Founders Love story with Sake
Xavier Chapelou
Recognized as one of the world’s leading non-Japanese sake experts, Xavier Chapelou has built an encyclopaedic knowledge of Japanese sake through his experience in both retail and fine restaurant consultancy. By learning first-hand from brewery professionals, his appreciation and passion for sake spread into teaching, driven by an ambition to pass his knowledge on to others. With this goal in mind, he co-founded the Sake Sommelier Association in 2000. His efforts were noticed by distinguished drinks magazine Imbibe in 2013, when he was nominated for “Educator of the Year”. His contribution for bringing sake to the sommelier world has also been featured in the press many times, for publications such as: The Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, Asahi TV, BBC Radio 4, Channel 4 TV and more.
Kumiko Ohta
Kumiko Ohta grew up in Japan surrounded by rice fields and sake-brewing culture. A thirst to learn more drove her to visit breweries as soon as she could and has led to a life-long passion for sake. This passion has culminated in her becoming an Authorised Sake Lecturer, obtaining the Higher Certificate in Sake Education. After relocating to the UK, Kumiko has tirelessly championed sake. A co-founder of the Sake Sommelier Association, her efforts were recognized by Nikkei in 2008 when she received the prestigious “Woman of the Year” award. Since then she has redoubled her efforts, constantly looking for new ways to showcase and promote sake.
Xavier Chapelou
Recognized as one of the world’s leading non-Japanese sake experts, Xavier Chapelou has built an encyclopaedic knowledge of Japanese sake through his experience in both retail and fine restaurant consultancy. By learning first-hand from brewery professionals, his appreciation and passion for sake spread into teaching, driven by an ambition to pass his knowledge on to others. With this goal in mind, he co-founded the Sake Sommelier Association in 2000. His efforts were noticed by distinguished drinks magazine Imbibe in 2013, when he was nominated for “Educator of the Year”. His contribution for bringing sake to the sommelier world has also been featured in the press many times, for publications such as: The Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, Asahi TV, BBC Radio 4, Channel 4 TV and more.
Kumiko Ohta
Kumiko Ohta grew up in Japan surrounded by rice fields and sake-brewing culture. A thirst to learn more drove her to visit breweries as soon as she could and has led to a life-long passion for sake. This passion has culminated in her becoming an Authorised Sake Lecturer, obtaining the Higher Certificate in Sake Education. After relocating to the UK, Kumiko has tirelessly championed sake. A co-founder of the Sake Sommelier Association, her efforts were recognized by Nikkei in 2008 when she received the prestigious “Woman of the Year” award. Since then she has redoubled her efforts, constantly looking for new ways to showcase and promote sake.
The Sake Sommelier Association® (SSA) is the oldest non-Japanese body to provide formal sake education. The SSA is based in London, UK, and for over 20 years we have been fully committed to promoting global education and awareness of sake with exciting projects, such as our Sake Sommelier® courses and regional Sake Challenge® events. The SSA’s flagship course, the Certified Sake Sommelier, accredits students officially as Sake Sommeliers upon completion of the program.
The Sake Sommelier Association is built on 3 pillars: Education, Challenge and Competition which cover the wide range of our activities.
− Our courses, challenges and competitions are ideal for everyone, from beginners with a passion for sake, to experts who’ve been working in the drinks industry for years.
The SSA’s courses range from the basics, with the Introductory Sake Professional, all the way to the world’s highest sake qualification, the Master Sake Sommelier.
The SSA is delighted to work with partners across 6 continents; we have reached over ten thousand students across our programs through our ever-expanding network of educational franchises. Our growing team of Sake Educators share our founders’ passion for the delightful drink of sake, allowing the SSA to spread the joy of sake throughout the world.
The Sake Sommelier Association® (SSA) is the oldest non-Japanese body to provide formal sake education. The SSA is based in London, UK, and for over 20 years we have been fully committed to promoting global education and awareness of sake with exciting projects, such as our Sake Sommelier® courses and regional Sake Challenge® events. The SSA’s flagship course, the Certified Sake Sommelier, accredits students officially as Sake Sommeliers upon completion of the program.
The Sake Sommelier Association is built on 3 pillars: Education, Challenge and Competition which cover the wide range of our activities.
− Our courses, challenges and competitions are ideal for everyone, from beginners with a passion for sake, to experts who’ve been working in the drinks industry for years.
The SSA’s courses range from the basics, with the Introductory Sake Professional, all the way to the world’s highest sake qualification, the Master Sake Sommelier.
The SSA is delighted to work with partners across 6 continents; we have reached over ten thousand students across our programs through our ever-expanding network of educational franchises. Our growing team of Sake Educators share our founders’ passion for the delightful drink of sake, allowing the SSA to spread the joy of sake throughout the world.