Drinkers with a taste for the premium vodkas and gins produced by Chase Distillery in Hereford – Britain’s only single distillery estate – will soon be able to find the products in bars across Beijing and Shanghai after impressing buyers with its distinctive flavours.
Potato grower
The company, which grows its own potatoes and apples at Rosemaund Farm, will be shipping 2,500 cases of its vodkas and gins a year to China over the next two years after working with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) West Midlands to secure the deal.
The family-run company has been exporting to 36 countries since 2010, but wanted to expand to China, which imported spirits totalling €338M from the EU in 2014.
Trade mission
Simon Davies, export director of Chase Distillery, said with UKTI’s help, the company took part in a trade mission to China in 2015, which enabled it to secure distribution for its first major order in the country.
It has now appointed a distributor and is preparing to ship 500 cases in March.
“We’re extremely pleased to have had the help and support of UKTI,” Davies said.