Chinese beer importer buys Belgian brewery
The deal raised a few eyebrows. Yu Xiaoning of Vandergeeten & EG Distriselecta, the importer of AB-InBev beers into China, has bought a controlling stake in the small brewery Brasserie d’Ecaussinnes, the Belgian magazine Trends reported on 13 November 2012.
Brasserie d’Ecaussinnes has a portfolio of around 20 beers, which equals about 4,000 hl of annual beer production. According to other media sources, the objective is to increase d’Ecaussinnes’ beer volumes tenfold over the next few years with the help of exports to China.
The previous owner, Hugues Van Poucke, is going to stay in the picture. He will continue to run the on-trade outlet on the brewery site.
Chinese interest in Belgian beers is still in its infancy. In 2011 33,500 hl were exported to China, which represents only 0.3 percent of total Belgian exports.
Yu Xiaoning is no newcomer to the beer industry. With offices in Beijing and Shanghai, he started out as Interbrew’s exclusive importer of the Stella Artois, Leffe and Hoegaarden brands in the 1990s. Whether he still has the exclusivity contract for these brands we have been unable to ascertain.
In recent years he has expanded his beer portfolio and market observers believe that his beer import volume amounts to perhaps 15,000 hl annually.
In any case, buying his own brewery in Belgium is a smart move as it provides him with a back-up of Belgian beer brands should AB-InBev decide to ease him out. Also, should he decide one day to have his own brands brewed locally in China, he can do so.
