Overview: Food & Wine has named Monica Samuels, president of Komé Collective, its 2026 Drinks Ambassador of the Year. The recognition highlights her two decades of leadership in expanding sake’s reach and transforming how Americans understand premium Japanese beverages. Her work challenges perceptions and shapes the future of the category within the American market.
The Full Story
The announcement comes from Sausalito, Calif., where Komé Collective operates as a division of Vine Connections. Samuels began her career in 2002 during a period when sake faced fundamental challenges in the United States. Often associated with inexpensive hot pours and sake bombs, Japan’s centuries-old beverage tradition had yet to find a meaningful place in mainstream American drinking culture. She identified potential for complexity, versatility, and cultural richness to stand alongside the world’s great wines and spirits.
Samuels took a different approach to education by introducing sake through familiar flavors and experiences rather than leading with production methods. This strategy gave sommeliers, retailers, and consumers an accessible way to explore sake while honoring the craftsmanship behind it. Her commitment to connecting American audiences directly with Japanese brewers has helped establish Komé Collective as a leading force in the U.S. market. Today, the company represents over 18 Japanese breweries with distribution across all 50 states, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean, accounting for approximately 22% of premium sake imported into the United States.
Beyond commercial growth, Samuels has championed greater visibility for Japanese producers, particularly women whose contributions have historically received less recognition. Komé Collective now represents more women-led sake breweries than any other U.S. importer. She has also worked closely with brewery partners to navigate rising freight costs, currency fluctuations, rice shortages, and changing trade conditions, helping sustain the relationships and traditions at the heart of the business.
Brand & Industry History
Raised in a bilingual household in Los Angeles, where she spoke Japanese at home and spent summers with her grandparents in Japan, Samuels has spent much of her life bridging Japanese and American cultures. That perspective shaped her career and commitment to introducing American audiences to the people and traditions behind sake. Previously named a Sake Samurai in 2017 and recognized among Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers in 2014, she continues to advocate for a future in which sake is not simply better understood, but an everyday part of American drinking culture.
What This Means
Despite sake’s growing presence in the United States, Samuels believes the category has only begun to realize its potential. She told Food & Wine that sake deserves to be a billion-dollar industry and envisions it as a natural part of American drinking culture, enjoyed at home alongside wine, paired with everyday meals, or shared casually with friends. Her vision depends on collaboration across the industry, noting that if there’s ever been an example of a rising tide that lifts all ships, that should be sake.
Consumer Takeaway
This recognition underscores the availability of premium Japanese beverages through Komé Collective, which represents more women-led sake breweries than any other U.S. importer. The award validates the shift toward understanding sake as a complex beverage rather than a novelty, offering consumers access to traditional and cutting-edge producers across all 50 states.
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