Merchant du Vin announced the formation of MdV-Asia Ltd. – a beer importing company based in Hong Kong and selling throughout China.
After nearly two years of research, planning, and building a distributor network, the official launch was held in Changsha, Hunan Province, China on Oct. 16, 2009. Appointed distributors from across China and media met for an official introduction and brand training. Representatives from Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery (Tadcaster, England) and from Ayinger Brewery (Aying, Bavaria, Germany) were on hand for a presentation of each brewery’s history, culture, and technical aspects.
The launch included a five-city tour with introduction parties in several on-premise accounts. MdV-Asia Ltd. General Manager Samson Lo stated, “The Chinese specialty beer market is still small, but has been growing rapidly over the past five years – and specialty beers are the fastest-growing component in the beer category. Chinese people like to try new things.”