On Never Accepting No, Bridging Cultures, and Building a Global Brand
Takuma Inagawa is the founder and CEO of Wakaze, a company renowned for its innovative approach to sake brewing. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Keio and the Ecole Centrale Paris. Before starting Wakaze, Inagawa worked at the Boston Consulting Group. His journey with Wakaze began in Japan in 2016, aiming to reinvent and globalize Japanese sake—in his words, creating “sake for everyone.”
Takuma's vision for Wakaze was shaped by his desire to share Japanese craft with new cultures. He was motivated to challenge foreign misconceptions of sake as merely a strong liquor. This led him to establish Wakaze with Shoya Imai, an eighth-generation master brewer from a renowned family of brewers. Together, they built the Kura Grand Paris sake brewery on the outskirts of Paris in 2019.
The philosophy at Wakaze is to blend tradition with innovation. Inagawa and his team use centuries-old knowledge along with French ingredients and innovative techniques. This approach has led to the production of unique sake varieties, including those brewed with locally sourced citrus fruits and matured in cognac casks. Wakaze's products are appreciated for their versatility and reasonable prices, making sake more accessible and enjoyable on various occasions. Today, Wakaze is the number one sake in France, and is exported to top restaurants and retailers around the world.
Takuma's entrepreneurial journey with Wakaze has not only revolutionized the perception of sake but also bridged cultural gaps, bringing together the best of Japanese tradition and French influence. His efforts have earned recognition, with Wakaze winning awards in prestigious competitions like the Kura Master and the International Wine Challenge.
Building on his success in France, Takuma has now expanded his vision to the United States, launching a new brand, SummerFall. This move was driven by his love for California's culture and its openness to innovation. SummerFall represents a new chapter in Inagawa's approach, offering a more approachable, lower-alcohol, sparkling sake in a can, targeting a broader audience and continuing his mission to democratize sake culture.
All right, so why don't we start at the beginning? Can you tell me about your early years and about how you grew up?
I grew up in Japan. My father was in the manufacturing business, making camera lenses for the major camera companies like Canon. My grandfather started the company. So when I was young, I was exposed to entrepreneurship and manufacturing, and watching high-quality things get made. Those were the earliest memories of my childhood.
When you saw your family's background in manufacturing, did you as a kid know that you wanted to get into something similar?
Honestly, I was not very interested in lenses and cameras. I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do. My mother said to me, you don’t have to go into the camera business.
She explained to me that cameras were in decline, and that it would be better for me to go abroad and see everything else that was out there, and figure out what it is that I want to do. She really protected me. I was interested in manufacturing, but she helped steer me towards figuring out what it is that I wanted to make. Still, it would take some time before I figured that out.
Tell me a bit about leaving Japan to go to France. What led you to that decision?
My mother was a flight attendant. My father was a little bit more domestic, and my mother had a sense of the international. She brought me abroad to many places, like Hawaii and other countries. Because of this, I was always interested in going abroad and trying to seek new escapes, new experiences. So I always knew that I wanted to get out of Japan and live abroad.
At my university, they had an exchange program. I was looking at two options: New York and Paris. New York is great, but I wanted to be different from the other Japanese students, who always choose to go to America. I knew that by going to France, it would set me apart and probably inspire me to do different things than the other students in my class.
“I knew that by going to France, it would set me apart and probably inspire me to do different things than the other students in my class.“
I also loved the character of France—the history, the art, the culture. That’s why I decided to go to Paris.
When you arrived, did you feel scared at all? You know, you were leaving your home and your family. What was it like to arrive there and start over?
Oh yeah. I was so excited to go abroad, but it was definitely a bit scary. My French wasn’t very good—there were some words I didn’t know, and French is a very hard language to learn to speak well. It’s quite complicated. So it was all a bit intimidating, but also exciting. And at the time, I was only planning to be there for two years.
Did you know at that point that you wanted to build something in France, or did that come to you later?
Much later. I had no idea what I wanted to do at the time. Then, I was very much a professional. Most Japanese are on a professional path—you get a job at a large company and work yourself up to a position of authority. I had no idea about business at the time.
So what was the moment that changed that for you?
After my two years in France, I went back to Japan. I got a masters in mechanical engineering. So I thought I’d go to a manufacturing company or something. But then I went in another direction, and joined a consulting company. I learned that I was just as interested in business as I was in engineering. So then I started observing startup companies in Japan.
While I was still at the consulting company, I was at an Omakase-style sushi restaurant with my father. My father drinks sake. He suggested I try it. I had just spent two years in France, where there is no sake, and everyone is drinking wine. And I’d never actually tried sake. So I did, and I thought “My god, that’s good.”
It was then that I felt like I got hit by lightening. Sake was new to me, and here I was having this amazing experience that I wasn’t expecting. What if I could bring this experience to others who have never tried sake, and don’t know what they’re missing? Especially foreign countries, like France or America? I immediately thought I should go back to France, because I knew that no one was doing sake there. I could do something that nobody else was doing, and provide a completely new drinking experience to French people. That was the moment that I knew that I wanted to build.
“I immediately thought I should go back to France, because I knew that no one was doing sake there. I could do something that nobody else was doing, and provide a completely new drinking experience to French people.”
I love the description of the “lightning bolt” moment. That's how I describe the feeling when the idea for Haus came to me, where it is difficult to explain to others why it makes total sense. But you can see it. You understand how your background and all your experiences and all your desires just somehow converged on this one random thing that is perfect for you.
Yeah, exactly. I’ve read your writing about this and I felt the same thing.
So then I started telling others about my idea, and they all said “No, no no. You shouldn’t do that.” Even my mother said she was worried about me. They thought it would be very difficult. Everybody said I should just stay at the consulting company and continue to build a traditional career. I saw you talking about having a similar experience in another interview. In the beginning nobody understands your vision or why you’d take such a risk.
I think, compared to America, Japanese people are very traditional and conventional. They don’t start businesses. Startups are not cool. People who did that kind of work were considered a little strange and crazy. At least that’s what it was like seven or eight years ago.
But you know, I always wanted to follow my heart, and I felt the lightning. I guess that’s just my character.
Yeah, I relate very much. So you started out having the same experience as me, everyone around you telling you this is a stupid idea. When did things shift to a different answer? The “I get it, and I want to help you.”
The moment things shifted was when my friend came to me and said she had someone interesting for me to meet. It ended up actually bring a small group of people. I came to the meeting with this big agenda, and all of these things I was planning to present. But then they presented something to me. They suggested I meet with a guy who was an 8th-generation sake maker. That maybe I could get them excited and partner with them to make something very small, and use all of their resources and their knowledge. This person ended up becoming my business partner.
At the time, I was working like crazy, doing over 100-hour weeks as a consultant, and then developing this product on top of that. I was running completely on adrenaline, because I was so excited about this project and wanted it to happen. And once I had my manufacturing partner, I felt unstoppable.
“At the time, I was working like crazy, doing over 100-hour weeks as a consultant, and then developing this product on top of that. I was running completely on adrenaline, because I was so excited about this project and wanted it to happen.”
Amazing. It's the best feeling in the world. I know exactly what you're talking about.
Yeah, It's like a superpower. When you have it in you, it's so amazing.
And you don't even notice how hard it is anymore. You don't even notice all of the obstacles. You're like, going through walls. It's amazing.
Yeah, exactly.
Okay. So you found this incredible eighth-generation sake maker to partner with, and then you needed to build this brand. So can you tell me about the early stages of making this product and building the brand? Did it go the way that you expected it to in the beginning?
I can jump to the future, where it eventually became the number one sake in France, which is amazing. But how was it in the beginning? Did you have some obstacles that you didn't foresee?
Yeah. Our product strategy was cool and different. We’d make it in France, using French ingredients. Nothing like that had ever been done before. We knew it would be good, because we had the right team.
But once I arrived back in France, there were many obstacles. For one, my French was not perfect, and in France, that makes it very hard. People will hold it against you. I also had no network or audience in France. So the idea of crowdfunding wasn’t possible. But we found Japanese investors, and managed to build a sake brewery in France, which was our vision.
Eventually, we had everything ready to go—we had a brewery, we had employees. And suddenly, City Hall said that we could not do business in Paris because we had neighbors that were against our project. It was an election year, so they were being extra sensitive. So they shut us down.
We had invested so much into this project already, and then suddenly we were told we can’t continue. I remember that day I completely lost my mind. I spent the entire day at the park, walking around. I couldn’t work. I disappeared from the company Slack. Nobody knew where I had gone.
“We had invested so much into this project already, and then suddenly we were told we can’t continue. I remember that day I completely lost my mind.”
But by the end of the day, I thought to myself, “Who says it’s over?” Maybe it was me who thought it was over, just because somebody put this obstacle in front of me. But maybe there is a way through this.
I was completely burnt out at this point—building a startup is hard as you know, and this obstacle almost took me out—but I thought, maybe there’s a chance. There are a lot of people—friends, family, employees and investors—who are supporting this project and want it to work. I should try to figure this out, for them.
So, the next day, I went to City Hall. And I went back, every day, for a month. I’d talk to the people there, trying to convince them to change their mind. I would tell them about my newborn daughter, and all of the people working for the company, and how they would all be out of jobs, and the impact that would have on the community. I would ask to meet with the mayor every day.
“The next day, I went to City Hall. And I went back, every day, for a month. I’d talk to the people there, trying to convince them to change their mind. I would tell them about my newborn daughter, and all of the people working for the company, and how they would all be out of jobs, and the impact that would have on the community. I would ask to meet with the mayor every day.”
I think they eventually felt sorry for me, having to hear me tell them the same sad things, over and over, every day. So after a month, they allowed me to have a meeting with the mayor and all of our neighbors. I stood in front of them all, and they criticized me for three hours straight. It’s how it goes in France, it’s very complicated. But finally, I managed to convince them.
And so, after a month, we were allowed to start the project again. I think that was the most difficult moment, ever in my life.
Wow. That's incredible. So going through that experience, I mean, someone could look at you and be like, “You're out of your mind, you're crazy.” Which is something that founders get told all the time, right? Going through that and not taking no for an answer.
Do you feel like that experience changed you going forward?
After that experience, I decided I would never take no for an answer. Nothing is impossible. And that experience taught me that even with the government, you can maybe turn a no to a yes after just one month. So that’s why I think I’ve been able to get through the big problems that come later. We’ve run out of money three times now. Financing is always hard, but every time I managed to get us more money. I had hope every time because of my previous experiences. It has helped me through the big obstacles, and the struggles.
“After that experience, I decided I would never take no for an answer. Nothing is impossible.”
Did you find that your investors believed in you more, the more that they saw you overcoming these really wild obstacles?
Yeah. Early on, I wrote one long blog post for investors, where I wrote down every single problem we ever encountered, since our creation. I wrote down every single struggle with the product and the brand and everything else, in detail. I don’t know how many pages it became. But I’d share it with investors, and they’d read it and think, this guy is a little crazy, but he’s strong. It helped them understand me and what I have been through, and it made them trust me to handle whatever comes next.
“I wrote down every single struggle with the product and the brand and everything else, in detail. I don’t know how many pages it became. But I’d share it with investors, and they’d read it and think, this guy is a little crazy, but he’s strong.”
It reminds me of what we were talking about in a separate conversation—the power of journaling, and writing it all down.
Yeah. It can help in ways you don't even know.
Man, I'd love to see that document one day.
So you ended up getting this thing made, and then you eventually launch. How did that go?
Well, our original launch plan was to launch in Japanese restaurants in France. Our business model was wholesale. But then shortly after we launched, all of the restaurants closed because of Covid. It was a disaster.
So we had to pivot to DTC. I managed to raise the money. But it was another near death experience. But we had a great product and a great team, so changing the business model felt relatively easy.
The next challenge was the education factor. American people are more open minded, the French are not. It’s very hard to change their mind about what they like. It took a lot of time for me to educate the French people and convince them.
“Our original launch plan was to launch in Japanese restaurants in France. Our business model was wholesale. But then shortly after we launched, all of the restaurants closed because of Covid. It was a disaster.”
How did you end up convincing people and growing your customer base?
There are a lot of French people who love Japan. They love Japanese cuisine, they love manga, anime and all of that stuff. So we went to them first. And they loved our product, and were very enthusiastic about supporting it. We would encourage them to buy it for parties, just like you did for Haus. They had a lot of pride in serving our product to their friends. They wanted to bring something different and new, and they enjoyed gifting it to others. So that’s how we grew.
And so fast forward and you've got the number one sake in France, which is amazing. And you could have stopped there, right? You could have enjoyed your success in France. You could have stayed and been a big fish in a smaller pond. And instead, you decide to leave France, move to America and start another brand from scratch.
Can you talk about why you did that?
Yeah. I was feeling settled in France. We had the number one sake in France, we had a restaurant and brewery in Paris, all of this cool stuff. I loved it. So it was hard to leave France. I love Paris. But honestly, it felt like I needed a new challenge.
“I was feeling settled in France. We had the number one sake in France, we had a restaurant and brewery in Paris, all of this cool stuff. I loved it. So it was hard to leave France. I love Paris. But honestly, it felt like I needed a new challenge.”
When we started to export Wakaze to America, where was a lot of enthusiastic people, who would tell us how great it tastes. Even more enthusiasm than France. People were crazy about it. So I was really excited to see this reaction from the American people, especially the west coast.
Before I had ever come to California, I was in love with it. For 30 years, I saw references to California and thought it was such a cool culture. That’s why so many people start their lifestyle brands there. And I was inspired by those brands. People in California seem to love new things and are excited about innovation. They have self-driving cars and all kinds of great new technologies are built there. When I thought about building a product in California, I felt the same lightning that I felt about building a product in France a few years ago. So that’s why I decided to move to America and build a second product.
When I started thinking about an American product, I thought I’d want to do it a bit differently, because our French product is quite expensive, at $35 a bottle. And normally, in America, it’s consumed in a Japanese restaurant.
And my objective has always been to create sake for everyone. To democratize the sake culture, that sort of thing. So I thought there could be a different way of doing things with this second product, and make it more approachable.
“And my objective has always been to create sake for everyone.”
I can feel a parallel here where, I think, for people who grew up on the West Coast or grew up in California, they don't know, they've just been in this culture their whole life, so they don't know the difference. But I grew up in another part of America, where there's a certain way things are done and that's just how you do it. You don't stick your neck out, you don't go and try to be different.
And I understand that in Japan and Paris are similar in that there's a huge emphasis on culture and tradition. And so I think I was very attracted to California in the same way that you were, where just even looking from afar, it felt like…. you're allowed to do stuff here. And if you have that desire to make things, to be in a culture where that's kind of frowned upon, all you want to do is get to the place where you can be free to make stuff. So I very much understand.
I didn't know that. I’m seeing it myself for the first time and I’m very happy.
Yeah. It's a great place for people that have crazy ideas and a strange desire to make things. It really helps to be in an environment where it's not only accepted but it’s supported. Especially if you've grown up in places where it's seen as strange, it's a big weight off your shoulders to be somewhere where it's just fine. It's normal.
Yeah, I was scared to make something different again, even after it worked the last time, but so far so good. People have been accepting.
Yeah, well, craft and brand is an important part of the equation, right? I mean, when you first reached out to me to connect, I saw your Wakaze branding and I was like, okay, we're going to get along.
Oh, great. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
So you came here to build another brand from the ground up. Still sake, but you chose to innovate on that too. In a can, lower alcohol, sparkling. Totally different than your last product. A new name, a new identity, everything. What did you learn from your first time building? What lessons did you want to take with you for this second round?
What I learned in France is how to adapt to new circumstances and new environments. Don’t lean so much on what you knew before. You should be open to the new. And the unlearning of what you know is the most important thing, I think.
When we first arrived in France, we launched Wakaze with Japanese branding, and we didn’t really invest any money in the design. People refused it. The first year was a complete disaster. The second year, we had an intern suggest we use a European design company. We adapted, and created a brand that was completely new, instead of referencing the past. I learned that adapting, and trying to meet the tastes of the local culture, was important.
“What I learned in France is how to adapt to new circumstances and new environments. Don’t lean so much on what you knew before. You should be open to the new.”
That’s why I reached out to you when I decided to come to California, to get your advice and try to learn. Because learning is very powerful. It can change me and how I approach my work. I also tend to get bored easily, so continuing to learn is very important to me.
Yeah. I think what I appreciate so much about the theme of your work, and getting to know you, is you fundamentally understand that to make a successful product, it's not about imposing yourself on a new culture or imposing your identity on an audience. It really is about the blending, and it's about you bringing what you have, but also really taking the time to immerse yourself in where you are and who you are selling to. And that's part of the fun, right? And then the magic that comes from that is the combination of the two.
Yeah. It’s so important, especially in consumer goods. I’ve learned how important design is to a product being successful. You were a great example of that, with Haus. That’s why we went with a design agency in California. I interviewed six different agencies across the country, and we ultimately went with the one you recommended to us.
Yeah, I mean, I think they were the right fit for you. You know, prior to Haus I came from software. I was a creative, but I was working with mostly software companies. When I started it was even leaner of a culture than it is now, where it was all about launching with the shittiest, cheapest product as fast as possible and then iterating from there. And while we literally were just talking about the importance of listening to customers, we don’t have the luxury of that kind of iteration in consumer. Like if you want to be an iconic brand, you can’t half-ass it. You generally have one chance to make a first impression. And you should put out your best work and not cut corners. Find the money and do it right.
You know, I learned a lot from your imagery. I learned the importance of hyper genuine creative. With Haus, you created a universe. If you had never launched Haus, I don’t think we would have made it. We learned so much from you. All of the employees of our company looked to Haus. We created moodboards with your pictures, we learned from all of your strategies and everything you created. And we are doing the same thing for the American product.
We also learned from you to really invest in the product design, even if it is difficult. To not take the easiest route. The Haus bottle—I know that is not an easy bottle to make, in terms of logistics. But you did it because you knew it was important. It taught me and other founders how important it is to be different from the other brands, and to make your maximum vision come true. Thanks to Haus, we saw the impact that could have.
Thank you for saying that. And I will say, you know, as someone who's seen my brand go through the full lifecycle from success to almost death to acquisition, I would never ever regret doing what we did, which was launch the absolute best product we could. Making every detail perfect, and making sure that it was exactly what we wanted to put out in the world. If I were to do it again, I would do exactly the same thing. Because no matter what, it might not work for reasons that are broadly out of our control. Right? It can be the best product in the world. And there are so many more forces at play that will determine whether or not it succeeds. But our responsibility as founders is to launch exactly what we want to see in the world and launch the best possible version of it. I really do think that's our responsibility to uphold.
Yeah, I agree.
Anyway, you have now launched your new American brand, SummerFall, to the world. And I'm super happy looking at the brand that you've launched. I think you did such an amazing job with the design and the product. It's just cool.
What makes a brand amazing is never one element, right? It's not the type. It's not the colors. It's not the photography style. It's kind of like magic, you know. When it’s done thoughtfully and done right, you can just feel it. And I got to taste the product with you and the product is so freakin’ good.
Thank you so much. After working with you on our product strategy, I went back to our investors to tell them the new direction with the product, and they said, “What happened? Why did you make these changes?” I told them that I wanted to make the best product possible.
I think those decisions can scare investors because these decisions often feel arbitrary to them, if they can change. But as long as it's coming from the place of, “I learned more, I got more information. And now I think that this is the best decision.” Like, you can't argue with that.
Yeah.
So you're about to launch this new brand. I know where you're at. I know how stressful it is. I know that you're dealing with a million things going wrong or taking longer than you thought, things costing more than you expected. I know how stressful that is. But I also know the excitement of where you are, where you launched your teaser and people are talking about it. How are you feeling right now?
You know, when I arrived to France, I didn’t worry about the future. And that’s still true now. I am a little bit more experienced than before. We have great people here in California who have joined our team. And we’re following your playbook. I think it’s going to be great.
What do you find motivates you to keep going today? Is it the same as the beginning?
My first motivation is that I’m just lucky and excited to be here, exploring and creating in a new culture. My second is what it has been for a long time, to continue to spread the potential of Japanese craftsmanship to the rest of the world.
That's beautiful. And I would say in many ways, as an observer, you seem to be doing that right. Even just by you coming here and launching a brand that does not compromise on quality, and is an excellent brand. I would say you're bringing an element of craftsmanship to a space that needs it again. I think there's a lot of DTC brands that are cutting corners and it’s strange that a well-crafted brand feels like an anomaly today. But it does. And I'm very grateful to see someone like you here making stuff.
Thank you so much.
Our time is running out, so I’ll ask you a couple of final questions. For someone out there who's thinking about starting something of their own, and everyone is telling them that their idea is stupid and they should keep their day job… what advice would you have for them?
Every question you have for this interview is very deep. Let me think about this.
I think you should follow your heart and pursue what you want to do, and not care about what others say. I have no regrets about anything I have done, or what I’m doing now. Of quitting consulting, of doing something different than my engineering background.
I try to spend two or three days a year in the islands, such as Corsica, Majorca and Catalina. I go there to isolate and spend time completely alone with myself. I can’t go to a tourist place. I have to go somewhere I don’t know anyone, and that is quiet and calm.
“I think you should follow your heart and pursue what you want to do, and not care about what others say.”
I read an interview where you talk about going into nature, and how important it is to you. I think it is important for founders to find these moments of quiet and solitude.
I also want to say, I think you are really helping founders with these interviews. There is a lot of insight, and I find a lot of encouragement in them. It is not an easy thing to do, you know, to share so honestly. There is nothing fake in these interviews. It’s just genuine. And you cover success and failure at the same time, which any founder can relate to. I think it’s a great thing.
Thank you. I appreciate it. You know, it doesn't get old for me to hear that because sometimes I don't like being so honest. It's very uncomfortable at times. But I think at the end of the day, I’ve seen it in the work that I've done—work and storytelling that's based in truth is much more powerful. I’ve seen proof of it many times across my life, projects and career.
And in the age of AI, I think real stories will become even more powerful. AI can’t manufacture people’s real stories and experiences. So I hope that the next wave of companies and products will come to remember the power of building brands that are truly genuine.
My last question for you. How can the community support you?
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