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Exploring Distributorship Possibility With Belgium/german Beer In Thailand

lucknu

By lucknu
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lucknu Newbie

lucknu

Posted
Posted

Hi there TV members,

I am very keen to explore distributorship possibility with Belgium/German draught beer in Thailand. Problem is, with the gazillion brands available

I really have no clue how to come to a shortlist on my own. and given that I havnt had the opportunity of setting my foot in those country yet..

I really have no idea what brand should I contact. So it would be nice to hear from you guys. the expats

What are your favorite draught beer ? Obviously It shouldn't be available in Thailand yet. (no Singha, Chang, etc etc please)

Maybe it doesnt have to be from Belgium/German ? Why does it always have to come from those places anyway.

As long as you think you love it and it probably would be well received in the market I would really love to hear it.

I'm a local and I have a bar in the middle of Thonglor Rd. (Bkk), so my target group would be towards higher end of the tax bracket.

I want my bar to be like a 'flagship' bar for the brand. Some major player brands in the market right now are.. hoegaarden, stella artois, erdinger etc etc.

Thank you in advance guys :-)

NeverSure Star Member

NeverSure

Posted
Posted

I'd go with Belgium for the cache'. Be aware that all across Europe, Canada and the US, lager is by far the most popular beer. Of course lagers vary greatly. Tastes for beer within each country vary greatly too. Canada makes some great beer but the the US doesn't in great quantities. Of course that's a matter of taste because of what is bought as most popular in the US, ie Budweiser. It's cultural.

What is popular in the West won't necessarily be popular in LOS if what I bought in LOS is any example. :)

True beer connoisseurs are the few, as is true of wine, and their tastes tend to run to the expensive and the AWFUL! cheesy.gif It's fortunate for me that I like ordinary beer. :) So, I'd be careful what I bought if I bought in volume.

Is there any chance that you could buy several types and put them out and see which your customers prefer? Major marketers sure do that. I have no idea how Thais would respond to a good European lager, especially at the price point you'd need. I would try to do a test.

Good luck.

NeverSure Star Member

NeverSure

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There is a thread from some experts smile.png about ales, I LOVE Rickards Red from Canada even though my head hates it in the morning.

http://www.thaivisa....ve-in-thailand/

Canada actually has the corner on good beer, IMHO. They really make some good beer. I have no clue why the US doesn't except in smaller amounts. I'm not even sure that Bud is owned by a US company anymore, but the (urp) beer is still made here. Any time there's a friendly argument about US vs Canada in general, all they have to do is mention beer, LOL. :)

I would try to market a beer with a cache' name and country, but one that is sold to the masses. Real beer experts tend to like beers which are different from what we ignorant folks like, but we ignorant folks are the majority of buyers. :)

Bavaria exports more than 1/2 the beer they make, and sales are dwindling in favor of wine in most Western countries including Bavaria. Now might be a really good time to look into this.

  • Like 1
WilliaminBKK Gold Member

WilliaminBKK

Posted
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There is a thread from some experts smile.png about ales, I LOVE Rickards Red from Canada even though my head hates it in the morning.

http://www.thaivisa....ve-in-thailand/

hahah rickards red and the ring o' fire

havent had a drop of that in almost 20 years

They should call Rickards devils juice, Sleemans also make amazing ales especially the cream ale. I've met a friend on TV from Belgium - he is teaching me about good beer and at the same time making me thirsty.

The OP really needs to sit in Brussels, eat some mussels, dip chips in mayo and see beer at its best.

EvilDrSomkid Gold Member

EvilDrSomkid

Posted
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You have a bar on Thonglor? What's it called?

Go check out your competition at Brew Cafe in Thonglor soi 13 and at Beerology at CDC.

They both sell German weissen beer. Anywhere between 230 to 260 baht per 50cl bottle.

geriatrickid Star Member

geriatrickid

Posted
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I was under the impression that the distribution of beer in Thailand is controlled by a quasi cartel of prominent Thai families. Nothing gets in unless it goes through them and the markup they would impose would most likely make the proposed venture unprofitable.

saengsureeya Silver Member

saengsureeya

Posted
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As far as I know Belgium Beer is already imported container wise.

The major problem is NOT the transport, but the customs-clearance.

I know that a Belgium hotel-bar owner is waiting regularly for his ordered Belgium Beers and they can be stuck at the harbor for weeks.

Anyway, popular Belgium Beers: Duvel, Kriek, Westmalle Tripple. Dutch Beers: Bavaria, Grolsch, Hertog Jan. German Beers: Bitt, Klaustahler, Hofbrau and Krombacher.

Of course there are hundreds of other popular beer-brands, but those I know and taste from reasonable to good.

farang000999 Platinum Member

farang000999

Posted
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I was under the impression that the distribution of beer in Thailand is controlled by a quasi cartel of prominent Thai families. Nothing gets in unless it goes through them and the markup they would impose would most likely make the proposed venture unprofitable.

make it in thailand.

yermanee Gold Member

yermanee

Posted
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Well regarding Belgian beers you could start here : http://www.belbev.asia/products.php

My favorites from this list are :

Duvel - Orval - Rochefort - Kasteelbier blond - Palm - Rodenbach and Westmalle Tripel.

It seems that they only sell by case and they don't deliver. They're located Sukhumvit 101.

Cheers,

Yermanee wai.gif

  • Like 1
lucknu Newbie

lucknu

Posted
  • Author
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Thank you for the heads up guys.

Will definitely try checking them all out.

Im actually more interested selling draught beer more than bottled beer. im already having several belgium

bottled beer selling at my bar. Duvel Triple Kamiliet etc etc. But the sales is very insignifiant compared to Hoegaarden.

Coz usually about 70-80% of my customer order draught beer rather than ones in bottled.

I myself prefer draught too, it tastes quite different, take for example umm Hoegaarden in bottle and draught.

Bottled ones aren't hard to find cause there're quite a few suppliers that carry lots of brand.

Margin's much better too unless u're the distributor . No problem with shelf life.

but draught beer has a shelf life of around a week or so? I'd like to carry out an experiment like 'Neversure'

pointed out. but given the shelf life well i think i could only carry about 3 brands at a time for draught beer.

and see how it goes.

I'd taste Memminger beer at Wine Connection before. It tastes very okay. I contacted Wine Connection and they

wouldnt sell it to me coz they're only importing for their own use. That sucks. guess i gonna have to import it myself!

anybody speak german!? i need a translator!

http://www.memminger-brauerei.de/

<< comments on bar location removed >>

thank you please drop by sometime!

lazygourmet Platinum Member

lazygourmet

Posted
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You have a bar on Thonglor? What's it called?

Go check out your competition at Brew Cafe in Thonglor soi 13 and at Beerology at CDC.

They both sell German weissen beer. Anywhere between 230 to 260 baht per 50cl bottle.

Also, HOBS House of Beers (Thonglor 1) has a wide selection of Belgian beers

krisb Ruby Member

krisb

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Customers like me like cheap beer, not a certain brand.

Imported stuff is usually expensive. Thats 1 reason I like Thailand, its cheap.

BigJohnnyBKK Platinum Member

BigJohnnyBKK

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Sounds like a very pleasant but expensive hobby, not the basis for a strong business model.

I can tell you that Beerology is packed every Friday and Saturday.

Not talking about the industry, just a private individual taking on the role of "boutique keg importer".

NeverSure Star Member

NeverSure

Posted
Posted

I was under the impression that the distribution of beer in Thailand is controlled by a quasi cartel of prominent Thai families. Nothing gets in unless it goes through them and the markup they would impose would most likely make the proposed venture unprofitable.

make it in thailand.

I wonder if it would be allowed in LOS? It's absolutely all the rage in the UK and the US and I don't know where else. They call them micro breweries and each pub makes its own beer to its liking, on site. They always have a good selection of sandwiches etc, and some serve dinner, but the real profit center is the beer. Link Link

NeverSure Star Member

NeverSure

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Where I live it's legal to make all the beer you want for your own consumption, and I know a couple of guys who are really into it. It isn't hard after you find a recipe you like.

Unfortunately it is illegal to make whiskey which is called moonshine in these parts. Dang, whiskey is little more than beer without the hops, after the alcohol is distilled from it. I mean, the process is the same. You can buy a really good copper still for "decorative purposes only" for about a few hundred US dollars. Link

Meisgq Senior Member

Meisgq

Posted
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Last I heard, there is a new distributor for foreign beers, including craft beers from the states. I think they'll start off working with the thonglor crowd around soi 10 and seen space. It's in the news somewhere. Search.

BigJohnnyBKK Platinum Member

BigJohnnyBKK

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A bar carrying real US brands. ie Budweiser, Coors, Milwaukees Best.

An idea that has not been tried yet as far as I can tell.

And for good reason. Even Yanks with any taste avoid the mainstream brands, why do you think the whole micro-brewery trend took off there like a rocket?

chiangmaikelly Ruby Member

chiangmaikelly

Posted
Posted

A bar carrying real US brands. ie Budweiser, Coors, Milwaukees Best.

An idea that has not been tried yet as far as I can tell.

And for good reason. Even Yanks with any taste avoid the mainstream brands, why do you think the whole micro-brewery trend took off there like a rocket?

In 1870 America had 3,286 breweries and a population of 38 million.

I want a beer just like the beer that hammered dear old dad. I think that was a song.

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