On the first day of the international beer festival in Dalyan, PRC, the Baltika tent
was visited by more, than 1000 people.
27 July 2007, 15:43
Yesterday in Dalyan (PRC) the international beer festival was started.
Baltika Breweries represents
Russia’s brewing industry.
Baltika sold over 1,500 liters of beer on the first day of the festival, which would run until August 6.
“There is much interest in Baltika beer,” said Oleg Alekhin, CEO of Baltika’s Chinese Office. “All the
500 seats were taken even before the opening ceremony. Baltika No. 7 Exportnoye seems to be a big
favorite.”
Baltika beer costs 20 Yuan, or US $2.70 per bottle at the festival. But whilst consuming Russian beer,
Chinese drinkers prefer to chase it with traditional Chinese nibbles such as fried octopus, scorpions,
silkworm larvae, and fried tofu.
China held its first international beer festival in Beijing in 1999, whereupon the event was delegated to
Dalian. The festival brings together brewers and beer fans from all over Asia and even as far as Europe.
This year, the Dalian Beer Fest is held in SingHai Square, one of the largest plazas in Asia, featuring
more than 100 beer brands.
Baltika Breweries which is a traditional participant of the Dalian beer festival, takes up 800 sq. m of
space this year. The Baltika tent offers draft Baltika No. 4 Originalnoye, No. 7 Exportnoye, and No. 8
Pshenichnoye, as well as its full range of bottled beers.
Baltika was the first Russian brewer to launch exports to China in October 2004. In Chinese, Baltika
translates as “Bolodihai Pitszu,” or “Baltic Sea Beer.” Baltika is available mostly in restaurants and bars
for between 10 and 35 Yuan (US $1.30 to 4.60) per bottle. Baltika sells the most beer in Beijing and the
provinces of Shandong, Shengsi, Heilungjiang and Henan. Chinese beer drinkers are particularly fond of
Baltika No. 7 Exportnoye, which accounts for 43% of Chinese sales.
Baltika views China as a very important market in the Asian-Pacific region. In China, where Baltika
markets nearly all its beers, the Baltika brand is pitched in the super premium segment as a “world
famous, world-class Russian beer.” Baltika sold more than 240,000 liters of beer in China in 2006.
At 286 million hectoliters a year, or 18% of the world’s consumption, China is the largest beer market in
the world, consuming 22 liters of beer per capita a year. China is also the world’s fastest growing beer
market.
Baltika is a steady participant in Chinese beer events. At the show in Changchong in September 2004 the
city mayor himself tasted Baltika, and said he enjoyed it. Baltika attended the show in Zinan in 2005
(when Baltika commercials were simultaneously broadcast in Chinese on Shandong regional TV), and in
Beijing in 2005. In spring 2006, Baltika attended the spring alcohol show in Chengdu, Province of
Sechuan. The company attended the Dalian international beer festival for the first time in summer 2006,
and took its beer to the international food expo in Shanghai in September that year.
Baltika Breweries promotes its products aggressively in the Asian-Pacific region. Since its
groundbreaking shipments to the region in 2001, Baltika has set up regular exports to South and North
Korea, Mongolia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan. Baltika exported upwards of
360,000 liters of beer to Asia and the Pacific in 2006.