contacts
- Secured coverage from a national English-language outlet
The craft
Sake brewing in Niigata, where the cold winters and the soft snowmelt water produce the dry, clean style the prefecture is known for. Eight breweries, each with its own house character, in one room.
The outcome
A brewery tour on 13 April 2026 and the festival on 14 April at Media Ship, Niigata. A US importer is now moving on one brewery’s sake, a Thai trading company is in conversation with all 8, and 1 brewery is being introduced into the Thai market through a follow-on event.
- 8
- Breweries
- 47
- Guests
- 560
- Contacts
- 93
- Approached