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Elliot Faber
Co-Founder - Author - Beverage Consultant - Sake Samurai - Wine Sommelier - WSET Educator for Wine & Sake
Professional Background
Elliot Faber stands as a luminary in the beverage industry, most notably as the founding Beverage Director at Yardbird Hong Kong since its inception in 2011 and at RŌNIN from 2013. His passion for the world of drinks led him to create Sunday’s Distribution, based in Hong Kong, and The Kura Collective in Japan, both dedicated to offering a meticulously curated selection of fine wines, premium sakes, and innovative spirits.
In 2017, Elliot co-founded One Cup Concepts, home to Sake Central, a multifunctional retail and dining bar that aspires to deepen the understanding of Japanese culinary and beverage culture for enthusiasts worldwide. The concept quickly resonated with both locals and tourists alike, becoming a hub for those seeking authentic Japanese dining experiences.
In 2019, he also launched SAKETEN, a unique retail and bar concept that further celebrates the rich tapestry of Japanese beverages. Following this success, in 2021, Elliot introduced AWA AWA, an Okinawa Restaurant & Bar that invites diners to explore the distinct flavors of Awamori, alongside the diverse culinary influences that characterize Okinawan cuisine.
Elliot's entrepreneurial spirit continues to shine through his co-founding of Sunday’s Spirits in 2018, an independent brand dedicated to crafting high-quality Japanese alcoholic beverages, including sake, shochu, and whisky through collaborative projects with various esteemed producers.
Education and Achievements
Elliot Faber’s academic and professional journey is marked by significant educational milestones. He has honed his expertise in wine and sake as a student at the Court of Master Sommeliers, and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, where he also trained as an educator in sake and wine. Elliot's foundational education also included studies at The University of Calgary, which played a crucial role in developing his early understanding of food and beverage dynamics.
His industry accolades are impressive, including his role as a Decanter Magazine Wine Judge and an IWC Sake Judge. As a Certified Sommelier and Advanced Sake Professional, he has established himself as a prominent figure in the global beverage community. Elliot's consulting prowess extends to Zachys Wine Auctions as a Senior Whisky Advisor and contributions to esteemed publications like The Court of Master Sommeliers and JamesSuckling.com.
Elliot takes pride in his co-authorship of the acclaimed book 'SAKE: The History, Stories and Craft of Japan’s Artisanal Breweries', which attained a sell-out status upon its release in 2015, with a reprint scheduled for summer 2021. His remarkable contributions to the field were recognized when he received the prestigious 'Sake Samurai' award in October 2016, an esteemed honor from the Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior Council, awarded to only a select group since its creation in 2005.
Elliot has also been instrumental in consulting for diverse ventures, encompassing a broad range of projects that include the luxurious Mizumi restaurant at the WYNN hotel in Las Vegas to international high-profile brand events for renowned names such as Prada and Chloé. His expertise in sourcing and delivering authentic sake experiences has made him a sought-after consultant across the globe—from Seychelles to Sardinia, and Tokyo to Toronto.
Notable Contributions
Elliot's entrepreneurial innovations continued to flourish, with the co-founding of HATCH in 2021, an acceleration and incubation platform designed specifically for chefs, beverage brands, and culinary concepts. This creative space hosts a canning line for ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages and a comprehensive production kitchen, enabling various pop-up events and community initiatives, as well as operating a Diner + Bodega during regular hours.
Moreover, in 2021, Elliot assumed the role of product consultant for SAKΞ, heralded as the world’s first tokenized sake available exclusively through the Sushi Swap platform. This forward-thinking project underscores Elliot's commitment to innovation in the beverage industry, seamless integration of technology, and the continued evolution of how consumers engage with traditional beverage experiences.
Elliot Faber's journey through the beverage landscape showcases not only a remarkable career marked by numerous successful ventures and partnerships but also a dedication to promoting the understanding and appreciation of sake and other Japanese beverages. His integrative approach, combining traditional knowledge with modern practices, sets a standard for future industry leaders and enthusiasts alike.
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
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Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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