Keiyu Shibata

Studying Food Innovation set Keiyu Shibata on the path to being on the management team of a local distillery, a bold step towards his dream of creating his own spirits.

Originally from Japan, Keiyu came to Lincoln University after a 10-year career in food marketing to study a Master of Science in Food Innovation. He enjoyed the work, but his true dream is to make drinks, not just market them.

He plans to one day open a distillery in his hometown of Aomori, a small city on the tip of Honshu, Japan’s main and largest island. He wants to create products that reflect local heritage with global appeal.

For now, he’s happily working as Marketing Manager at The Spirits Workshop Distillery.

He oversees all marketing for Curiosity Gin and Divergence Whisky and new product development. Working in a local distillery has given him a diverse view of the business and has him involved in all aspects of it.

“What I love about my job is every day is different.

“Sometimes I guide the tasting tours. I’m doing labouring and packaging as well.

“I’m very happy to do all that, because my ambition is to have my own food and beverage company. I assume at that time I’ll have to do all the things by myself. This job is ideal for me to prepare for that.”

Keiyu’s work at Lincoln University tied directly into his job at The Spirits Workshop. He experimented with distilling gin as part of his studies, conducting tasting panels and discovering what qualities people liked best.

“I chose Lincoln for its strong reputation in food and wine studies, and because New Zealand's rich natural environment felt very similar to where I grew up, making it an ideal place for both study and family life.

“Studying at Lincoln gave me lots of great experience, and also great confidence.

“If I didn’t go to Lincoln University, I think I wouldn’t get this job. It’s not only marketing, I need to evaluate the quality of the food as well.

“For me, Lincoln is the ideal place, not only for study, but also for life. I was really new here, but now I have so many friends.

“That kind of connection and relationship is very beautiful to me.”