CRAFT Beer Clan of Scotland, the international arm of Glasgow wholesaler JW Filshill, has secured a further £200,000 of export business for Scottish small brewers in the last three months.
The company, which launched 18 months ago and is targeting annual turnover of £2.5 million within three years, won business with distributors in China, Denmark, Panama and Thailand.
Some of the deals were struck when a a delegation from the clan, including Filshill chief executive Simon Hannah, travelled to Taipei, Shanghai and Bangkok to meet distributors bar owners in August, and attended a major trade exhibition, WhiskyL, in Beijing and Shanghai.
The distributors will sell products from Scottish brewers such as Inveralmond, WEST, Drygate, Deeside and Windswept in their respected markets.
Chris Miller, head of export and commercial operations at Craft Beer Clan, said: “The Chinese market is key to our international growth as consumers there are hugely interested in Scotland and have a particular appetite for Scotch whisky as well as premium food and drink products.
“Craft beer offers these consumers a similar story to that of Scotch – the skill that goes into making it, the individuals and families who lovingly craft it and the wider story behind it. It’s a great selling point for us and there were exceptionally high levels of interest in our beers in both Beijing and Shanghai.”
Craft Beer Clan revealed that talks are at an advanced stage with a new distributor in Taiwan – a key market for Scotch whisky exports – while a leading importer of beers, wines and spirits in Thailand will begin a three-month trial of Scottish craft beers from December.
Mr Miller, who noted that the company's website can now be read in Mandarin, said “We’re pursuing new relationships with distributors all the time, and we’re also making good progress in Scandinavia, Canada, North America and Australia. We also recently shipped orders to Switzerland and Denmark.”
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