We have exciting news…
After a year and a half, we’ve reached the max capacity of our current space and are ready to expand. (woo!!)
If you’ve stopped by the brewery lately, we’ve most likely been sold out of one or two of your favorite styles. We get new wholesale requests regularly that we can’t accept and we hear you when you say you want to sit at the taproom and drink a glass with us. We’re so grateful for the support from our community and accounts this far and can’t wait to make enough sake to meet the current demand and then reach beyond. Thank you for helping us get to this point and we hope that you’ll continue on this journey with us.
Let’s build this together
We found our new spot in the neighborhood, just a few blocks from the current location (gotta love Bushwick). It has enough space for us to increase our capacity by 10x and we’ll finally get to build the taproom we’ve all been dreaming of.
We couldn’t have made it this far alone and need your support to continue on. We’ve decided to use an investment fundraising platform called Mainvest where you can be a part of our buildout project. As we succeed, so will you. We have also set an early investor bonus to provide our first participants with a higher overall return.
We would love to have you on board and if there’s anyone you know that you think would like to invest, please feel free to share this email or our page with them! More details about the structure of the investment can be found on our Mainvest page.
A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER AND BREWER, Shinobu Kato
Dear KSW supporters,
Thank you very much for all your support to get us where we are today.
Last Saturday morning, Joanie and I were bottling Yuzu. It had been sold out and the bottle delivery had been delayed, so we decided to work on the weekend, which is not uncommon. Blasting 70's disco songs (Village People keeps the bottling line moving), we bottled 10 cases, which would probably be gone quickly. We are trying to catch up on the production but our stock level has been low. Reluctantly, we've been turning down new wholesale customers.
Many of you have asked "when can we seat at the bar and drink your sake?" Apart from the lucky few who came to the 3-day soft opening right before the pandemic, we've never served to the customer at the taproom. The first was due to COVID. Then the production picked up (like bottling on Saturday) and it became impossible to provide proper customer service at the taproom.
On the same Saturday, we had a team photo shoot session at our new space, 379 Troutman. It looks (and is) empty but we saw our future and opportunities there. Bigger and shinier tanks, a more powerful rice steamer, a koji room that more than one person can work inside, and floor drains! That means we can make more sake.
The new space will also have a proper taproom where you can take a seat at the bar and drink our sake. I love visiting breweries and I hope you do too. It's a fun place to meet your friends and socialize with strangers. You can hear, smell, taste and touch their craft. And you may be able to learn about their products with the people who make them. It's a wholesome experience. I'm excited that finally we can provided the same experience to you.
This is the first major project since I opened the current brewery at 5 Central Ave. And the scale is way bigger. It'd be a lie if I say I'm not scared, but I think we are ready for the jump. We have great customers, passionate staff, talented experts and a little bit of experience in making quality sake that people want.
I hope you like the plan and you could provide an extra support to make it happen. Thank you.
Shinobu Kato
Kato Sake Works
