SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Japas Cervejaria, a woman-run Japanese-Brazilian brewery founded by Maíra Kimura, Yumi Shimada, and Fernanda Ueno, has tapped advertising executive Tânia Matsuoka to lead the brewery’s business operations which include strategic planning and implementation, performance management, and market research.
“Tânia’s arrival complements and boosts the brand’s plans, reinforcing not only its recognition in the craft beer segment, but also links new company restructuring processes to continue growing on multiple fronts,” says Shimada, co-founder and creative director for Japas.
The Japas team and Matsuoka first became acquainted when the foursome worked on Kurafuto, a Japanese-Brazilian fair based in São Paulo that celebrates the culture of Japanese descendents in Brazil. Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan since Japanese emigration to Brazil in 1908.
Matsuoka has an impressive 14-year career in advertising, having led accounts at acclaimed agencies such as FlagCX Group, and managed brands from Unilever, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and AB-Inbev. As Head of Operations at Japas, Matsuoka will support the company’s strategic planning and management, leveraging Japas’ growth and expansion in Brazil and United States, and explore new markets.
“With this new venture I went from fan to business partner and I am very honored,” says Matsuoka. “In joining the Japas team, there is great responsibility to this incredible team of women, whom I already admire so much, to help Japas achieve its goals.”
With the hiring of their new business partner, Japas maintains the brewery’s leadership structure of being run entirely by women of Japanese descent, an intentional move to affirm the company’s focus on female representation and diversity.
“We know the importance of having diversity rooted in our essence,” says Kimura, who serves as co-founder, brewmaster, and business strategist for Japas. “Our story will only make sense if we grow our team by adding unique skill sets and experiences.”
To welcome Japas’ newest business partner, the brewery is working on Kamakura Maru, a new brand from the Maru series which honors the ship that brought Matsuoka’s family from Japan to Brazil. This beer will make its way to Brazil first and then make a splash in select markets in the United States.
“Since our first partnership with Tania, we saw that we had more than a working synergy, but we shared the same values ??of empathy and respect, premises of our working relationships,” says Ueno, co-founder, brewmaster and quality director at Japas.
Note about the term Japas: Japas is slang for those of Japanese descent. While the term is permissible to some, Japas co-founders are clear that the term should only be used when given permission or in reference to the brewery. In harnessing the word and bringing it into the brand, the women of Japas are ressignifying and reappropriating “Japas” to showcase their pride in their origins and mixed cultures and translating that directly into their beer.
About Japas Cervejaria
Japas Cervejaria is a woman-run, Japanese-Brazilian brewery based in Brazil. Founded in 2014 by Maíra Kimura, Yumi Simada and Fernanda Ueno, each of their creations is the result of a dive into their ancestry. This amalgamation of beer and history is rich in aromas, flavors and culture, with recipes that celebrate the union between Brazil and Japan in a contemporary way, without clichés or pre-established ideas.
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