Home?Food & Beverage? How can foreign craft beer be safely placed on Chinese shelves?
The golden trilogy of beer agency
In 2025, the domestic craft beer market size is expected to exceed 60 billion yuan. Behind this number are opportunities and challenges for numerous importers. From 20 years of experience in the industry, the key to successful agency lies in grasping three core aspects:
Product selection positioning: The approval pass rate of German beer is 37% higher than that of the United States
Qualification Matrix: Five types of official documents that must be available at the same time
Transportation plan: Skills for calculating the actual loading capacity of a 40HQ container
Product selection pit - avoiding guide
The case of an importer last year whose goods were returned due to incorrect alcohol content labeling is worthy of vigilance. It is recommended to give priority to brands with the following characteristics:
The original factory provides a label template in both Chinese and English
Pay special attention to the format of the nutrition facts table
The alcohol content needs to be accurate to one decimal place
The packaging material complies with the GB 4806.8 standard
The thickness of the glass bottle is ≥ 2mm
The aluminum can needs to provide a material certificate
The Specification and Model column of the Customs Declaration Form must indicate the malt concentration
The latest changes in the annual review of the liquor circulation license
New cold - chain transportation filing requirements added
The electronic label filing system has been launched
New ideas for channel construction
Against the backdrop of a 23% increase in the distribution cost of the traditional supermarket channel, it is recommended to try:
Bonded exhibition and trading mode
Policy comparison of bonded zones such as Qianhai and Yangshan
Customized cooperation with vertical e - commerce
Negotiation Skills for Minimum Order Quantity
Recently, we assisted a client in completing the import project of German dark beer. It only took 58 days from signing the contract to putting the products on the shelves. The key was to conduct transportation tests in advance: simulate the entire transportation process with 3 cases of samples, detect the change data of the bottle cap sealing, and finally control the damage rate below 0.8%.
Warnings about Common Misunderstandings
Confusing the Regulatory Categories of Beer and Beverages
Ignoring the Requirements for the Font Size of Chinese Back Labels
Misjudging the Necessity of Cold Chain Transportation
Importing beer as an agent is like the craft brewing process. It requires not only controlling the quality of raw materials but also paying attention to the details of the craftsmanship. When you hold a limited - edition beer for the German Oktoberfest, dont forget that the customs wont relax the standards because of sentiment - leave professional matters to professionals.