Founding Story

    Marcus Bender, once known in the 1970s as the “Silken Prince” for his retail collection of classic “aloha shirts” and hand-made leather goods, is now a Beverage King.  He’s been in the beverage world for 40 years. His involvement started in 1981 when he became the exclusive importer of Hinano Tahitian beer to Hawaii.  After purchasing Hansen Natural Beverages and selling it three years later, he remained on the Board of Directors for another three years. Marcus founded Hawaiian Springs Water, the first natural bottled water, from his Keaau property on Hawaii Island in 1992.  However, he wasn’t done with beer. In 2001, the opportunity to purchase Brew Moon, a 300-seat microbrewery restaurant, was in the stars.  
     During this time, Marcus took regular trips to Vietnam, with the first visit being impromptu after the country had opened to tourism in 1997. “It was just an adventure. A friend of mine and I were in Bangkok, and tourism in Vietnam just opened up. So we went to the Vietnamese Consulate to get a visa and then went to Ho Chi Minh City to have a look.”  Return trips a few times a year were a combination of work, as he looked to expand existing brands like Hansen’s Soda and as a way to explore the world. 
     During these visits, particularly to the country’s North, Marcus learned a cultural practice that would shape KAI Vodka. “What I learned in going to Vietnam over the years is that rice vodka is a staple beverage. It has a long history in Vietnam and strong consumption,” he recalled. “When I  went through these villages with the village chief and visited many, many homes, every one of them was making their own vodka, their own rượu đế ,” he added.  
     The traditional rượu đế production process involves fermenting and then distilling rice. Marcus explained, “People went out into the forest to forage for different herbs and different things that they use to create the fermentation starter.”  
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Development of KAI Vodka
       KAI vodka’s journey began in 2005. At that time, 90-95% of vodka produced in the West was made from wheat. Marcus saw an opportunity to differentiate KAI vodka by using rice, a staple in Vietnam, where rice vodka [and rượu đế] are popular beverages. “One of the guys that I knew from the Big Island, Peter Allen, came to see me with a bottle of vodka. He said, ‘I was over in Vietnam, met these people, and was talking about you. They’d like to meet you, and I brought you some of their product,’” recalled Marcus.  While a partnership with the distiller Allen procured did not work out, understanding rice vodka’s taste potential and having pre-existing background knowledge of Vietnam’s resources and drinking culture spurred the idea of finding a viable rice vodka producer. The search proved successful. Marcus found a partner and developed proprietary distillation and filtration techniques to create a product appealing to the American market.
    Then, in 2005, inspired by the potential to create the first ultra-premium rice-based vodka from Asia, bring a rượu-inspired spirit to Western consumers, and cater to a female-centric market, Marcus launched KAI vodka with the support of a University of Hawaii Executive MBA cohort in the 2005-2006 school year.

Brand Name and Bottle Development
“It’s a long, long story,” said Marcus. 
         Market research shared by Marcus’s friend and beverage industry veteran, Jim Stevens, revealed that women represented over 50% of vodka consumption in the early 2000s. This insight influenced the strategic direction of bottle design, product concept, and the marketing strategy of emphasizing novelty, mystique, and gluten-free ingredients.  However, the brand needed a name. 
     Through various business ventures, Marcus regularly collaborated with the Shidler School of Entrepreneurship by providing internship opportunities. He recalls five students of different cultural backgrounds working on the project during the 2005–2006 school year. “For a semester, we would meet. I got all switched on to the name KAI because it had many meanings in different languages, like ‘ocean water’ [in Hawaiian and Japanese]. I thought this was a wonderful way to market and present the product. I was also a big fan of using the kanji symbol for KAI because it looked very Asian.” However, insight from Stevens swayed Marcus to use the name “KAI” but go in a different direction with the brand visuals because of a “myriad of different reasons.” Marcus explained, “I shared what I was doing, and Jim said: ‘First of all, it’s an exciting idea, but I don’t like your idea of using a kanji symbol because some people will think it is sake.’”
     This feedback led Marcus to work with a San Francisco-based design firm that was already assisting Stevens with his winery in Healdsburg, California. The firm  created a dozen logos for KAI and different-shaped bottles. While the process produced desirable results, sourcing bottles from Mexico or the United States was prohibitive due to order minimums, and making the chosen bottle design was challenging.
     Marcus explained, “Bottles are round cylinders, and designing something with a concave aspect and keeping the glass thickness constant from the face up to the neck with a cartouche (imprinted lettering) is very challenging. The companies I contacted were all in China because bottles from Mexico or the US, in quantities suitable for a start-up business, were impossible. After numerous efforts, [including] having sample bottles made in Italy and sent to Vietnam, I contacted a company in the US that specialized in testing glass (for the reasons glass would fail). They recommended a consultant, Tom Sooy, who had recently retired as the head of R&D for a major glass production company. I met him in Los Angeles and hired him to visit the factory in China and teach the people at the factory how to make this bottle. He went there for me a few times and spent at least a month on one visit.”

Brand Launch
   KAI Vodka and KAI Lychee Vodka debuted in Hawaii in 2007 with Gold Medals and Best in Show distinctions. The concept behind launching the lychee was two-fold. Flavor vodka was relatively new, and Lychee martinis were trending in Hawaii. “I tried to do something Pan-Asian. The lychee was a well-known fruit that tasted great, and lychee martinis were trending in Hawaii,” said Marcus. 
   In 2009, Amy joined the KAI Vodka team. She recalls, “I had worked at Brew Moon during college, then worked in the IT/Process Improvement Department at Hawaiian Airlines after graduating with an Accounting Degree.  At that time, my father needed additional support in the office, so I went to work with him, learned the ropes, and discovered the apple had not fallen far from the tree – I was more like my dad than I realized.  What I mean by that is my father has sales in his blood, and I discovered that the same drive is in my genes.  I oversaw national account activations at the likes of Nobu and Benihana’s Ra Sushi and first sold KAI Lychee into Safeway with a visit to their Pleasanton, CA offices.  There’s nothing more satisfying than working for something you have a vested interest in, and that happens to be a FUN proposition too!”

The addition of new flavors
   The vodka’s flavor proposition was a significant factor in the increased focus on KAI.  “Vodka, by definition, is not supposed to have any taste, smell, or aroma. At the time, I had Brew Moon [brewpub], and I used to blind taste-test people [on different popular vodkas]. Nine out of 10 people would pick KAI as the best product, so that REALLY motivated me because I was thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve got something really good.’”
     In addition to the great-tasting vodka, the concurrently launched KAI Lychee Vodka was a hit.   “Lychee has been our trademark, so to speak, ever since, and KAI is found across the globe,” said Amy.” 
    “The lychee is outselling the plain vodka three-to-one. That’s when we realized our niche should be unique Pan-Asian flavors,” added Marcus. 
     In 2011, new Southeast Asian-inspired KAI and shochu/soju flavors were added to the line-up.  The soju/shochu nomenclature, instead of calling it a “liqueur,” was chosen because “it is an Asian term, and soju has higher consumption within Kai’s target demographic; it was a point of difference; and it can be sold in California to wine and beer licensees if under 25% ABV”, Marcus explained.
  Then, in 2013, due to the brand’s success, Marcus received the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the Shidler College of Business Executive MBA in Vietnam.
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Addition of Ready-to-Drink Vodka Soda 
     In a natural product line extension aligned with consumer demands, KAI Vodka-Soda was launched in 2024. “In the spirit (no pun intended) of lower-alcohol beverage enjoyment, it only made sense that we continue our journey downward in ABV from vodka in 2005 to shochu/soju in 2011 to vodka soda “ready to drink” almost 20 years later,” said Amy.  To keep with the brand’s origins, KAI Vodka Soda is a vodka-based cocktail and not a malt-based seltzer. “We stayed true and pure to the Kai Spirits category,” Amy added.  
     The product is available in slim 12 oz 4-pack cans. Amy noted, “In a crowded field, you have to have something on the shelf that looks right and will get people’s attention. We designed this to create something very luxurious.  We packaged our slim 12oz cans as a sleek 4-pack so curious consumers can easily try all of the Kai Vodka Sodas.  For me, a variety pack has diminishing returns, where I start with my favorite flavor but have to end with my least favorite flavor,” said Amy.
     The introduction of KAI Vodka Soda has morphed the brand from a primarily on-premise experience at places like the Wynn and Encore in Las Vegas and Duke’s Waikiki in Hawaii to a brand that now tips the scales more heavily to retail.  “Even so, KAI Lychee is our number one seller!” exclaimed Amy.  “KAI Lychee (70 Proof) and now KAI Lychee Vodka Soda are consistently the most popular.  KAI Lychee Vodka Soda won Best in Show in the 2024 TAG Spirits Awards,” she added.  

​Approach to Distilling

Ingredients: Rice harvested in the Mekong Delta. 
      In the style of rượu đế, rice used for vodka production does not undergo malting but uses microbial-produced exogenous enzymes.  This absence of mating results in a lack of bitter compounds typically produced from the Maillard and caramelization reactions that form during the malting process.  “Rice is a dietary staple in Vietnam and considered a gift from God in Vietnamese culture. Similarly, it is a beloved staple here at home in Hawaii! said Amy.”

Distillation Process
Distilled five times to a minimum of 95% Alcohol by Volume.

Approach to Flavors
Beyond having flavors that are ubiquitous in Southeast Asian cuisine, the intent was to: 

• Simplify the bartending experience:  KAI Spirits utilizes many flavors that require extraction with water or alcohol to turn it into a liquid flavoring for cocktails. “By doing the pre-production work, we provide professional and at-home bartenders a consistent and easy-to-use product,” said Amy. “Our vodka-soda makes this even easier,” she added.
• Provide Flavor Diversity: “My theory, and it’s proven to be correct to some degree depending on the location, is to have a lineup of products that gives the on-premise and the retailers a choice on how to use our product. We are contacted by people all the time, asking, ‘Where can I find this?’ It’s not easy to sell six products to a distributor, so a lot of times it’s challenging,” said Marcus.

Kai Vodka

750ml/ 40% ABV/ $34.99 SRP

​​KAI Vodka
​Flavor notes:
Beautiful premium rice vodka. Naturally sweet, sake-like finish with good acidity. Excellent straight or mixed.​

KAI Lychee
​Flavor notes:
KAI Lychee was launched when Lychee martinis were trending. Kai Lychee’s benefit, to the on-premise said Marcus is: “A consistent, great lychee martini.”​

KAI Coconut Pandan
Flavor notes:
Made with real coconut water from young coconuts and the exotic fragrance of pandan, a newly trending flavor in the continental United States, and a culinary staple in Southeast Asia and Hawaii.  “We were ahead of our time with Pandan.  We liken it to an Asian Vanilla, with nutty creaminess,” said Amy.

KAI Lemongrass
​Lemongrass is a flavor synonymous with Southeast Asia and reminiscent of its tropical origins. This foodie favorite’s crisp, bright, herbaceous twist on citrus is often enjoyed in soothing teas.

Kai Shochu/Soju

​750 ml/ 24% ABV/ $34.99 SRP

KAI Lemongrass-Ginger
​Shochu/Soju
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Lemongrass and ginger are a classic Southeast Asian pairing. “To make the soju more ready-to-drink and create a perfectly balanced and versatile blend, we added ginger. This unites lemongrass’ cool, bright, herbaceous citrus to meld seamlessly with ginger’s warm, zesty, invigorating spice and healthful qualities. Our vodka soda is a refreshing experience and a natural extension of this concept,” said Amy.

KAI Young Coconut
​Shochu/Soju

​Flavor notes:
Made for discerning palates with real coconut water from young coconuts, it also offers electrolytes. “Because the soju is less alcoholic, we just used the coconut water to give the young coconut character,” said Marcus.

Kai Vodka Soda

4-pk 12oz/ 4.7% ABV/ $14.99 SRP

KAI Lemongrass-Ginger
Vodka Soda
Lemongrass and ginger are a classic Southeast Asian pairing. “To make the soju more ready-to-drink and create a perfectly balanced and versatile blend, we added ginger. This unites lemongrass’ cool, bright, herbaceous citrus to meld seamlessly with ginger’s warm, zesty, invigorating spice and healthful qualities. Our vodka soda is a refreshing experience and a natural extension of this concept,” said Amy.​

KAI Lychee
​Vodka Soda

Lychee, sometimes called lychee nut because of its large, shiny seed, is a juicy, succulent fruit encased in a rough, red exterior. Beneath this shell lies soft, white flesh. This tropical gem bursts with decadent natural sweetness and a richly floral aroma, featuring enchanting notes of rose and subtle hints of chocolate, making it an exotic delight.

​KAI Tamarind
​Vodka Soda

​Tamarind is a sweet-sour fruit with a texture similar to a date. Some liken tamarind flavor to lemonade, sweet with a touch of tanginess. An exotic fruit found around the world with origins in Africa. “Although it’s popular in Asia, it’s also well known to the Hispanic community,” said Amy.

KAI Watermelon
​Vodka Soda
Watermelon juice is sweet and refreshing. The succulent ripe fruit provides a honey-like, sugary flavor with high water content for hydration. “The Watermelon is so fragrant, and that beautiful aromatic experience is also what makes the Lychee so lovely,” said Amy.