Kato Sake Works

What Kato Sake Works does

Kato Sake Works is a craft sake brewery operating a single facility at 379 Troutman St in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Founded by Shinobu Kato, a Tokyo native who began home-brewing in 2016 and formally opened the business in 2020, the company produces a portfolio of eight traditional Junmai sake styles (Junmai, Nigori, Nama, Yuzu, Kimoto, Mirin, Shizuku, Doburoku) using dual concurrent fermentation, koji cultivation, and labor-intensive cloth-bag pressing. The company has expanded its product line in 2025 with Kappu (the first canned RTD sake format), NY Jizake (a sake brewed with locally grown New York rice), and the Botanikaru seasonal infusion series.

The business operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and wholesale model. DTC channels include a Brooklyn taproom offering walk-in bottle sales and pour service, a 90-minute School of Sake tasting and tour program, a New York State-shipping online store, and presence at the Union Square Farmers Market. Wholesale distribution serves NYC restaurants, bars, and wine shops, supplemented by wine shop tastings, bar takeovers, and a dense event program featuring jazz nights, food pop-ups, live music, book clubs, karaoke, cocktail labs, and omakase dining at $150-$200 per person. The customer base spans craft beverage enthusiasts, the NYC hospitality industry, and culturally curious learners.

The company is founder-owned with no institutional equity backing beyond a $250,000 debt crowdfunding raise on Mainvest in 2022 for facility expansion. Headcount is in the 1-10 range, consisting of the founder/head brewer, lead brewer, assistant brewer, taproom staff, brand designers, and farmers market personnel. Geographic operations are confined to New York State, with online shipping limited to NYS addresses and wholesale confined to NYC. The company's defensibility rests on traditional craft technique, founder authenticity, and community-driven engagement rather than technology or scale.

Name

Kato Sake Works

Legal name

Kato Sake Works

Website

https://katosakeworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Sake Brewing

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Sake, Soju & Other Asian Alcoholic Beverages Producers & Brands (CRADAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sake & Traditional Rice Wine Production (AFAFAAAG), Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ)

Keywords

• Craft sake brewing
• Japanese rice wine
• Brewery taproom
• Artisan beverages
• Sake tastings

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Taproom Sales: Direct bottle sales and pour service at the Bushwick taproom location
2. Online Store: E-commerce sales for shipping within New York State
3. Tasting Tours: Paid guided tasting and tour experiences at the brewery with limited seating
4. Wholesale Distribution: Sales to restaurants, bars, and wine shops throughout New York City

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kato Sake Works is a Brooklyn-based craft sake brewery that produces traditional and innovative Junmai-style sake from rice, water, koji, and yeast using dual concurrent fermentation and manual cloth-bag pressing. The company sells bottles and pours at its Bushwick taproom, ships within New York State via its online store, distributes wholesale to NYC restaurants, bars, and wine shops, and offers paid guided tasting tours and omakase dining experiences.

Product overview

Kato Sake Works is a Brooklyn-based craft sake brewery offering a portfolio of traditional and innovative sake products. The core product line includes eight distinct sake styles: Junmai (pure rice), Nigori (hazy), Nama (unpasteurized raw), Yuzu (citrus-infused), Kimoto (lacto starter), Mirin (aged), Shizuku (premium droplets), and Doburoku (unpressed). Recent additions include Kappu (canned RTD sake in 7.5oz format) and the Botanikaru seasonal infusion series. The company also operates a taproom with an events program featuring live music, food pop-ups, and educational tasting tours. Products are sold online and at the Bushwick taproom location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kappu: First ever RTD/single format canned sake product launched in 7.5oz cans, available in four packs
• Botanikaru
• NY Jizake

Products and services

• Junmai Pure rice sake made without added brewer's alcohol to exemplify the character of the rice; made with 60% polished Calrose rice. Targeted at craft beverage consumers and on-premise accounts.
• Nigori Hazy, coarsely filtered sake made without additives for a silky body. Targeted at craft beverage consumers.
• Nama Raw, unpasteurized sake brewed in an unpasteurized style to preserve untamed freshness. Targeted at sake enthusiasts seeking fresh, draft-style sake.
• Yuzu Citrus Junos Junmai sake infused with Japanese yuzu lemon to balance natural sweetness; made with 60% polished Calrose rice and Kawakami Yuzu juice. Targeted at consumers seeking fruit-infused sake.
• Kimoto Live Starter sake brewed with a lacto starter for a gently acidic and complex character. Targeted at sake enthusiasts interested in traditional brewing styles.
• Mirin "Flowing Nectar" sake aged with koji and sweet rice for mellow and complex sweetness; made with 60% polished Calrose rice and sweet rice. Targeted at cooking and drinking audiences.
• Shizuku "Droplets" sake — smooth and delicate sake made from the purest drops of the mash via gravity drip. Targeted at premium sake drinkers.
• Doburoku Unpressed sake — fermented mash bottled without the pressing process, preserving a rustic, full-bodied character. Targeted at adventurous sake drinkers.
• Kappu (カップ) Canned Sake First canned RTD sake product offering; 7.5oz cans at 14% ABV in four-packs, inspired by Japanese one-cup sake for casual outdoor drinking. Targeted at craft beverage consumers and on-the-go drinkers.
• Botanikaru Series Seasonal infused sake series featuring collaborative ingredients from partner producers. First release featured Magnolia Oolong from Yesfolk and Black Lime from Burlap & Barrel. Targeted at adventurous sake drinkers.
• NY Jizake (NY Local) Junmai sake brewed from Akitakomachi rice grown at Great Joy Family Farm in Pine Bush, New York — the first sake made with locally-grown NY rice. Targeted at locavore consumers and local-produce advocates.
• Omakase Tasting Menu Multi-course omakase dining experience with sake pairing priced at $150 or $200 per person; limited seating with four turns of 10 spots each. Targeted at premium experiential diners.
• School of Sake Tasting & Tour 90-minute guided sake tasting and brewery tour by reservation with limited seating. Targeted at curious learners seeking sake education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully raised $250,000 through debt crowdfunding on Mainvest
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KCBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring brewery in Brooklyn that has served as mentors and friends. Collaborated on beer 'Our Neighbor, Shinobu' rice lager made with rice from The Rice Factory. KCBC helped with installs, lending equipment, sharing knowledge, and shipping sake to Japan.
• Great Joy Family FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRice farm in Pine Bush, New York supplying Akitakomachi rice for NY Jizake - the first sake made with locally-grown New York rice. Part of Kome ('Rice') Series.
• Strong Rope BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York State-focused brewery collaborated on beer/sake using same local rice from Great Joy Family Farm. Brewers made koji together at Kato and brewed mash at Strong Rope.
• YesfolkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTroy-based kombucha brewery. Collaborated on Botanikaru infusion featuring Magnolia Oolong. Team visited for collaboration brewing and fermentation potluck.
• Kankitsu LabocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese citrus company from Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Supplier of Kawakami Yuzu juice using Belt Press Juicer technique for improved quality in Yuzu sake.
• Burlap & BarrelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainably sourced spice company providing Black Lime for Botanikaru infusion series.
• Snow PeakminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutdoor gear company. KSW production team joined Snow Peak Way for sake workshops and amazake workshop, camping adventure.
• Choy CommonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative of Asian-led farms. KSW hosting CSA pickup site at brewery. Initiative to engage communities in food sovereignty for the Northeast.
• Slant'dminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit indie press empowering AAPI creatives. Curated art gallery showing at taproom and art fair presented by New York Asian Arts Festival.
• KayanoyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese food company. Delaney working on dashi-themed cocktail collaboration for upcoming release.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Kura: Brooklyn-based craft sake brewery operating a similar small-scale Junmai-focused production with a taproom and DTC model. Most direct comparable in size, geography, and traditional brewing approach in the New York craft sake market.
• Sake One (Momokawa Sake): Oregon-based craft sake brewery producing premium Junmai and flavored sake styles for US distribution. Comparable as one of the few dedicated US craft sake producers with a similar multi-style portfolio and traditional brewing emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Dassai (Asahi Shuzo): Premium Japanese sake brand from Yamaguchi Prefecture with significant US distribution, especially in the Junmai Daiginjo premium segment. Competes for the same craft-curious, sake-literate consumer Kato targets via School of Sake programming.
• Hakutsuru Sake USA: US arm of major Japanese sake brewery Hakutsuru, offering traditional sake styles including Junmai at scale across US retail and foodservice channels. Overlaps with Kato in style and target occasion but with vastly larger distribution.
• Gekkeikan Sake: Established 1989 in Folsom, CA, Gekkeikan is one of the largest sake producers in the US and a dominant mainstream sake brand. Competes broadly in the same alcoholic beverage category with extensive national distribution.
• Hakkaisan Sake Brewery: Premium Japanese sake brewery from Niigata with established US import distribution. Represents the type of imported traditional Junmai sake that Kato's locally-brewed, traditional-method positioning competes against for consumer mindshare.
• Takara Sake USA: Berkeley, CA-based subsidiary of Takara Shuzo, one of the largest and oldest Japanese sake producers operating in the US. Offers overlapping sake portfolio (including Junmai) at much broader scale and national distribution.

Others

• Tippsy: US-based sake discovery and e-commerce platform offering curated Japanese sake delivery and educational content. Adjacent competitor in the sake consumer education and DTC purchase journey rather than a direct production peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/katosakeworks
• Xx.com/KatoSakeWorks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kato Sake Works