“Continuing to share what I love” is my way of showing love - Pon, SAKE Street

It was a surprising start for someone who originally couldn't drink alcohol at all.

Even so, they tell me that after encountering sake at a restaurant, their heart was slowly captured by that "delicious" moment when food and sake come together.

By asking, learning, and soaking in the atmosphere of the workplace.

Pon-san says that a desire to "convey this" grew naturally within them.

They encountered their current workplace, SAKE Street, as if by fate, and before they knew it, they had moved from a part-time job to store manager, and then to their current role.

"Conveying" is Pon-san's starting point

Pon-san's driving force isn't just about selling a brand. It's about conveying the "charm of the maker" behind it.

"I want to tell people, 'This person is so wonderful.' It’s not that I want others to like them... I just want to share that 'I like this person.'"

What lies here is not "sales," but simple "love."

Small breweries often can't afford a sales team or have trouble making their voices heard. That is why they say they want to be a catalyst, however small, for people to discover that charm.

Even on their days off, they visit breweries that pique their interest, and they seem to carefully unfold the thoughts and feelings of the people they meet when they tell customers about them at the shop.

Love means "continuing to share what you love"

Pon-san says:

"To me, love is continuing to share what I love."

It’s not about wanting to change anyone.

It’s not about forcing others to like something.

Simply, they believe that love is continuing to say, "To me, this person (the maker) is wonderful."

It doesn't matter if there's no response.

There's no expectation of anything in return.

"I want to cherish this forever, I want to keep sharing it. I think that is my love."

Wonderful.

Love deepens as it continues

The "love" Pon-san speaks of is not a burning passion, but a "quiet, enduring warmth."

Continuing to share what you love.

Continuing to reveal charm.

Continuing to pick up on the goodness of the people you meet.

I am once again grateful for how meaningful it is for different generations to think about and discuss difficult things.