Businesses in talks for exporting craft beer named after Vietnam’s two archipelagos
Businesses in talks for exporting craft beer named after Vietnam’s two archipelagos
Several distributors have hold discussions with a Vietnamese craft beer maker for the export of the beverages that carry the names of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.
Seefahrer Premium Beer Co. Ltd., a local brewery, recently introduced two new products -- Truong Sa Special and Hoang Sa Special -- with the intention of promoting patriotism and asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty over the groups of islands.
Although the two craft beer products are new to the market, they have attracted huge interest from both domestic and foreign consumers, according to Seefahrer Premium Beer’s director Tran Song Hai.
In Vietnam, the beverages have been put up for sale at 10B Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City and across the system of a Chinese restaurant chain.
At the same time, a number of overseas Vietnamese have offered to become the distributors of Truong Sa Special and Hoang Sa Special.
“We have worked with a number of businessmen in Japan, France, and the U.S. to learn about the procedures and criteria for importing the Vietnamese craft beer into those countries," said Hai.
"After completing the necessary procedures, it is expected that the beers will be available overseas in two months.”
However, Seefahrer Premium Beer’s production capacity still lags behind real demand while its beers fetch high prices.
Currently, the products are made using ingredients imported from Germany, including barley and hops from the state of Bavaria.
The craft beer producer estimates that orders, mainly from supermarkets, restaurants, and companies, have reached nearly 3,000 barrels, while with its available inventory of ingredients, it can only deliver 2,500 barrels for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations.
Seefahrer Premium Beer said it is looking to promote the use of domestic ingredients at the ratio of up to 50 percent in order to increase the output while reducing the cost and thus lowering prices.
In addition, the company expects to promptly launch canned craft beer at a more reasonable price in the near future.
It is expected that all of Seefahrer Premium Beer’s products will be available at supermarkets and convenience stores in Ho Chi Minh City before the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
