Jake Myrick already had been the founder of multiple tech startups when he decided to put his entrepreneurial skills and ten years living in Tokyo into creating a different kind of company – a sake brewery in San Francisco.
In the latest issue of Sake Today, Jake was interviewed and the opening paragraph speaks volumes to the challenges Sequoia faces. “A crossroads of Wine Country and the booming craft beer scene, of the cocktail culture of its high-end night spots and the harder liquor of its grittier haunts, San Francisco is one of the most competitive beverage markets on the planet. In many ways it mirrors the competi­tiveness of the tech scene. With Silicon Valley’s proximity hastening gentrification and with rent and property prices in most neighborhoods soaring, how does a small, craft sake start­up ever survive? By being good, for starters.”  – Sake Today, by Ry Beville
The genesis behind this was Jake wanting to be able to enjoy in San Francisco sake as fresh as he had enjoyed in Japan. And it turns out that San Francisco is an ideal place for making sake. The cool, damp climate here means that sake can be produced year-round, which is not so easy to do in Japan. And proximity to some of the richest rice fields in the world is important. Sequoia Sake follows the art of making sake based on ancient Japanese tradition and blends it with the enterprising spirit and unique qualities inherent to San Francisco. Producing small batches by hand, Sequoia Sake is at the forefront of a new American micro-sake revolution.
Jake will share with us his entrepreneurial journey from the tech world to sake brewing, and the inside story on what it’s like to start a sake company. After his talk, samples of Sequoia’s sakes will be served.
Jake Myrick
Jake Myrick founded Sequoia Sake in 2014 along with his wife Noriko Kamei and his childhood pal engineer Warren Pfahl. Sequoia is the first and only local sake microbrewery in Northern California, creating fresh, live and accessible sake close to the source. Sequoia Sake’s belief is that the tastiest sake is the freshest sake and just like food, the fresher the better. (Brew local/drink local.) Sequoia’s sake is making inroads in both traditional and non-traditional restaurants that serve sake. They include some of the best know trend-setting restaurant is San Francisco, here is a partial list that continues to grow. State Bird Provisions, Liholiho Yacht Club, Kirimachi, Rumble Fish, and Izakaya Kou.

• Online registration closes at 2:00pm on Thursday, November 12th.
• No refunds after Thursday, November 5th.

Walk-ins:

• $30/person at the door
• Tickets will be dependent on space availability.

Schedule:

• 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM       Networking/Registration
• 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM       Presentation
• 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM       Networking & Sake Sampling
• Light appetizers and drinks provided.

Please be prepared to present your ID at time of check-in – must be 21 years of age to drink alcohol.  Minors will not be allowed entry.

Japan Society Strategic Partner
Networking Sponsor: