From Nihonshu to Sakè - Exploratory research on past, present and future of sake in Italy

Abstract

Sake technical Japanese term is seishu, and despite popular Italian belief, it is not a distilled alcoholic beverage. It is a fermented beverage, made from rice. Misconceptions on sake do not end here. Still, there is little knowledge on this product in Italy and specifically, not much is known about premium quality sake. This exploratory research main focus is on investigating the possibilities of sake market in Italy. To do so, the product itself and its making are firstly analyzed, to understand its inner qualities. Secondly, a brief description of nihonshu market in Japan will be outlined, to understand the economic needs behind sake export abroad. Next, foreign markets are taken into consideration. Europe is analyzed, and Italian market is examined in depth. Through a series of interviews, with the aim to build effective qualitative research, many Italian sake business players are consulted to make some consideration about the market situation.