Reader's will remember my recent profile of sake2me from the Vine Connections. This is a delicious beverage that makes beautiful babe and dudes stick out their tongues in delight and lick bottles which might carry life-threating germs.
Vine Connections partner, Ed Lehrman, is sick of all the elitist response to this clearly populist product. With great passion, he asks:
It has been 2 years now since sake2me was introduced, and I am still astounded at the number of snooty looks or comments I get from people I know when I introduce them to sake2me. And why? Because it is an INCLUSIVE product and not something that builds their own self worth due to their mastery of some obscure knowledge. I tell them: hold the bottle, check out the classy label, taste it, and picture how many times your customers would LOVE to have this kind of drink in their hands. And think about how many more people it might appeal to than traditional sake
Mr. Lehrman then goes on to say he only like some of the flavors and that furthermore he doesn't like some of the malbecs or sakes he imports, although he doesn't mention name:
Do I love ALL my Argentine wine and Japanese sake selections? Nope.
Mr. Lehrman's goal is raking in money and even if he doesn't like the malbecs or sakes he sells, someone else might and his company, his personnel and his distributors can make money with things he doesn't necessarily like. In his view, sake2me is a broad, democratic product that promoters can all make big bucks on! Or as a great American once said, no one ever got poor underestimating the stupidity of the American people. On this basis, sake2me certainly qualifies. It is one stupid product.
The argument for sake2me takes takes this even one step further. It is only elitism and snobbism that prevents sake2me from taking over the market.
In a reflective moment, Mr. Lehrman writes of how he wants to sell to the broad masses, and not just be stuck with wine or sake geeks to line his pockets:
A few years ago, it occurred to me, my partner, and a close friend of ours that while Vine Connections was having great success introducing Americans to the delicious artisan sake of Japan, we were still only touching the smallest sliver of people who might want to try sake. After all, our sake are brewed in small quantities, they are fairly expensive, and they really benefit from a bit of knowledge before enjoying.
Too bad someone came up with Yellowtail before these two geniuses had the time to lasso a Kangaroo.
Look on the bright side
If General Motors or Chrysler was run by guys like Mr. Lehrman, perhaps they'd still be viable, profitable companies.