USA & China: Empire Brewing Company to begin exports to China

Its new brewery in Cazenovia, NY is barely a couple months old but Empire Brewing Company is taking another huge step, this week it's becoming an international company, WSYR reported on August 4.

The craft brewer is making its first shipment of beer made in Central New York to China.

Jing Zhang is Empire’s Exports Director and tells NewsChannel 9, "You would see a lot of brew pubs or even just tap rooms are popping up every day."

Zhang was born and raised in the southwest part of China.

She was in Syracuse just a couple years when she saw on TV that Empire and a Chinese tea company were talking about a beer infused with tea.

"And I was like, huh, there's a company in Syracuse that wants to do business in China," Zhang says.

Empire founder David Katleski had recently come back from a trip to China with local business leaders looking for export opportunities.

By chance Katleski met the founder of Jingwei Fu Tea Company and ‘Two Dragons’ beer was born, but Katleski saw more.

"They're about 20 years behind us in terms of craft so there's an opportunity to be one of the first imported craft beers in China." He says.

New York State has jumped on board allowing Empire to use the familiar ‘I Love New York’ logo on ‘Two Dragons’.

Zhang says, "People are looking forward to a product from New York."

"And frankly in China you need some kind of brand recognition, so I really think that's our version of a Nike swoosh to have access to their market which will not be an easy thing to infiltrate," Katleski adding.

Empire will not be shipping ‘Two Dragons’ first, the tea infused beer will go over in a few weeks.

First up will be kegs of the brewers ‘Slo Mo’ IPA” they say is a real American IPA the Chinese are craving and also White Aphro, a Belgian Wheat style beer popular in China now.

04 August, 2016