Steal This Play · Oct 5, 2026
Stop waiting for younger buyers to visit. Go throw a party where they already are
Wonderwerk built a wine brand by showing up inside existing culture instead of asking new drinkers to come to wine on wine's terms. That model is copyable this month with a small budget and no new SKU.
On BevNET's Taste Radio podcast, Wonderwerk co-founder Issamu Kamide described how the brand grew by going where younger consumers already live and breathe, and throwing a party once it got there. Kamide credits culture and community for the brand's traction, and says the team treats consumer behavior as the roadmap for what to make next.
That is the opposite of how most of us operate. We build a beautiful room, set a tasting fee, and wait. Then we wonder why the median age of our guest list keeps climbing.
Here is how I would run this play in the next 60 days.
- Pick one cultural space your future customers are already in that has nothing to do with your category. A record shop, a run club, a skate park, a gallery night, a supper club, a gaming bar, a farmers market DJ set.
- Call the organizer and offer to pour, sponsor, or co-host. Do not ask for a booth. Ask to be part of the thing.
- Bring format that fits the room. Cans, half bottles, a slushie machine, a one-wine pour with a story, not a six-wine flight with spit cups.
- Capture two things only: emails or phone numbers, and photos you can use for a month of content.
- Write down what people asked for that you do not sell. That list is your product roadmap.
A distributor can do this with a portfolio of three brands and a brewery's parking lot. A retail shop can host the run club's finish line. A distillery can sponsor the after-party rather than the event.
Credit to BevNET's Taste Radio and Issamu Kamide for the original conversation.