Boutique Japanese Sake Education
The 2-Hour SAKE Discovery Journey
with Sarika — SSI Official Sake Lecturer · Master Sommelier of Sake · Competition Judge
A live, immersive Sake experience for your team, birthday celebration, corporate event, or private group. Up to 50 participants. Online or in-person.
$777 · 1-50 participants · Zoom or In-Person · Includes 30-min pre-consultation
Trusted by MIT Japan Program · Harvard Business School · Polish Vodka Museum · 11,000+ students worldwide
Imagine leaving your next dinner party as the person who confidently paired the Sake, knew exactly what temperature to serve it, and had everyone asking — "How do you know so much about Sake?"
Your next trip to Japan will never be the same once you understand the 2,000-year soul behind every sip.
The Experience
An Authentic 2-Hour Sake Discovery Journey
This isn't a generic drinks night. It's a boutique, guided Sake experience crafted by one of the world's few female SSI Official Sake Lecturers — fully tailored to your group.
Perfect for:
- ✦ Corporate team-building events
- ✦ Birthday & private celebrations
- ✦ Cultural institutions & museums
- ✦ University programs & alumni groups
- ✦ Hospitality & restaurant staff training
Includes a 30-min pre-consultation to tailor content to your group. Tasting kit of 4 Sake profiles available for Japan-based participants (3,800 yen via SSI).
What's Inside
Highly Interactive. Deeply Educational. Genuinely Fun.
Suitable for all levels — no Sake knowledge needed. Every session is fully tailored to your group.
- 🍶 Sake Quiz! — kick off with a fun knowledge check
- 🏯 Origins & 2,000-year history of Sake
- 📉 The decline of Sake in Japan — and why it matters
- 👩 Rise of women master brewers (toji)
- 🌡️ Sake temperature: 5°C to 60°C — which is which?
- 🌾 Sake ingredients: Rice, Water, Koji — not eating rice!
- 🔬 Multiple Parallel Fermentation — Sake's unique method
- 👃 Tasting 4 different Sake flavour profiles
- 🥢 Food pairing made simple
- 🧘 Sake Tasting Meditation — a truly unique moment
Optional add-on: Official SSI Sake Navigator Certificate or Sake Sommelier Association Sake Ninja Pin — in recognition of your newly acquired knowledge.
Investment
$777
1 to 50 participants · Zoom or In-Person
✓ 2-hour live workshop fully tailored to your group
✓ 30-min pre-consultation included
✓ Personalized event page for easy group sharing
✓ Optional SSI Sake Navigator Certificate add-on
✓ Post-event photo gallery page (limited time)
Sake to be sourced individually. SSI tasting kit (4 x 300ml) available for Japan-based groups.
Optional Add-On
Walk Away with an Official Sake Certificate
Your participants can earn a recognised certificate from a Japanese Sake authority — a meaningful keepsake that validates their new knowledge.
SSI Sake Navigator Certificate
From the Sake Service Institute — the Japanese Sake Authority in Tokyo. The world's most recognised Sake qualification.
Sake Ninja Pin
From the Sake Sommelier Association — a fun, collectible recognition for your new Sake knowledge. A conversation starter for life!
Kind Words
What People Say
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Japan Program
Post-Workshop Survey by participants
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.69 / 5.00
"Thanks to you Sarika!! You were Fabulous! What a success 👏 Amazing speaker and sake specialist wow 🍶 I would give you 12/10"
Claudine Kloetzli, Artist — Switzerland/Spain
"Sarika is such a gift to the world and one of the most interesting women I have ever met. Her laugh and awesome sense of humour will keep you engaged - she is a mesmerising teacher and draws students in with her sheer love of life and incredible enthusiasm in all she does."
Suzanne Vian, Founder, Saigon Yoga — USA
"Sarika took my community on a virtual trip to Japan by revealing to us the amazing world of Sake. She was so engaging and pleasant, we had a wonderful time and learned so much! Her dedication to highlight the women in the sake industry is commendable. So grateful!"
Angélica Renée, Founder, Green Luxury Living — USA
"I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed learning about Sake. The participants were very happy with your workshop. I enjoyed watching as they became more and more enthusiastic. I was truly impressed by how carefully the workshop was structured — a friendly warmup, clear slides, a thorough summary, and a Q&A. Well structured and absolutely delightful."
Sue Babock, Editor, Centered on Taipei Magazine
Your Host
Ciao! I'm Sarika 🧚♀️
Your Sake Fairy Godmother — and former United Nations official. Unusual career pivot, I know! Even Forbes thought it was worth writing about.
I used to hate Sake because my grandpa was drinking the bad stuff. Then I discovered the true craft by accident in Fukushima in 2009, fell completely in love, and now I'm on a mission to share this 2,000-year-old Japanese art with the world.
Sake in Japan is in serious decline — breweries are closing every month. My ancestral hometown of Nagano, one of Japan's historic Sake regions, is watching this precious craft slowly fade. I wanted to do something about it.
I'm one of the very few female SSI Official Sake Lecturers in the world. I've taught over 11,000 students across 5 continents and judged at competitions in Paris, Tokyo, and beyond. I'd love to bring that passion to your group.
Love, Sarika
World-Class Credentials
Who Has Trusted Sarika
Notable Clients
MIT Japan Program
Harvard Business School AABA
Polish Vodka Museum
11,000+ online students
Competition Judge
World Sake Sommelier Competition
Féminalise World Wine Competition, France
Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition
Japan Women's Sake Awards
Women's International Trophy
Featured In
Forbes
Sake Times (Japan's largest Sake media)
Sake Feature Magazine (Japan)
EU Women Entrepreneurs Fellowship
LSE Female Founders Program
Official Bio
Sarika Bio Official Version
Sarika is a UN official turned Forbes-featured Entrepreneur | Founder of Sarika International Limited, on a mission to share the beauty of Sake, in support of the declining 2000-year-old craft, focusing on sustainability and women in Sake. (SDG 5, 9, 12).
She is appointed as Doburoku Ambassador in Japan, and has undertaken various Sake & Shochu education & collaborations including with the MIT Japan Program, Polish Vodka Museum, Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association, and Harvard Business School's Asian American Business Association.
She teaches online and offline, with over 11,000 students enrolled in her courses globally. Her Sake Certification Course in Japanese is hosted by the SSI, the Japanese Sake education authority in Tokyo. She serves as a judge at the World Sake Sommelier Competition, Féminalise World Wine Competition (France), Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition, Japan Women's Sake Awards, and Women's International Trophy.
Sarika was selected for the first cohort of the EU Women Entrepreneurs Fellowship 2022 and the London School of Economics Female Founders Program.
Prior to entrepreneurship, she worked with the United Nations in Asia and Africa on gender equality and sustainable urban development for a decade (Vietnam, Kenya, Thailand), after completing her MSc at the London School of Economics and joining the UN through its Recruitment Exam.
She has travelled to over 60 countries and lived in 14 across 4 continents. She is a mother of two, married to an Irishman, and she loves to eat and drink.
Full Credentials
Sake | Shochu Certifications
- 日本酒学講師 (No.000456) Official Lecturer | Certified Master Sake Sommelier, Sake Service Institute, Japan
- Official Lecturer, Food & Beverage Specialists Organization (FBO), Tokyo, Japan
- Judge, Féminalise World Wine Competition, France, 2022-2026
- Judge, Japan's Women Sake Award 2023
- Judge, Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition 2024
- Judge, Women's International Trophy 2026
- Appointed as Doburoku Ambassador
- Graduate, Sake & Shochu Academy, Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association (JSS) 2019
- Certified Sake Scholar
- Sake Pioneer, Sake Sommelier Association
- 国際利酒師 (No.116451) Certified International Sake Sommelier Kikisake-Shi (English)
- 日本酒利酒師 (No.031523) Certified Sake Sommelier Kikisake-Shi (Japanese)
- Certified Sake Professional, Sake Education Council
- 日本酒品質鑑定士 Certified Sake Quality Evaluation Expert
- 焼酎利酒師 (No.030172) Certified Shochu Sommelier
- 焼酎品質鑑定士 Certified Shochu Quality Evaluation Expert
- Certified Spanish Wine Scholar, Wine Scholar Guild
- Certified in Wine Level 1, Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)
Women in Sake Project
Celebrating Women's Achievements and Contributions to the Craft of Sake
Only 25 of Japan's 1,200 breweries are headed by women toji masters. Sarika is committed to changing that — one workshop, one story, one pour at a time.
Values:
We stand for gender and racial equality, diversity, honesty, and kindness.
Disclaimer: We can only work with people who share the same values. Thank you.
