Tsingtao is a household name in China, but it's only recently that the Chinese beer has been making waves in the international market.
According to a report by China Daily, overseas sales of the brand grew by 12 percent in 2016, with increases in the Latin America, western Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions.
In addition, year-on-year sales of the brand in South Korea, Russia, and Costa Rica experienced significant raises, with sales inked at 80 percent, 55 percent, and 97 percent, respectively. The brand is also slowly gaining attention in United States.
"We have seen double-digit sales volume increases for the past few months in key markets in the United States," Kammy Chahal, Pabst's Tsingtao U.S. brand director, confirmed to the media.
It's about time. Tsingtao has been around since the early 1900s, founded by German and British merchants based in China. As of date, the brand is currently sold in 94 countries across the globe. It has also played an active role in Chinese culture, having hosted one of the largest beer festivals in the world for 26 years.
Increased Overseas Sales Eyed by Tsingtao Executives
Tsingtao has already expressed its interest in expanding overseas operations and sales.
"We want to actively explore overseas markets. There is consensus in China's liquor industry that we need to build brands with international reputation," Sun Mingbo, chairman of Tsingtao Brewery, recently told the media.
"Tsingtao does not intend to produce low-end products just to improve sales in the international market. Our products aim at global middle and high-end market," added Sun.
One of the markets Tsingtao aims to target is United Kingdom, where pub culture is alive and thriving. Tsingtao has already displayed resilience in the U.K. market as sales have increased 10 percent year-on-year recently--a tough feat, since the British are known for being discerning beer drinkers.
"Tsingtao has actually been one of the stand-out brands. The Chinese brand's market share kept growing in the U.K.'s imported beer sales," said James Wright, a Tsingtao dealer based in the U.K., in an interview with China Daily.