Meet Brenna Turner and Joey Labes | Sake High! Cofounders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meet Brenna Turner and Joey Labes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brenna & Joey, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
The food and beverage space is highly competitive. We’re fortunate to have incredible partners and retailers that took a chance on us from the beginning as an up and coming brand. Shoutout to our first two stores – Simon’s Market & Provisions in Venice and Fancy Free Liquor in Burbank!

The industry is dominated by big brands with lots of money taking up all the real estate in grocery stores and liquor stores. It’s nearly impossible for emerging brands to compete with limited resources, less sales reps, and significantly smaller marketing budgets.

Give new brands a chance! Whether it’s Sake High! or other small and local companies (like our friends at Gourmais!), every purchase means the world to us! Young companies like ours don’t have the resources to be in every store, but if you have a favorite store and want to see Sake High! in it, tell the store manager and reach out to us! It makes a HUGE difference, and every Sake High! purchased helps continue our mission at Sake High! to spread love and inclusivity all while drinking sake.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In a world of big brands and a particularly saturated beverage space, Sake High! is a unique, fun, and high quality alcohol option new to the market. Sake High! is a premium junmai sake, available in single served cans and wine sized bottles. We are all about love, community, and intention. Drinking sake is a truly unique feeling, and we want to share that with all of you. It’s about sharing, celebrating, and creating new memories with friends. Our sake is hand crafted, small batched, and brewed in Japan, using the highest quality ingredients local to Kyoto. Being new to the alcohol industry, we came into this space with a vision and not much else. We wanted to create a unique drink for the US market, but had no idea what that entailed. Luckily, we had amazing partners and mentors like Elenita Sparkling Mezcal, Bev Wine, Nectar Hard Setlzer, and Bomani Cold Buzz who taught us the ins and outs of everything from compliance, co packing, and sourcing our cans. After nearly a year and a half of ups and downs, failed plans, and delayed shipments, we finally got Sake High! cans and bottles into California stores and restaurants inJanuary 2022.

One of the hardest parts about starting this business has been learning how to handle rejection with resilience. Whether it’s a failed investor call, a retailer denying our product, or even a customer saying they would never buy Sake High!, we don’t get discouraged. In the beverage industry, we have learned that no never truly means no. Sometimes it takes two, three, even ten visits with a retailer to convince them to give us a shot on their shelves and menus. We’ve also learned how to put ourselves out there. There’s a lot we still don’t know about this industry, but if you know us, you know we aren’t shy! We’re not afraid to seek out people who know the answers. We introduce ourselves to strangers and put ourselves on the line to learn the ins and outs of this industry.

Most importantly, as co founders that are also in a relationship, we have experienced the ups and downs, andjoys and stresses of running a business together. There’s no magic answer to the tough days, but it all comes down to loving each other and supporting each other every step of the way… and oftentimes, a tough day calls for an ice cold Sake High! Sake High! is all about love and community. We founded Sake High! to be that intentional drink people have at life’s best moments. With that, we hope you too are learning, sharing, and creating new experiences when drinking Sake High!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anyone that knows us knows we LOVE food. Luckily for us, LA is a city filled with diverse neighborhoods, cuisines, and experiences. We love taking people on our Brenna + Joey Taco tour. Our first stop is always at ​​Mariscos Jalisco ft. the best aguachile! Some of our other favorite taco spots – Burritos La Palma, Brothers Cousins Tacos, La Fortaleza Food Truck, Teddy’s Red Tacos (the best morning cure after a long night out)!

A great way to explore the coast is hiking in Malibu, lobster rolls and oysters at Broad Street Oyster at the Malibu Country Mart which we first discovered as an oyster shucking stand in Santa Barbara.

And last but not least, we would always show our friends where Sake High! is sold, giving them insight into our business. From brunch at Croft Alley, an incredible meal at kodō in the arts district or Good Clean Fun DTLA, hanging on the beach at Venice Ale House, and ending our night at Roosterfish on Abbot Kinney, our friends and visitors are never short stocked on Sake High!.

But it’s not a true visit to see Brenna + Joey without a Sunday family feast that usually includes us using at least two of our four different types of grills and smokers. Be prepared for new and unique Sake High! cocktails paired with whatever meats and fish Joey’s been dreaming about all week (whatever he’s cooking, it’s guaranteed he cooks for double the amount of people). Your glass and plate will never be empty!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our shoutout is to our friends and family. Without their love and support, we never would have been able to create a beverage or a brand that centers on sharing and community. And of course, shoutout to Pine Lake Elementary School in our hometown of Detroit, Michigan, where it all started when we first met each other in 2000.

Website: https://sakehigh.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinksakehigh/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinksakehigh/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinksakehigh/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jef4f7h5ltg