SakeMico

Izumi Tezuka, co-founder of SakeMico is half Japanese, half American, born in Sintra Portugal. She is a Certified Sake Sommelier with 15+ years experience working in Japanese Izakaya style restaurants. She has had the priviledge of working alongside some of the most reknown figures in the industry through the sake boom in NYC. She relocated to Portugal in 2014 where she started a sake import and distribution business with her husband Francis Portillo.
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Francis Portillo is from El Salvador and has  spent over 10 years working in Japanese Kitchens of NYC. He  also specializes in Izakaya style plates as well as Yakiniku,( Japanese style BBQ.)  He and Izumi met in NYC and now as business partners, create delicious pairings for premium Japanese Sake for a variety of events as well as at SakeMico Tasting Room.

Ana Sarmento is our Portuguese Representative and  Business Development Manager. She has a strong background in international business and sales.

Consultants

António Tiago Rocha Pereira is the beverage manager at Bonsai, Lisbon's oldest Japanese Restaurant. António is a Certified Sake Sommelier. His passion and knowledge for the technical and artisinal aspect of sake making is extensive. António has been very involved in expanding SakeMico's reach.

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Joel Marques is the bar manager of Go Juu. He is an advanced level Sake Sommelier with a long background in hospitality.   From the inception of SakeMico, he has been a great supporter,  representative and contributing sales person. He continues to be a key player in SakeMico's growth.

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