Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Erika Haigh, founder of Mai Sake. Erika talks us through her career to date, including how her work in wine led her to discover her true passion for sake, and how she went from opening London's first dedicated sake bar to setting up a boutique fine sake merchant. A true sake educator, Erika tells us about her training, both within and outside of the classroom, helps us to bust some sake myths, and reflects on her role as a representative of Japanese culture more broadly. You'll also hear about her recent TV appearances, her love of travel, how she stays grounded outside of work, and more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On running a small business: "Primarily, I do think it really revolves around human relationships. I think it's about cultivating and nurturing relationships I have. Whether… it's with those producers in Japan or it's with the beverage buyers or sommeliers in the restaurants I partner with or it's my team… I do think a lot of it is relationship building is really what I do." On helping people through hospitality: "I do think the world of food and beverage is about brightening people's day to day" On finding and following her passion: "I had a few things happen that led me to realise that you only live one life, why not make your passion into a job… I thought why not just make something I love into something I dedicate myself to day to day. So I started off in the world of wine, but quickly transitioned to sake when I really felt that I could make an impact with my background." On opening a sake bar: "You really could not find a place like a wine bar or a pub for a pint of beer that you could go to very casually to enjoy sake. Of course, there has been sake in the UK for a decade or two, but it was purely in Japanese restaurants or somewhere very premium perhaps. You know, there wasn't this casual offering that people could just rock up to and have a glass of sake, so that is truly what I wanted to open." On being a small business owner: "I think every single business owner – regardless of whether they're in hospitality or not – will tell you that every single day is filled with challenges, but it's truly about how you tackle those challenges and just knowing that everything you can figure out. Or at least having that confidence… that's what's key." On the importance of education: "I think it's just basic human nature that you don't really want to approach something that you don't really know much about. You don't want to seem foolish… And especially in the UK where there are so many other drinks available, why would you seek out sake. So with that, I think education comes first and foremost, [on] how delicious these drinks are and also how varied the world of sake is." On representing Japanese culture beyond sake: "It's always great for me to travel and its wonderful for me to be able to eat these things and go to this location, but it if stops with me, I feel like that would be quite a shame. So, yes, I do like to chat about the sake, but I always involve an element of something about the culture or the history, as well." On combining her love of running and travel: "I love travelling after booking a running race. It also keeps me very responsible, let's say, because the days leading up to the race, I can't drink as much. And then I get to overindulge after the race because, you know, we're celebrating. So it keeps me in check. But again, you see more of the city and you just have this sense of accomplishment… so it adds to the fun of travelling there, as well." Links & things: What we're drinking: EIKUNholic sake Where Erika's worked: Co-founder of MotoLDN Founder of Mai Sake Where you can catch Erika on TV: Sunday Brunch Sake education options: WSET sake education SSI International Kikisake-shi certification Sake Sommelier Association Mai Sake 'Mai Traveller' newsletter: Sign up here! Podcast recc: Sake on Air Book recc: Hooked by Asako Yuzuki Recording info: April 2026 in London Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
