E-Malt.com News article: China: Craft beer industry in China expected to be supported by a growing middle class

On the surface China’s craft beer market isn’t all that impressive. According to Ratebeer.com, China has about 30 microbreweries and brew pubs. And the recently formed China Craft Brewers Association has only five member breweries. That’s tiny compared to the craft brewing industry in the United States, which currently has 2,360 craft breweries and saw sales double from 2007 to 2012, Smart Planet reported on July, 25.

And while China is consuming more than 50 billion litres of beer a year (the most in the world), four major beer producers — SABMiller, AB InBev, Tsingtao, and Beijing Yanjing Brewery — account for about 60 percent of the market.

Even so, it would be wise not to overlook China’s craft beer industry because of a growing middle class.

“With continued rapid rises in average incomes and the general feel-good factor about China’s continued economic growth, consumers are not only drinking more beer, but are also beginning to drink more expensive beers,” said Matthew Crabbe, Director of China Research at research firm Mintel, about a report on China’s beer market last year. “Consumer confidence has also translated into more people going out to eat, and this caused catering sales to continue to see an increase in significance to overall beer sales compared with retail sales.”


26 July, 2013