Chinese keen to buy Lao home-brewed alcohol
Chinese keen to buy Lao home-brewed alcohol
Chinese buyers have expressed keen interest in the Bamboo Tube brand of home-brewed alcohol produced under the One District, One Product scheme in Xayaboury district, Xayaboury province.
The maker of the rice-based liquor, Mr Chanpheng Duangsavang, said interest in the home brew had surged after it was certified under the One District, One Product scheme by the Promotion Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce earlier this year.
Since then, both Lao buyers and people from other countries, notably China, have approached Mr Chanpheng about buying large quantities of the rice liquor.
“They tasted it and liked it and then said they wanted to buy an unlimited quantity,” Mr Chanpheng said. Some Chinese businesspeople asked how much he could produce in one month. They said they needed at least 1,000 litres a month, which would require one tonne of sticky rice as the raw material. Mr Chanpheng told them that a group of 17 families joins forces to make the drink.
“I can source 500 kilogrammes of sticky rice a month for the distillation process. I will talk to the group and ask if they would like to join me in this venture. If they are in favour, they must agree to use my recipe to ensure it is exactly what the Chinese want,” he said.
Mr Chanpheng is the head of the distillery group in Nayao village and is confident that other members of the group will seize the chance to produce large quantities of the liquor to meet the needs of the Chinese buyers. The opportunity to supply foreign customers is rare and he is sure they will jump at the offer.
“If we don't come up with a good quality product, the Chinese won't want to buy it because people in other provinces make similar alcoholic drinks,” Mr Chanpheng said.
Mr Chanpheng plans to enter into a bilateral agreement with the Chinese after consulting local authorities on the matter. He wants officials to draw up a contract between the buyers and producers to ensure he can supply the liquor in sufficient quantities and to make a binding agreement that the Chinese will buy the product in accordance with their order.
He said the cost will be negotiated, taking into account the wholesale and retail price. The liquor that has an alcoholic strength of 80 or 90 percent will be priced differently from the drink that is 70 percent strength. Prices will range from 30,000 to 60,000 kip per litre.
Mr Chanpheng said he can make the drink to order, and can make lauw satho (rice wine), lauw kaeb (paddy wine) and jar alcohol. He can also add pieces of certain plants to the bottle to give the liquor some medicinal properties, which people like to use as a tonic.
