Designing the next hundred years of your brewery, together.
From product planning to sales, overseas expansion, branding, tourism and finance. An annual advisory in which Aki Kawana, camo's CEO, who has visited more than 250 breweries and is directly involved in running breweries, stands beside you as you lead your brewery.
- MONTHLY
- 1.5-hour online meeting each month
- QUARTERLY
- Four brewery visits a year (full day)
- FEE
- JPY 200,000 per month, annual contract
- SCOPE
- Support across all of management
The brewing skill is certainly there.
But to keep deciding "what to sell, to whom, at what price and where"
on your own, as an owner, is far too lonely.
No one to talk to
At small and mid-sized breweries with no general manager or planning team, every management decision falls on the owner. With no one to bounce ideas off, important decisions keep getting put off.
One-off support changes nothing
Spot consulting and design commissions stop the moment they are delivered. Like brewing itself, change at a brewery needs year-round support, from preparing the mash to pressing.
The outside market is hard to see
While the domestic market shrinks, overseas markets and tourism offer a real tailwind. But stepping in without knowing local trade channels and price expectations costs time and inventory.
Six areas of management, as one strategy.
When you consult a different expert for each area, strategy inside the brewery falls apart. This advisory runs through all six areas from a single perspective and ties them into consistent moves for the brewery as a whole.
Product planning
- Reviewing and redesigning your product portfolio
- Concepts, specs and naming for new products
- Pricing and an annual release calendar
- High-value projects such as limited editions and aged sake
Sales strategy
- Channel design across liquor retailers, restaurants, e-commerce and direct sales
- Rebuilding your network of partner retailers and your sales materials
- Sorting out margins and prices for each channel
- Launching and improving e-commerce and direct sales
Overseas expansion
- Choosing markets and designing your export setup
- Support in selecting importers and negotiating terms
- Planning participation in overseas events and tastings
- Export specs worked back from local shelf prices
Branding and design
- Defining the brewery's brand and putting its story into words
- Design direction for labels and packaging
- Planning your website, social media and PR
- Selecting production partners and managing quality
Tourism
- Designing brewery tours and tasting programs
- Paid programs and booking flows
- Getting ready to welcome international visitors
- Joint projects with the region and local government
Financial strategy
- Making the revenue structure visible and managing gross margin by product
- Organizing capital investment plans and cash flow
- Planning the use of subsidies and grants
- Support for dialogue with financial institutions and investors
In a year-round rhythm, just like brewing.
1.5 hours a month (online meeting)
A working meeting built around an agenda and action items. We keep minutes and decisions every time, so meetings never end as just talk. Between meetings you can reach us by chat at any time. If you need more time, we can discuss it.
Four times a year (brewery visit, full day)
Once a quarter, we visit the brewery and spend a full day together.
- Morning: walking the site and observing issues
- Afternoon: focused discussion with the owner and quarterly review
- Evening: workshop for brewers and staff
* Travel and accommodation are charged separately at cost.
The first year
- Q1
Diagnosis and strategy
We start by taking stock of finances, products, channels and brand. On the first brewery visit we diagnose the site, then set a three-year management roadmap and the priority themes for the first year.
- Q2 / Q3
Working through execution together
We turn the priority themes into action in the monthly meetings. Product development, new channels, overseas negotiations, brewery open days: we give shape to each moving part, one at a time.
- Q4
Review and planning for the next year
We look back on the year's results in numbers and build next year's plan together. Both sides decide on annual renewal based on this review.
How contracts work
Because we handle management information, contracts proceed in the following order.
- STEP 1
Initial meeting (online, free)
We hear about where the brewery is today and where it wants to go, and both sides check the fit.
- STEP 2
NDA (non-disclosure agreement): 3-year term
First, we put conditions in place so that you can share management information such as finances and product plans with peace of mind.
- STEP 3
MSA (Master Service Agreement): 3-year term
Sets the basic terms common to all business with camo, such as terms of trade, payment and intellectual property.
- STEP 4
SOW (Scope of Work): the advisory is a one-year contract, renewed annually
We sign the scope, team and fees of this advisory as an SOW and kick off. When separate hands-on work arises, such as design production or event participation, we add an SOW each time. Terms and fees for additional SOWs are designed individually according to the work and the size of the brewery.
Fee
Rather than commissioning a planning firm for one-off work, the idea is to bring on an outside right hand who looks across all of management, for JPY 200,000 a month.
- 1.5-hour online meeting each month
- Four brewery visits a year with full-day meetings
- Chat consultation between meetings
- Annual roadmap and quarterly reviews
- Access to camo's network and events
Time and work beyond the regular meetings can be discussed. Travel and accommodation for brewery visits are charged at cost. Additional hands-on work such as design production or event participation is quoted each time and proposed individually based on the work and the size of the brewery.
As a practitioner, not a commentator.
This advisory is not handed off to an agency or an assigned consultant. Aki Kawana, camo's CEO, works with you personally, from the monthly meetings to the brewery visits.
Visited 250+ breweries
We have kept visiting breweries across Japan in person, and know firsthand how makers work on site and how management differs from one brewery to the next.
Hands-on in brewery management
camo carries out brewery M&A and turnarounds itself. Rather than proposals on paper, we bring moves we have tried, failed at and made work ourselves.
Events in 4 cities overseas
Hong Kong, Beijing, Berlin, London. As sakejump, we plan and run overseas events and connect directly with local drinkers and trade channels.
A management view rooted in design
We bring experience supporting product development and new businesses at design firms in Japan and abroad straight into your brand and products.
For our work so far, including Wakate no Yoake, Sakaya Taisho, SAKE LEADERS SUMMIT, PRIME SAKE and sakejump, please see our list of works.
WORKS →The breweries we want to work with.
- Owners who want to hand the brewery to the next generation in a new form
- Breweries serious about new ways of selling, such as overseas, tourism and direct sales
- Breweries confident in their brewing but without a setup for planning and sales
- Owners who can set aside time once a month to work through management homework
To keep the quality of our support, we limit the number of breweries we work with at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a consulting firm?
We stay with you through execution and results, not reports. Each meeting comes with action items, and together we give shape to things that move, such as products, channels and events. And because camo itself runs breweries and events, our proposals are backed by our own practice.
Can I cancel partway through the contract?
This is an annual contract. Because change at a brewery needs year-round work, just like brewing, we take on engagements by the year in principle, and both sides decide on renewal based on the annual review.
Are design production and event participation included in the fee?
Strategy and direction are included in the monthly fee. Actual costs such as label production, event participation fees and travel are quoted and billed separately. Quotes for additional work vary with the work and the size of the brewery.
What form does the contract take?
We sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and a master service agreement (MSA), each for three years, and then a separate statement of work (SOW) for each engagement. The SOW for this advisory is a one-year contract renewed annually. Additional work such as design production or event participation proceeds by adding SOWs as needed.
Can a small brewery apply?
We care more about the will to change than about size. The only condition is that the owner personally takes part in the monthly meetings.
What happens first?
In an initial online meeting, we hear about where the brewery is today and where it wants to go, and both sides check the fit. After signing, we start by taking stock of finances, products and channels and making the first brewery visit, and set an annual roadmap within three months.
First, tell us about your brewery.
In a free initial online meeting, we will sort out your current situation and possibilities together.