Hakutsuru.

Hakutsuru has brewed sake in Nada since 1743, but its previous global homepage did not make that legacy easy for a new international visitor to understand. It relied on visual shorthand that would be familiar in Japan without clearly showing what Hakutsuru makes, how craft and place shape its sake, or where the products might fit into everyday life.

The challenge was not simply to modernize the site. It was to preserve Hakutsuru's history and Japanese identity while giving people outside Japan enough context to choose, buy, serve, and enjoy its sake.

I have worked with Hakutsuru through Global Food Pro since 2018. I led the global website redesign and continue to develop photography and content for markets outside Japan.

The redesigned homepage begins with nature and craft, then connects sake with people, hospitality, food, and contemporary drinking occasions. Images of sake served in wine glasses or mixed into cocktails make a quiet but important point: it can sit beside many kinds of food and fit into more than one kind of lifestyle.

That story is supported by practical paths through the site. Visitors can explore the portfolio, use a taste-based Sake Finder, find a nearby retailer or restaurant, and move from general interest toward a specific bottle. Product information is organized around flavor, serving, and pairing rather than assuming prior knowledge of Japanese classifications.

The Sake Guide answers the questions a newcomer is likely to have, including how sake is made, the major types, serving styles, and etiquette. It works as a customer resource while giving the site useful, search-friendly answers to common questions about the category.

The recipe section broadens the same idea. Food pairings include dishes beyond Japanese cuisine, while cocktail recipes show that sake can be mixed as well as served on its own. Photography of products, landscapes, pairings, cocktails, and shared moments ties the history of the brand to recognizable ways of enjoying it now.

The work has continued beyond the redesign. Since 2018, the relationship has covered website and content strategy, new products, recipes, and global brand photography.

The new site gives visitors both context and a next step. They can understand Hakutsuru's legacy, learn enough about sake to make a choice, find a bottle, and see how it might belong at their own table, not only beside sushi.

See more of the image-making side of the relationship on the Photography page.