Changing the Image of NPOs

I'm a person of intuition. When the offer to become a LOUIS XIII ambassador came, I felt an immediate connection. It's a spirit I love, and for any connoisseur, it's the ultimate cognac. There was no reason to refuse. Perhaps it's an exaggeration to say it's like a baseball fan becoming a professional player? But for me, LOUIS XIII holds that kind of significance.


People tend to have a very serious, rigid image of NPOs, but I enjoy drinking and parties, and I might even get a bit tipsy sometimes. I want people to know that there are flexible individuals like myself involved in social contribution, and I want to change the perception of social contribution.


Of course, the activities of "TABLE FOR TWO" are fundamentally serious. I received a privileged education and learned business skills at McKinsey, truly understanding how to earn money. But life is too precious to be solely about earning money. I wanted to be told "thank you." It was in this context that I met economist Jeffrey Sachs and learned about the "TABLE FOR TWO" initiative.
What this initiative and the cognac-making process of LOUIS XIII have in common is that neither can be achieved in just a year or two. Work that aims to change society for the better takes decades, and may not even be resolved within one's lifetime. Furthermore, the fact that both endeavors involve creating something that moves people might be another similarity to LOUIS XIII.

The Desire to See the Unseen

Having a long-range vision makes precise calculation incredibly difficult. When you're leading the way, the path ahead isn't always clear, but you strive to see it. People often impose limitations on themselves, but if you have the courage to break free, new possibilities emerge. Steve Jobs is a prime example. It's crucial to persevere in your thinking, even when called foolish. There are times when my spirit falters, but I have absolute conviction in what I'm doing because I love it. And I have my companions.


I believe the creation of LOUIS XIII is also a crystallization of people's efforts a century ago, driven by the desire to see the unseen. My father was the one who first introduced me to cognac. He was a mountaineer and bought me a flask, telling me to drink cognac when I went to Africa. That's how I started. I'd drink it at night when I was too exhilarated to sleep. Through that, I came to appreciate cognac. Another person who taught me the taste of cognac was my wife's father. He collected spirits, but all his children were daughters, so he had no one to drink with. That's when I became his son-in-law. He owns a mountain villa in Nagano, where we'd enjoy cognac together with cigars, just the men.



However, there is no cognac as exquisite as LOUIS XIII. Its aroma, in particular, is beyond words. You feel a sensation of your body floating a few centimeters. And the taste. There's no harshness of strong alcohol in your throat. It's truly smooth and velvety.


While one can approach LOUIS XIII from a temporal perspective, I believe the underlying current is the connection between people. It's embraced by people worldwide with admiration. It's not just a drink; it's a spirit that stirs the soul. Social contribution is the same. It's about moving the heart. Because our hearts are moved, people participate and contribute to the activities.
I believe we live in an era where few products truly stir the soul. Functionality and something that moves the heart are fundamentally different.


Going forward, I want to involve celebrities and the media to create a wave of social contribution that moves society. Fortunately, the Japanese have a high awareness of goodwill. I believe the foundation for becoming the world's leading nation in social contribution is already in place.

Masahisa Kogure

Born in 1972. After graduating from the School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, he conducted research on artificial hearts at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. After obtaining his Master's degree from the same university in 1999, he joined McKinsey & Company's Tokyo office. He worked on projects involving organizational reform, operational improvement, and sales strategy across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, media, retail distribution, and manufacturing. After a stint at the company's New Jersey office, he joined Shochiku Co., Ltd. in 2005, where he was responsible for business development. Deeply inspired by his encounter with economist Jeffrey Sachs, he subsequently participated in the TABLE FOR TWO project. In 2007, he founded the NPO TABLE FOR TWO International.