One year ago I had finished the first market season of Wander Cat Cola and embarked on a trip to Japan to meet the craft cola community that had initially inspired the business.
When I first tried craft cola a few years prior I had no idea it would become such an important part of my life! But I felt it was the perfect venture to introduce a unique and delicious product to the US that could bring smiles to people. And it was something I personally wanted to exist!
However, a year ago during my Japan craft cola discovery trip, I had not been producing my own bottles yet. I went to different cities in Japan and met the community and was greeted with great kindness. People were so friendly and I received so many bottles of cola. I came home with a suitcase full of them and luckily they all survived the trip back!
I felt bad receiving so much without anything of my own to reciprocate. But the trip was super motivating and really made me feel proud of the flavor I landed on. I worked hard from then to produce bottles of my cola concentrate that people could enjoy at home or share with friends and family. And I promised I would one day bring these bottles back to Japan to share with the community.
I am very grateful for the Western MA Food Processing Center for their help and support in this endeavor. I feel so lucky to be able to lean on the talent and expertise of people who have been working in food production for years and can help me scale my recipe without sacrificing quality.
Wander Cat Cola is now available online and is expanding onto shelves at local shops. Partnering with amazing businesses that I also enjoy shopping at is also a great honor. The greatest part of this journey has been connecting with other people and highlighting the great work they’re doing for their communities. And I hope that Wander Cat Cola can connect people to new places as you find our bottles on shelves.
I am currently in Japan reconnecting with the community and handing out samples of the newly in production Wander Cat Cola. Thank you everyone who has joined the Wander Cat journey so far by either purchasing, following us, or tasting our cola and learning more about it.
Until next time, let’s keep wandering!
