Beverich Co. Ltd. (Head office: Kanagawa, Japan; CEO: Kei Kinoshita), which operates a non-alcoholic beverage distribution business, has officially launched Beverich, an e-commerce site specializing in non-alcoholic beverages.
At the same time, the company has also raised $385K (50M JPY) in total from private investors from Japan and abroad, including Hiroshi Tomishima and Ryo Ishizuka, co-founders of Mercari, as well as Fumiaki Koizumi, Tomoyuki Shindo, Yoshitsune Ido, Ken Soga and others.
With the launch of the site, the company has begun selling BRULO, a Scottish non-alcoholic craft beer.
The company is aiming to find the best alcohol-free beverages from all over the world and import them here for Japanese customers to enjoy.
Non alcoholic drinks market in Japan
According to research by Asahi Breweries, there are currently 40M people in Japan who don’t regularly drink alcoholic beverages. And the number of people that don’t have the habit of drinking is increasing, especially among people in their 20’s and 30’s.
On the other hand, there are few high-quality craft beverage producers in Japan, which means these people struggle to find good alcohol-free drinks. Beverich will meet that need by introducing the best non-alcoholic beverages from overseas to this growing number of people.
Founder's profile
Founder & CEO: Kei Kinoshita
Beverich started when I stopped drinking alcohol because of health and time concerns. When I stopped drinking, I felt that I didn't have many good options for what to drink during meals, when I met friends at night, or relaxing in the evenings. On the other hand, when I did some research I found that there are many producers making drinks other than alcoholic beverages. I decided to launch Beverich, an e-commerce site specializing in non-alcoholic & low-alcoholic drinks and other specialty drinks, as a meeting point for people looking for a diverse choice of drinks and those who are producing high-quality beverages.
Beverich CEO Kei has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry working as a Software Engineer and a Product Manager. Before founding Beverich, Kei worked at several leading IT companies in Japan like NTT Data (the largest IT service company in Japan) and Mercari (the biggest secondhand C2C marketplace in the country).
Investors' messages
Hiroshi Tomishima, Co-founder of Mercari Inc.
During my wife's pregnancy I also stopped drinking alcohol, and since that time I have been interested in non-alcoholic products. There is now a reasonable range of beer and sparkling wine that I find satisfying, and I often choose non-alcoholic beer even now that I have lifted my drinking ban. As for red and white wines, they have not yet reached the level of juices, and I have high expectations for the future. In fact, that's what I'm most excited about. I enjoyed working with Kei in my previous company, so I'm happy to be working with him again.
Ryo Ishizuka, Co-founder of Mercari Inc.
Kei helped us expand into the US/UK when he was with Mercari, and he has already proven his passion and ability to create products, so I'm very happy to have the opportunity to support him when I heard that he is starting his own business. I have high expectations that he will use his sense of style and experience to create a product that will provide an e-commerce experience like never before. Incidentally, I don't drink any alcohol, so I hope that this business will be successful not only as an investor but also as a customer for Beverich, and that the number of non-alcoholic drink options will increase, creating an even richer drink culture.
Fumiaki Koizumi, Chairman of the Board, Mercari Inc. and President, Kashima Antlers FC
As a drink lover, I like the taste of alcohol, but I like communication through drinking even more. But this is not about drinking, time spent with friends who love anything, even non-alcoholic drinks, is precious and irreplaceable, and I think it would be good if there were more diverse ways to enjoy it. I think the idea of Kei, the representative of the company, is a very interesting challenge to increase the options for enjoyment. As he is a former colleague of mine, I am convinced that his sense and ability to create and implement services are second to none, and I myself am very much looking forward to the future that will be realized. Beyond the success of the non-alcohol e-commerce business, I hope that it will bring smiles to the faces of the customers who buy from us and create a new alcohol culture!
Tomoyuki Shindo, VP of Logistics Marketplace, Mercari Inc.
In recent years, the “nuclear family” and the diversification of lifestyles have meant that there are fewer opportunities for families to gather together for meals, but I believe that the Corona disaster has increased the number of lifestyles that allow people to enjoy meals at home. I would like Beverich to realize its mission of “increasing the enjoyment of drinking” by providing a wide range of non-alcoholic beverages to add color to family time.
Mr Yoshitsune Ido, angel investor
Good opportunities for business and investment exist in areas where demand exists but is not being adequately met for whatever reason, and I think the domestic non-alcoholic drinks market in 2023 is exactly such a situation. I myself graduated from drinking last year, but it was the oral consumption of alcohol that I wanted to stop for the sake of my health and productivity, not the taste, the good times with friends, culture and history that it brings. However, there are almost no good options for non-alcoholic drinks available in the country. We look forward to Beverich, led by Kei, who has demonstrated his skills as head of product at the Mercari Group, innovating the distribution and UX of non-alcoholic drinks and creating a non-alcoholic culture that can be truly enjoyed rather than a passive option.
Ken Soga, Chartered Accountant, SGcapital Ltd.
I myself have always loved communicating with people through alcohol, but I also love special non-alcoholic drinks such as craft colas and specialty coffees. As traditional adult communication, which used to be all about drinking, diversified through the Corona disaster to include saunas, outdoor activities and online, I believe it is inevitable that the drinks that add color to the occasion will also diversify. Not only those who can't drink alcohol, but even drinkers have days when they don't want to drink alcohol. We support Kei's challenge to create a liquor store that doesn't sell alcohol.