TYKU is an American
alcoholic beverage
Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...
company that specializes in
sake
Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...
and other
spirits
Spirit(s) commonly refers to:
* Liquor, a distilled alcoholic drink
* Spirit (animating force), the non-corporeal essence of living things
* Spirit (supernatural entity), an incorporeal or immaterial being
Spirit(s) may also refer to:
Liquids ...
. The privately held company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. While based in New York, TYKU's beverages are made in Japan through a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
with two sake
breweries
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
.
TYKU's products are sold in all 50 states.
History
Co-founders Kirk Spahn and Trenton Ulicny met in 2003 while working on a graduate school project together at the
. With the encouragement of their professor, the two founded the company in 2004 with the goal of marketing Japanese-style alcoholic beverages to American consumers.
Spahn, as a history major at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
, learned the importance of drinking traditions in East Asian culture as he sampled
rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermentation, fermented from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, where rice is a quintessential staple crop. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch, during wh ...
in China,
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...
, and Japan as part of a program with the
New York Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
. The company seeks to educate American consumers on Japanese sake and spirits using social media initiatives and a branded presence at popular youth-driven events such as
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
.
Products
Awards
Celebrity partnerships
TYKU has a number of celebrity investors. In October 2010, the company announced
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting Tabloid jou ...
as investor and equity partner. In addition, Hilton took on the role of Director of Culture and Trends.
TYKU also announced in March 2012
Patti Stanger
Patricia Stanger (born May 31, 1961) is an American businesswoman, reality television personality, and founder and CEO of matchmaking service Millionaire's Club International. She is known for starring in and producing her own matchmaking reali ...
as an owner and partner. Stanger is also a part of TYKU's day-to-day business, working to extend the brand's exposure. Other investors include
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...
,
Todd English
William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality, based in Boston, Massachusetts. He hosted the TV cooking show, ''Food Trip with Todd English,'' on PBS. In 2005 he was a ...
,
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers (born October 24, 1983) is an American former professional stock car and sports car racing driver. He last drove the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing as an interim driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the i ...
and
Dhani Jones
Dhani Makalani Jones (born February 22, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning All-Big ...
.
In April 2012
Cee Lo Green became an owner and spokesperson for the brand.
References
{{reflist
Sake breweries