Craft Instinct Japan LLC (クラフト・インスティンクト・ジャパン合同会社), operating as C-INNOVA and referred to as “C-INNOVA,” “we,” “us” or “our,” respects your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information through c-innova.co, our communications, our events and our business services.
1. Who is responsible for your information
The business responsible for handling personal information under this policy is:
Craft Instinct Japan LLC (クラフト・インスティンクト・ジャパン合同会社)
Trading as: C-INNOVA
Business address: Okazaki, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1135, Japan
Representative Member: Charles Stewart
Privacy contact: the inquiry form on our website
Website: https://www.c-innova.co
We handle personal information in accordance with Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) and other applicable privacy laws.
2. Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- Contact and professional details: your name, email address, telephone number, company and job title.
- Inquiries and event details: information you provide through our inquiry form, website chat, emails, calls or meetings, such as the service you are interested in, preferred dates, city or venue, guest count, budget range and what you want guests to experience.
- Guest and dietary information: where needed to run a tasting or dinner, guest numbers and any allergies or dietary requirements you choose to share. We use this only to plan and serve that event.
- Engagement and sales information: information needed to prepare proposals, deliver agreed services, sell and deliver beverages under our liquor licences, issue invoices and keep the business and sales records required by law.
- Website information: IP address, browser and device information, pages visited, referral sources and interaction data collected by our website platform or enabled tools.
- Preferences stored on your device: our website remembers your theme, language, cookie choice and progress in the sake glossary in your own browser. This stays on your device and is not sent to us.
We collect information directly from you and, where appropriate and lawful, from clients, event organizers, business contacts, referrals and publicly available business sources. Please avoid sending sensitive personal information unless it is needed for an agreed purpose, such as an allergy that affects what we serve.
3. How we use information
We use personal information to:
- Respond to inquiries and discuss your plans.
- Prepare proposals, enter into agreements and deliver events and tastings, private dinners, tasting support, maker advisory, product development, Japan market and import advisory, touring and related services.
- Coordinate venues, makers, breweries, caterers and other partners needed to deliver an event or project you have requested.
- Sell and deliver beverages, confirm that customers are of legal drinking age, and meet the record-keeping duties that come with our liquor licences.
- Manage contracts, billing, accounting and business records.
- Send relevant updates, event invitations or news where permitted by law, and obtain consent where required.
- Operate, maintain, secure and improve our website, including understanding website use where analytics are enabled.
- Prevent misuse, resolve disputes and meet legal obligations.
We will obtain any additional consent required before using personal information for a purpose beyond the permitted scope of the purposes described above.
4. Cookies and similar technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to support essential functions, such as sending inquiries and remembering your preferences. Where enabled, and only with your consent, we may also use analytics cookies to understand how the site is used. The technologies in use depend on our website platform, integrations and settings.
When you first visit, a cookie notice lets you accept all cookies or keep to essential ones only. You can change your choice at any time, and you can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect website functions.
5. How we share information
We do not sell personal information. We may share it with:
- Service providers supporting website hosting and forms, email, document storage, accounting, payments, delivery and other functions needed to run our business. We select and supervise providers appropriately and require protections suited to the information they handle.
- Event and project partners such as venues, makers, breweries, caterers and support staff, where needed to deliver an event or project you have requested or agreed to. We share only what they need, and obtain consent where required before sharing personal information with an independent third party.
- Professional advisers and public authorities where necessary for legal, tax, accounting or regulatory matters, including liquor licensing, or where disclosure is otherwise required or permitted by law.
- A successor business in connection with a merger, reorganization or transfer of our business, subject to applicable law and appropriate safeguards.
We limit disclosures to information relevant to the purpose. An independent organization receiving information may handle it under its own privacy policy.
6. International handling of information
We work with international clients and brands, and our technology providers, including our website platform, may operate outside Japan. Personal information may therefore be stored, accessed or processed in other countries, where privacy laws may differ.
Before transferring personal data overseas, we meet applicable legal requirements, including providing required information and obtaining consent where necessary, or using another legally permitted transfer arrangement. Where we rely on a recipient maintaining equivalent protective measures, we take the steps required to confirm those measures remain in place. Contact us for further information about overseas handling relevant to your information.
7. Security and retention
We take reasonable organizational, technical and physical measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration and disclosure. Access is limited according to business need. Information about our security measures is available on request, except where disclosure could undermine security or is otherwise restricted by law. No system or method of transmission is completely secure.
We keep personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of ongoing engagements, the record-keeping periods required for tax and liquor sales, and the need to resolve disputes. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it securely or make it no longer identifiable. If a reportable data incident occurs, we will notify the relevant authorities and affected individuals as required by law.
8. Your requests and choices
Subject to applicable law, you may request notification of the purposes for which we use your information, access to retained personal data and relevant third-party disclosure records, correction of inaccurate information, or cessation of use, deletion or cessation of third-party disclosure where the legal conditions are met.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it for future handling, subject to applicable law. You can stop promotional emails by using an unsubscribe option, where provided, or by contacting us. We may still send communications needed for an active engagement or legal obligations.
Send privacy requests or complaints through the inquiry form on our website. We may ask for information reasonably needed to verify your identity or authority to act for someone else. We will respond without undue delay in accordance with applicable law and explain any lawful limits on fulfilling a request. You may also raise concerns with Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission or another competent privacy authority.
9. Other websites, and drinking age
Links to third-party websites, including breweries and shops in our free guides, are provided for convenience. Their operators are responsible for their own privacy practices; please review their policies before providing personal information.
Our events, tastings and beverage sales are for adults of legal drinking age. In Japan, drinking alcohol under the age of 20 is prohibited by law. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Contact us if you believe a child has provided information that should be removed.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in our services, practices or legal requirements. We will publish the updated policy on this page and revise the date above. Where required by law, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before a change takes effect.