Importing Award Winning Devon Cider Into Thailand

[JLCrab]

There's an importer neext to the Universe Gym in Pattaya- I think they're called 'honey ciders', they seem to import all the popular brands. I haven't seen any cider that is made in Thailand, is there a reason for that ??

You need lots of apples.

[rgs2001uk]

There's an importer neext to the Universe Gym in Pattaya- I think they're called 'honey ciders', they seem to import all the popular brands. I haven't seen any cider that is made in Thailand, is there a reason for that ??

There used to be a guy who posted on here a couple of years ago, he set up his own company and produced cider here in Thailand, Tropical Nuclear Cider if I remember correctly.

Dont know if its still being produced and sold.

As for the cider that is sold here, theres a lot of crap on the market.

[nonthaburial]

Thanks GS, however it never hurts to get to the bottom of things yourself as this information gleaned can give me information on expected retail prices. And looking closer at the import tariffs, I would suggest this project would be touch and go financially. I will have to wait and talk to the interested ?Thai based party. I do intend to be in BKK next week.

Thanks again

nonthaburial; Are you re-exporting it through China? If so, the importer can probably avoid the high import tariffs.

GS there are two options open, import the container into bond at HK Port then reexport, or, import into China pay all import duties then reexport, however for Ciders, which are classified as Perry, the duties in China are high, so it's a case of swings and roundabouts.

I am at this present moment trying to pin down the rules and regulations re goods into China and Thailand using the FTA.

[nonthaburial]

There's an importer neext to the Universe Gym in Pattaya- I think they're called 'honey ciders', they seem to import all the popular brands. I haven't seen any cider that is made in Thailand, is there a reason for that ??

There used to be a guy who posted on here a couple of years ago, he set up his own company and produced cider here in Thailand, Tropical Nuclear Cider if I remember correctly.

Dont know if its still being produced and sold.

As for the cider that is sold here, theres a lot of crap on the market.

I did read of such a manufacture in Thailand , but not living there any more I am out of the loop, however I believe it would be very difficult to manufacture a stable decent Cider in Thailand because of the apple situation locally, a half decent supplier would have to get access to a good number of different flavoured apples, which is not easy. My supplier has his own orchards where he has available to him over 300 varieties of apple.

And this is where mass producers come unstuck, they have to rely on apple concentrate that they are forced to source from all over Europe and even further afield, which are more often than not stuffed with chemicals , resulting in comments such as yours that there "are a lot of crap on the market"

[nonthaburial]

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my request for advice, after reading these replies. Coupled with my online search results, all points to a very slippery path with regards to importing anything into Thailand.

I was interested in reading posts that commented on various aspects of Cider, we had the "scrumpy in Thailand" to " I thought it was a teenagers drink" two distinctly opposite views.

In the UK and other countries such as Finland, Cider is no longer considered a poor mans drink, in fact my research shows me that up to 13% of the over 25s in the UK are Cider drinkers, however, let's make it quite clear that the standards of Ciders differ a great deal, you have the mass produced option saturating the markets that according to CAMRA should not even be called Cider as they contain far too many chemicals, then you have the farm family produced that grow their own apples and bottle magnificent award winning products, that are totally natural and contain no additives.

One has only to look into bars and department stores in the UK to ascertain differing standards, if you should visit what I could describe as, run down low class pubs, you will find mass produced Ciders, but in establishments such as Whetherspoons, Marks & Spencers you will see up market CAMRA recognised Ciders.

It is also worth noting on my sales experiences here in China, that the un named mass produced Ciders are sold wholesale to bars etc at a much higher cost than "proper ciders" are, and yet their production cost is a fraction of family run producers ! A number of pubs I supply have now taken off their massed produced Ciders and replaced them with better more healthy options.

On a final note, an American Cider drinker here said to me last week, two pints of what was being sold here before gave me a crippling headache, whilst I can drink four pints of your products and feel great ..... WHY ? The answer is quite simply as stated above the chemical content and additives. Chalk and Cheese.

having been a cider drinker all my life I have spilt more than that American drinks on a good night,there are some bad ones on the market and some good ones,having graduated from scrumpy where we had to tie the bottom of our trousers after a session and a vindaloo on top I can remember well.as for whats available here well thatchers.john kepplers,are pretty good I would like to see scrumpy jack,as for that irish stuff even my mrs.wouldn't drink it.

I did write to mr.chang and asked why they had not researched the market but got no reply,i introduced some of my extended family to cider they thought it was better than Yabba.as for the uk.cider is the no.1 drink.

You are quite right , the brands you mentioned are decent Ciders and it is interesting to note,the best UK ciders originate from the Counties of Herefordshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, this because of the very fertile red soil which is perfect for cider apples..

I am not surprised that your extended family are likers of a decent Cider, here in China the locals are getting well into it, for a number of reasons, they don't trust most things manufactured here, they trust and to a degree gain face from buying British products, they also like the natural, no additives and chemical free aspect.and my marketing managers theme of using Union Jack bottle caps was a true inspiration.

[JLCrab]

China is now the largest red wine consumer in the world and 80% of consumption is domestically produced.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/02/china-red-wine_n_4714101.html

-- and they have lots of apples, too.

Edited February 7, 2014 by JLCrab

[GrantSmith]

Thanks GS, however it never hurts to get to the bottom of things yourself as this information gleaned can give me information on expected retail prices. And looking closer at the import tariffs, I would suggest this project would be touch and go financially. I will have to wait and talk to the interested ?Thai based party. I do intend to be in BKK next week.

Thanks again

nonthaburial; Are you re-exporting it through China? If so, the importer can probably avoid the high import tariffs.

GS there are two options open, import the container into bond at HK Port then reexport, or, import into China pay all import duties then reexport, however for Ciders, which are classified as Perry, the duties in China are high, so it's a case of swings and roundabouts.

I am at this present moment trying to pin down the rules and regulations re goods into China and Thailand using the FTA.

What's the Chinese import tariff on cider from the UK?

If you need a second opinion give me a shout...

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[meatboy]

beware Thailand are clamping down on fake goods imported from china.

if you need a taster pm me,hic hic hic

[nonthaburial]

beware Thailand are clamping down on fake goods imported from china.

if you need a taster pm me,hic hic hic

Ah meatboy it Is truly a pleasure to hear of such dedicated persons such as yourself, willing to go the whole mile, rain or shine. Very inspirational and an obvious Cider fan.

[nonthaburial]

Apologies double post

Edited February 8, 2014 by nonthaburial

[soihok]

Old apple tree

We Wassail thee and hop that thou shall bear

Hats full- caps full - five bushel bags full - and a little heap under the stairs.

WASSAIL

Wassail to thee - Nonthaburial

[soihok]

Wassail to thee bringing cider to Thailand !

[nonthaburial]

wassailing_the_apple_trees.jpg

Wassail to thee bringing cider to Thailand !

Nice one, I was actually Wassailing last week in Devon, very Pagan but interesting non the less.

[soihok]

Brilliant !!!

Visited a few farms in the West Country. Notable Markus Govier in Glastonbury. Great guy he was.

Helped out on the cider stall at Camra beer festivals around North England in the early 90's. Thanks to Wobbly Rob. Rob lived in an old Merc van and used to trip around the West country buying cider from farms. His bed was a kitchen table in the back of the van.

Last Wassail gathering I attended in the UK was Winter Solstice in Sheffield in 94 at a rented house that ,then ,girlfriend and I were living in, it had an Apple tree in the garden.

My mate, Wobbly Rob (Wilson) from Liverpool organised the cider and cooked the mulled cider, my girlfriend was the Wassail Queen and I provided the toast.

I have tried to Wassail in my parents in law's place near Korat, but could only come up with a Papaya tree, which was doing quite well. Locals (and my family) thought I had lost the plot.

Rob now lives on the Isle of Wight

Edited February 8, 2014 by soihok

[nonthaburial]

Brilliant !!!

Visited a few farms in the West Country. Notable Markus Govier in Glastonbury. Great guy he was.

Helped out on the cider stall at Camra beer festivals around North England in the early 90's. Thanks to Wobbly Rob. Rob lived in an old Merc van and used to trip around the West country buying cider from farms. His bed was a kitchen table in the back of the van.

Last Wassail gathering I attended in the UK was Winter Solstice in Sheffield in 94 at a rented house that ,then ,girlfriend and I were living in, it had an Apple tree in the garden.

My mate, Wobbly Rob (Wilson) from Liverpool organised the cider and cooked the mulled cider, my girlfriend was the Wassail Queen and I provided the toast.

I have tried to Wassail in my parents in law's place near Korat, but could only come up with a Papaya tree, which was doing quite well. Locals (and my family) thought I had lost the plot.

Rob now lives on the Isle of Wight

solhok, I wouldn't mind betting there more than a few on here who believe we have both lost the plot !

[meatboy]

beware Thailand are clamping down on fake goods imported from china.

if you need a taster pm me,hic hic hic

Ah meatboy it Is truly a pleasure to hear of such dedicated persons such as yourself, willing to go the whole mile, rain or shine. Very inspirational and an obvious Cider fan.image.jpg

and I will do for nothing.

[meatboy]

Brilliant !!!

Visited a few farms in the West Country. Notable Markus Govier in Glastonbury. Great guy he was.

Helped out on the cider stall at Camra beer festivals around North England in the early 90's. Thanks to Wobbly Rob. Rob lived in an old Merc van and used to trip around the West country buying cider from farms. His bed was a kitchen table in the back of the van.

Last Wassail gathering I attended in the UK was Winter Solstice in Sheffield in 94 at a rented house that ,then ,girlfriend and I were living in, it had an Apple tree in the garden.

My mate, Wobbly Rob (Wilson) from Liverpool organised the cider and cooked the mulled cider, my girlfriend was the Wassail Queen and I provided the toast.

I have tried to Wassail in my parents in law's place near Korat, but could only come up with a Papaya tree, which was doing quite well. Locals (and my family) thought I had lost the plot.

Rob now lives on the Isle of Wight

next time your over the bridge do a thai U-turn and go to llantwit fadryr and check on GWYNT A DDRAIG farmhouse cider

and try the black dragon.tell.him taff in korat is missing the dragon.

[soihok]

Meatboy, my home is in (and around) Korat.

Working in Malaysia at the moment, we do get back home once or twice a year.

I'll drop you a PM nearer the time.

WASSAIL.

[ginglee]

There's an importer neext to the Universe Gym in Pattaya- I think they're called 'honey ciders', they seem to import all the popular brands. I haven't seen any cider that is made in Thailand, is there a reason for that ??

You need lots of apples.

Smart guy !!

[meatboy]

Meatboy, my home is in (and around) Korat.

Working in Malaysia at the moment, we do get back home once or twice a year.

I'll drop you a PM nearer the time.

WASSAIL.

sure can and drop a case of cider off as well.

[meatboy]

There's an importer neext to the Universe Gym in Pattaya- I think they're called 'honey ciders', they seem to import all the popular brands. I haven't seen any cider that is made in Thailand, is there a reason for that ??

apple honey cider they have a good selection ask for selina or puk.

[nonthaburial]

There's an importer neext to the Universe Gym in Pattaya- I think they're called 'honey ciders', they seem to import all the popular brands. I haven't seen any cider that is made in Thailand, is there a reason for that ??

You need lots of apples.

Smart guy !!

There's absolutely nothing smart in quoting the obvious, but common sense and logic does come Into it.

[soihok]

WASSAIL

[meatboy]

some westons old rosie will do for me.

[mogandave]

If you are in China, then you would be exporting, and whoever was receiving it at this end would be importing it.

They transfer the money to you, and you ship the product.

[nonthaburial]

If you are in China, then you would be exporting, and whoever was receiving it at this end would be importing it.

They transfer the money to you, and you ship the product.

Thanks for your input mogandave, but there is a lot more that needs to be looked at, hence this thread, for example, importing into China attracted import duties of nearly 70% of cost and shipping which includes VAT and consumption tax. Now if I exported to a third country, then I need to know if I can claim the import duties back from China, but cannot do that until this coming week when China comes back on line again.

If I can reclaim, then I would able able to offer the products to a third country at a cheaper price. There is also the subject of the FTA investigation, on what is possible and what is not.

Obviously selling this on as cheap as possible without lumbering the buyer with taxes or duties that has nothing to do with him, would enhance his selling prospects and his profit margin.

As I said earlier it's a slippery slope.

[mogandave]

So are you asking about actually doing the importing or partnering with someone that will, and want to ship direct to the manufacturer, correct?

Importing into Thailand is not difficult, but you would need a customs card and a food specific permit. Determining the duty is easy enough, just ask your forwarder to look it up.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[varun]

I'm no logistics expert, but it seems you're toying with the idea of re-exporting your product from China to Thailand,

instead than exporting directly from your Point-Of-Origin i.e. the UK, straight into Thailand?

Why are you doing it this way? To save on CIF I imagine?

Anyhow, best to do your due diligence properly, and see what proportion of alcohol drinkers actually consume cider in Bangkok.

Who knows, there maybe a latent demand, but I guess it will be a niche, a slice of the expat population.

Edited February 10, 2014 by varun

[meatboy]

as there is already a few importers of good cider here in Thailand and with the cost I don't think the Thai's would pay around 150bht.retail for a can.the few that have tried it with me thought it was very good but I told them don't come too often.

what I would be concerned about is one of the local brewers turning out something like,who remembers?

special red and white lightning absolute fire water mind you it might improve the driving of the locals.

[nonthaburial]

I'm no logistics expert, but it seems you're toying with the idea of re-exporting your product from China to Thailand,

instead than exporting directly from your Point-Of-Origin i.e. the UK, straight into Thailand?

Why are you doing it this way? To save on CIF I imagine?

Anyhow, best to do your due diligence properly, and see what proportion of alcohol drinkers actually consume cider in Bangkok.

Who knows, there maybe a latent demand, but I guess it will be a niche, a slice of the expat population.

Fair question Varun, but a question that you have in a way answered yourself. A 20' container can take approximately 16,000 x 500ml bottles. Now taking your comments on demand into account, it would be rather foolish to import a full container direct from Devon into Thailand, and a split container is not cheap neither.

By importing 16000 bottles into China in one container makes the shipping charge per bottle acceptable, shipping say, 2000 bottles in a mixed container from UK to Bangkok would increase the charge per bottle by eight fold, and that would be suicidal.

However, shipping the same 2000 bottles in a mixed container from HK, or China is a different ball game.

However thanks for your interest and input, it's appreciated