The Japan Sake Brewers Association has named sake distributor Deja vu Sake Co’s owner and respected sake educator Yukino Ochiai as Australia’s first female Sake Samurai.
Yukino Ochiai & Andrew Cameron
The title is the highest honour in the sake industry, and only four sake ambassadors inaugurated alongside Ochiai at this year’s ceremony on Wednesday 27 September at Kyoto’s Matsunoo-taisha shrine.
Ochiai is the 16th woman awarded with Sake Samurai status, in an industry where women are significantly under-represented. In the Japan Sake Brewers Association, women hold only 30 of the 800 chairs within the Junior Council.
Franck Moreau, Merivale
Yukino Ochiai established Deja vu Sake Co in 2012 with her husband Andrew Cameron (co-owner of Deja vu Wine Co), inspired by a vision to introduce boutique and small-batch Japanese sake to Australia. Within five short years in business, the company has asserted itself as a leading importer of Japanese sake, as well as other Japanese exports including Mars whisky and shochu. Unlike traditional importing channels, approximately 40% of Deja vu’s sales are retail-driven rather than incurred through traditional Japanese restaurant trade.
To celebrate her appointment, an intimate cocktail style event was held on Tuesday 17 October 2017 at Sokyo with key industry personalities in attendance.
Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
