by Cornelia Reiher

On June 13, 2025, our social science methods class embarked on a unique excursion: a field visit and live interview at Sake Kontor, a specialized sake shop in Berlin. That day, the shop itself was calm and Anselm, the sales manager, had enough time to answer our questions with a mix of humor and candor. The students had prepared questions in English in advance and took turns asking Anselm about his job, the sake world and the store.

Anselm shared educational materials and guided us through the essentials of sake. We also discussed the shop’s customer base. According to Anselm, most people who enter the shop already know what sake is. However, when he represents the shop at department stores in Germany, he often meets people unfamiliar with the drink.

We learned that, in addition to retail, Sake Kontor supplies restaurants—including many Vietnamese-owned establishments—and sells products through an online shop. Despite having a small team, they remain active in the food and beverage industry by attending trade shows and various events, visiting restaurants across Germany, and organizing tastings.

Amidst the current sake boom in Berlin, social media plays a role in the company’s visibility. However, their strength lies in long-standing relationships with sake breweries in Japan and word of mouth. Many customers have traveled to Japan and appreciate that their favorite Japanese drink is available in Berlin, too. The shop’s busiest season is Christmas, when sake becomes a popular gift item.

Toward the end of our visit, Anselm treated us to two sake tastings. The first sake was fruity, while the second was less so, offering an interesting contrast. Both samples gave us a hands-on understanding of the cultural and economic value of premium sake. Some students who did not study Japan had sake for the first time, and the tasting and interview made a strong impression on them. Students learned that on-site interviews offer many opportunities to ask questions that researchers might not consider in different settings, such as online interviews.

We left Sake Kontor with new perspectives on sake and on how businesses like Sake Kontor navigate changing consumer tastes, global logistics, and cultural education. For the students, it was an exciting, hands-on, on-site interview experience and a reminder of how much can be learned when theory meets the real world—over a cup of sake. I am grateful to Anselm for his time and for inviting us to Sake Kontor. Thank you!