Create a system to continue building together with fans
I'm Sota Oshima, distilling gin in Fukushima.
This spring,
we're launching "natura club," a co-creative fan club & craft gin subscription service.
It's not just a system to deliver alcohol.
It's an endeavor to build a new future together,
by nurturing relationships where we create and enjoy together,
over a long period of time.
The joy of distillation
Distillation brings new discoveries daily,
making it a profound and fascinating job.
However, what I truly want to do
is not just make alcohol.
This satoyama, where I fell in love and started living.
The plants unique to this land.
The water flowing through this land.
The senses of the people living on this land.
Carefully unearthing these,
editing them into a scent, and delivering it.
natura distill aims to be
the best mechanism for connecting people and nature.
The Correlation Between Relationships and Quality
Since establishing the distillery,
I've clearly felt something.
The people who cultivate botanicals.
The people who make gin.
The people who deliver it.
The people who drink it.
The people who spread the word.
The more people involved,
the more interesting the craftsmanship becomes,
and the quality undeniably improves.
Through this synergy,
the product becomes something deeper.
Fan-based approach
The concept of Fanbase
gave words to this feeling.
Fans are people who
support the values that a company or brand cherishes.
While it's important to attract new people,
it's even more crucial to deepen relationships
with those who are already supporting us.
This accumulation
strengthens the brand
and enriches the craftsmanship.
With Mr. Masayasu Tsuda from Fanbase Company and Mr. Daisuke Takahashi from Higashi no Shoku no Kai
From "Consumer" to "Co-creator"
Recently, we held our first fan meeting.
What struck me was
how many people said, "I want to be more involved."
They wanted to not just drink, but also
choose ingredients, think, and even try their hand at making.
More people than we expected
wanted to co-create with us.
Scenes from the fan meeting
The choice of co-creation
Therefore,
I decided to intentionally increase opportunities for involvement.
The process of making.
The process of thinking.
A part of the decision-making.
Allowing flexibility in the depth of involvement.
Observing from a slight distance,
or working side-by-side, both are important forms of involvement.
When people get involved,
the act of creation becomes many times more interesting.
The natura club system
The natura club is
a system to continuously foster this co-creation.
Gin that expresses seasonal aromas.
Gin that we present to children and the future.
New and special gins created together with participants.
It's not just about delivering,
it's completed through involvement.
By moving back and forth between product and experience,
online and on-site,
we nurture the relationships themselves.
Dissolving boundaries
The creators and the drinkers.
We will slowly dissolve the boundaries that once separated them.
Even a little involvement
changes how a glass tastes.
This experience will eventually spread to others,
expanding and becoming a culture.
We hope to slowly build this up
over several years.
The concept of "region"
We don't often say
"we're doing something for the region."
However,
as people connect through gin,
a flow is generated within the region as a result.
The more people involved,
the more attractive content emerges,
and the local culture gradually deepens.
We want to create a situation where the region also improves long-term
through positive catalysts and
a continuously circulating economy.
Future Delusions
Years from now.
People from Japan and abroad will gather in this small village,
and new scents will be born as they interact with materials and techniques they haven't encountered before.
Those scents will then spread to other places.
Decades from now.
If this system continues to captivate those involved,
both craftsmanship and the region
should be many times more fascinating than they are now.
From the extension of small relationships,
we will surely envision that future.
Even if we who started it are no longer at the center,
this ripple will surely continue to spread.
That's the future I'm envisioning.
The first step
Creating the future of gin and the region together with fans.
2026 is the first term.
To all of you who joined us,
not knowing what would begin,
thank you so much.
Let's have fun together
and create a future of gin and a region yet unseen.
▼Details and application page (Deadline for 1st term: March 31st)
https://naturadistill.com/products/natura-club-2026