It’s always a bit nerve-racking when you send your first batch of products to a new market. Getting an order is one thing, but then you’ve got the task of actually brewing the beer, packaging it up and sending it.
Will it get there in one piece? Will it get there at all? And will people like it if it does? Well, in the case of the over 20,000 bottles of Eden we sent to China in the spring, the answer to all those questions was a resounding ‘Yes!’.
In fact, the locals liked the beer so much, that JustLife International - our distributor in Beijing - has put in another order; this time for 38,000 bottles. The Chinese have an immense thirst for beers of all kinds from all over the world and the country is the world’s biggest beer market - valued at $80bn.
Chinese train stations: A bit busier than Penrith...
Last month Jason the international jet-setter flew over to Beijing to meet with JustLife, as well as to try and rustle up more business and inspect our new brewery.
As well as giant brands - like the famous Tsingtao - China is also home to an array of micro-breweries, like the brilliant Great Leap Brewing and Master Gao. Drop in to try some beers at the DAGA Brewpub in Fuxing West Road, Shanghai, and you’ll be faced with a choice of 50 beers and ciders from across the US, Europe and Australasia. Both the local and imported beers on offer make clear that the Chinese are eager for the kind of high quality, out there and exploratory kind of beer we produce.
All this makes it a nice place to visit on business and an even more exciting place to do business with - hopefully long into the future.
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