Founded in 2005 by Henry Sidel, the Joto Sake portfolio is one of the leading artisanal sake portfolios in the U.S. It has been carefully developed to offer a wide range of sakes while maintaining a high level of focus. “Joto” means “highest quality”, and this has been the guiding principle in everything Joto does. In 2016, under the leadership of Kobrand’s former CEO Bob DeRoose, Kobrand acquired Joto Sake, united by a shared commitment to quality of product, people and relationships.
Appointed General Manager in 2022, Ryan Mellinger now leads the Joto Sake team at Kobrand and is responsible for portfolio development, sales, marketing, supplier relations, and supply chain management. The Joto team further consists of Andrew Sowers out of Miami covering the Southeast U.S., Yuto Someya in Los Angeles covering the Western U.S., and Josh Neiderer in New York City, covering the Northeast U.S. Together they oversee the entire U.S. for Joto Sake, working with our colleagues at Kobrand, our distributors, and our customers.
Today, the Joto Sake portfolio of Kobrand Wine & Spirits imports represents ten multi-generational, family-owned, jizake (local) breweries. These breweries are located throughout Japan, producing sake in small batches with indigenous rice varieties, offering flavors and styles ideal for a range of cuisines. Our passion for breweries that have rich and wonderful histories makes them fun to learn about and explore. We hope you enjoy!
“Joto” means “highest quality,” which is the guiding principle in everything we do. We also want to act as a bridge between the Japanese sake world and the U.S. market. We carefully select all of our producers and all of their products. Although we are highly focused, we aim to cover the complete range of regions, types of sake, and styles. We also focus on breweries with unique stories, whether it be their history, technique, ingredients, or style.
From 2005 to 2012, Joto only promoted its breweries and their brands. Over time, the team saw the need and the opportunity for a brand that would introduce sake to new consumers. Many people love sake but find it intimidating and indecipherable. The mission of the Joto Brand is to serve as a bridge between Japanese artisanal sake and the American market. Showcasing a design that is both memorable and informative, each label tells a story about how that sake was made. Each product is made by the producers we already have relationships with, not outsourced to some mystery brewery. The Joto brand represents quintessential sake styles, at competitive prices, all while maintaining the utmost quality.
Ozeki was the first sake maker to produce one cup sakes in the 1970s. Larger breweries followed and single servings became ubiquitous, especially at “conbini,” Japanese delis, and at train stations, to go with bento boxes. Over the past ten to fifteen years, craft sake makers have jumped into the game with cute and fun designs. There are even “cup sake” bars and shops. Originally, we tapped Japanese graffiti artist, Shiro One, to create a mural for the back wall of our old office. We were also excited about Kamomidori One Cups, made by our producer, Marumoto, in Okayama. This one cup is the best seller in the local area despite the intense competition from big producers. We combined the two and created Joto One Cup, also known as the “Graffiti Cup”.
