Recently, we at Enjoy Dohoku were interviewed by a reporter from the Hokkaido Shimbun Press. We gave information about the establishment of the company and the production and sale of mead, and she wrote an article about it. The article was published in the local topics/Nayoro-Shibetsu section on March 13, 2025, and in the economy section of Hokkaido on March 29 on the Hokkaido Shimbun Daily Press. She well summarized what we talked about.
We would like to share the following points that were not written in the article in the article. (It’s a bit long story, so it’s probably not suitable for an article.)
・Label design
・About the brewery (I will tell you about it separately)
The label designer is one of the contributors to this project. The label was designed by Ms. Ikue Yamamoto at tocoto First-Class Architect Office, who lives in Numata Town in Hokkaido. She is a first-class architect, and she also designs food packaging.
The design conditions for this label were not simple. We gave her the following two requirements. Yamamoto met these two expectations with a high level of workmanship.
1. Good visibility. (We as the owner decided the one- Chinese-character brand names.)
2. The design should appeal to young people, especially women.
Regarding 1
The bottle is small and tapered to the top, so the area that can be applied without wrinkles and is clearly visible from the front is 8cm tall and 5cm wide. The label must be small, but we asked the designer to include the brand name (one Chinese-character), reading, and English translation. We suggested the image colors, but let her decide the overall layout and color selection of the total label. “Akatsuki/Sunrise” contains the joy of spring arriving after a long winter. “Minori/Agri” contains the rich harvest of Hokkaido and the deepening colors of autumn. “Tsurugi/Sword” contains the harshness and beauty of winter. “Kembuchi” is written vaguely in the background of the label. (We will create a summer-themed brand separately. Please look forward to it.)
Regarding 2
Anyone can drink this mead, but we especially wish that relatively young people in their 30s and 40s purchase it. The soft aroma & flavor and low alcohol content make it suitable for people who are not very tolerant of alcohol but would like to drink occasionally. Mead is also a suitable drink for celebratory occasions, as newlyweds drink it in the West. For the time being, mead will only be available locally and in a limited number of stores in Asahikawa and Sapporo, so it can also serve as a souvenir of a visit to Hokkaido. Generally speaking, the more elaborate the liquor label, the heavier the design will be, which senior men would prefer. This mead has a lightness that young people can easily pick up, and would well fit in the place a young person lives. The designer coped with our requirements and expectation.
These things cannot be fully conveyed in a newspaper article. Please come and try it out for yourself at the stores.
