Suchit Majmudar of Sunday's Spirits
In this month’s Closet Confidential, Culture & Style Editor ANNIE BLOJ interviews Suchit Majmudar at home. Suchit wears clothing from his closet and talks about his new brand Sunday’s Spirits.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
Suchit Majmudar of Sunday’s Spirits at home with his wife Reena
Annie Bloj: Last year, I had no idea how fortunate I was to sit next to Suchit Majmudar at a dinner celebrating the recent appointment of Nora Abrams to Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA). Small talk quickly revealed that we had many shared experiences, including working at J. Crew at the same time. Suchit is endlessly inquisitive about the world, business, and culture; his choices reflect his personality. He hasn't taken a linear path, and that's what makes speaking with him so fascinating.
Growing up as an Indian-American with an unfamiliar name and visiting India often with your family must have given you a unique worldview. How did that shape your identity as you were evolving into the man you are today?
Suchit Majmudar: I think the keyword here is “evolving”. That's perhaps the most important aspect of growing up in a multicultural environment. My Indian heritage was an embarrassment to me as a younger child. The hard-to-pronounce name, the unrecognizable food, a misunderstood religion (despite Hindus being 15% of the world's population), and the cultural stereotypes. All of these things took me further away from the “ideal” childhood of baseball, skateboarding and trying to fit in.
Now, however, I couldn't be prouder to be both Indian and American, a true evolution from how I thought as a kid. Being ethnically Indian while also born an American has taught me to be adaptable, more clearly explain this unique heritage to my daughters, and to take pride in what both of my cultures have contributed to the world.
I have a tremendous amount of empathy for the way others are treated because of how they look, where they are from, or the religion they do or don’t practice. I believe this inherent empathy is something that we've lost in our current politicized existence - civility and empathy are attributes we all ought to believe in and fight for, regardless of our political affiliation or where we come from.
“ I couldn’t be prouder to be both Indian and American, a true evolution from how I thought as a kid. Being ethnically Indian while also born an American has taught me to be adaptable, more clearly explain this unique heritage to my daughters, and to take pride in what both of my cultures have contributed to the world.”
AB: You started your career in finance, working with two firms initially, including Goldman Sachs. After completing your MBA at Harvard, you took a position as an associate merchant at J. Crew. What prompted this move into retail?
SM: In between my first and second year in graduate school, I read an article in The New York Times about an entrepreneur in the retail industry, Sam Ben-Avraham. He piqued my interest, so I drove from Boston to New York and knocked on his door in the Meatpacking District (literally). Sam is one of the sharpest business people I've come across - he has had success in multiple facets of the retail industry, is an astute investor, and always has his finger on the pulse of what's next (two of his more recent projects are Kith and Aimé Leon Dore). I was inspired by him to try to do something off the typical MBA path.
Getting a job as a merchant wasn't the easiest thing for an MBA student with a background in investment banking and private equity. I ended up sending a cold e-mail to Mickey Drexler, who was the CEO of J.Crew at the time. He called me that very evening and said, "Hi - this is Mickey Drexler. You e-mailed me earlier today. You've got ten minutes to convince me that you're not full of s-it and that you want a job at J.Crew." That was the beginning of multiple interviews and trips to New York, finally culminating with a job offer after doing a nerve-racking walkthrough of J.Crew's flagship location with their president.
AB: You've had a successful, multi-faceted career in retail. What about that business category was a good fit for you?
SM: Ultimately, being in retail or almost any other business-to-consumer field is about creating and providing a product or service that delights customers. If you can figure out how to delight your customers with a high degree of certainty, you'll be able to optimize other things over time such as increasing profitability, having an outsized positive impact on your entire community and replicating your success in adjacent categories. When you hear someone speak passionately about how much they love what you are doing for them, it's tremendously gratifying.
AB: Many industry insiders, consumers, and analysts wonder what the future of retail will look like post-2020. What are your thoughts on the consumer experience, brand transparency, and lasting changes?
SM: The retail industry is intrinsically linked to so many of these recent societal changes that we're witnessing. However, 2022 will be more similar to 2019 than different. I think e-commerce will continue to grow, and the pressure to offer convenience and real-time communication and customer service will increase. I liked this quote from Frederic Court, who founded Felix Capital: "Every pain point is a reduction to revenue." So, while businesses need to eliminate pain points, they also have the opportunity to operate physical locations that focus on convenience and a differentiated customer experience.
Ultimately, business fundamentals matter now more than ever: product superiority or differentiation; a commitment to consistently investing in technology; creating a sustainable, engaged community; doing right by all stakeholders, with a priority toward employees and customers, not just investors and brand "activism" with substance and action.
AB: What brought you and your family to Denver?
SM: Mike Tattersfield, my former boss who was the COO at lululemon, turned around a company called Caribou Coffee and partnered with JAB, a privately-held investment company, to make large investments in the coffee, bakery, and restaurant industries. Mike asked me to help him execute his vision, and that led us to Denver.
After living in several cities (New York, Chicago, Boston, Vancouver, and Houston), we are blessed and proud to call Denver home. The genuine people, natural beauty, the normalcy of a healthy lifestyle, and a growing commitment to diversity are all reasons we are happy here.
AB: You joined the board of the MCA Denver in January 2019. What called you to get involved, and what have been some of the highlights of your experience?
SM: My wife Reena and I began visiting the MCA in 2016 and had the opportunity to meet some of the museum’s leadership, including Adam Lerner and Nora Abrams. The museum's commitment to increasing cultural dialogue in Denver and Colorado, its excellent exhibitions, and its focus on teen programs were all reasons I wanted to get involved.
Getting to see the impact of various teen programming, including Failure Lab, has been eye-opening and exciting. Also, understanding the inner workings of bringing an exhibit to life, from developing a relationship with the artist to learning about the meticulous requirements of an actual installation, has made me so much more appreciative and in awe of the museum and other cultural institutions.
AB: You now own your firm, offering consulting and advisory services for the consumer/retail industry. In addition, you co-founded a new spirits brand, Sunday's Spirits. Described as "an approachable, high-quality Japanese Whisky that you can drink every day", what made you decide to start this new endeavor?
SM: Partnering with an amazing team to create something from scratch was motivating, exhilarating, and full of challenges, most of which were unknown when we started. Being able to simultaneously respect the craft and patience associated with tradition in Japan, while putting our own stamp on the product, brand, and storytelling has been a fun and mind-opening learning experience.
AB: Tell us a little more about Sunday's Spirits and your debut product?
SM: Sunday's respects the makers of Japanese products and wants to share their story with a broader audience than they could do alone. We focus on promoting characteristics unique to each product, such as the water used for Sunday's Whisky and the rice grown to produce Sunday's Sake. With our experience and passion for these products, we also promote the utility for these products and how to enjoy them best while still respecting the roots of each product. Since Day 1, our strength is that we never tried to be Japanese, but rather, we emulate Japanese food and beverage culture in a way that can reach a broader audience. In a way, we have done to the Japanese what they do to many food and beverage cultures around the world from pizza to craft beer. We have studied their craft, interpreted it, and are committed to always improving it. This includes being at the forefront of highball promotion outside of Japan and making basic sake knowledge more accessible and democratic.
Sunday's selected Sasanokawa Shuzo, located in Koriyama in Fukushima prefecture, as the best partner for producing our whisky. 10th-generation owner Kyoji Yamaguchi and his distillery have an unparalleled, unique role in the history of Japanese Whisky; Sasanokawa has been in business since 1765 (255 years, pre-dating Suntory!). The soft and beautiful Koriyama water is not only prized for its role in whisky production but sake as well. Sake produced in this region is among the most award-winning and sought-after in the world.
Sunday's Whisky is made from Malt and Grain spirits selected from around the world, including Japan. The spirits are barrel-aged for an average of six years before blending and bottling. It is predominantly matured in ex-bourbon casks, but also has inflections of whisky aged in port and sherry casks — these casks are used like salt and pepper to finish the whisky. Koriyama's diurnal temperature shifts allow the casks to expand and contract, enhancing the aging process.
One of the principal aspects that makes Sunday's Whisky so special is the nature of the water used to produce it. The water of Koriyama and the surrounding area is soft, especially for the Tohuku region. The result is a round, full-bodied texture that dilutes evenly in a highball or cocktail and bonds to accents such as lemon twists or orange peels.
AB: Thank you for inviting us into your home for the shoot, making your family's chai recipe for us, and letting us taste Sunday's! I can't wait to buy it for my bar. I've so enjoyed getting to know you more; I'm thankful for our fateful meeting and how supportive you are to the Denver creative community.
SM: Thank you Annie! It's a privilege to be able to share parts of my story. We are tremendously blessed to be living in Denver and part of this vibrant, civil community.
Suchit Majmudar: @suchitm
Sunday’s Spirits: @sundaysspirits