In the past 7 or 8 years, consumers have higher requirements for beer taste and drinking moment with the variety of imported beer brands has increased. Between 2016 and 2017, Japan's Asahi Group acquired several European brands and began to introduce them to the China market in 2018, since when its sales of beer have been on the rise. Seizing the opportunity, Asahi decided to participate in the fourth CIIE (China International Import Expo), which will be its first CIIE attendance.

(Takashi Nishimura, president of Asahi Beer (China) Investment Company)

Taking advantage of the rise in imported beer

Having been in the China market for 22 years, Asahi has been famous for its Super Dry beer. Since 2018, it has been introducing European beer brands to China and its production line now spans Eurasia. Recently, the beer company began to bring 2L can and mini can of Asahi Super Dry to China, and saw an increase in sales. With the rise of imported products and the support of the Jing'an District government, Takashi Nishimura said the company decided to participate in the CIIE for the first time.

Three main products will be showcased at the fair, according to Takashi Nishimura, which are Asahi Super Dry, Peroni Nastro Azzurro (a high-end brand from Italy) and Pilsner Urquell (a high-end Czech brand). Therefore, the exhibition area will be divided into three parts. Peroni Nastro Azzurro will be displayed in the blue booth. The black booth is for Asahi Super Dry, where a new taste will be debuted. And the green booth will be for Pilsner Urquell. As Takashi Nishimura said, the taste of Peroni Nastro Azzurro is perfect balance between bitterness and sweetness. It is suitable for drinking on sunny days and is especially suitable for female consumers.

There is also a bar for tasting in the middle of the exhibition area. “Quality is the highest priority of our company,” added Takashi Nishimura. “Not only the quality of the product itself, we also attach great importance to the quality of drinking, and provide high-quality products to customers in a high-quality state.”

“Though this is our first participation in the CIIE, the local government in Jing’an District has given us plenty of support and useful information. We also appreciate its coordination for us when we meet difficulties,” said Takashi Nishimura.

(A rendering of the exhibition area of Asahi at 2021 CIIE)

A good understanding of Chinese consumers

For Asahi, the Chinese market is one of their main markets. Last year, despite COVID-19, sales in China increased significantly over the previous year, not only in Japanese restaurants and stores, but also in Chinese food stores. More than half of Asahi Beer China’s sales are now in markets other than Japanese food stores. It results from the company’s accurate grasp of the market and consumer trends.

According to Takashi Nishimura, consumers are more personalized and differentiated, as more people pursue something that suits themselves and is different from others. In recent years, consumers' preferences for beer have also diversified. As he noted, “young people have their own preferences, and like to enjoy delicious food and beverages in their favorite environment. They cherish their time and hope to have a good time. They pursue quality and freshness at the same time while demanding a good and new experience.”

“Our high-quality, high-end beer can exactly meet their needs. The Chinese beer market is the largest in the world. Seven to eight years ago, the number and types of imported beer increased significantly, and the number and types of craft beer and high-end beer also increased. The Chinese market has great potential for us,” said Takashi Nishimura. “In the future, we will introduce new Japanese products and beers of different flavors such as white beer and dark beer.”

CIIE is a rare opportunity for Asahi Beer according to Takashi. “CIIE is a platform for everyone to communicate and learn. First, we hope more consumers understand and experience the exhibited three products and they will drink happily. Second, it’s very rare for us to communicate directly with more people and learn from each other, whether it’s the understanding about beer or people’s ideas.”

Story by Cao Jun

Video by Cao Jun, Jiang Meiqing

Translated by Wu Qiong