Enabling Trade: Council Helps Build Relationships In Chinese Craft Brewing Industry

Last week, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff escorted a group of Chinese brewing industry leaders across the country for visits with U.S. barley farmers, breweries and USGC members to foster business relationships and showcase the high quality of U.S. barley available for export to China.

“China is home to the world’s largest beer industry, including a growing craft beer sector that is looking for ways to differentiate their products, and the Council has been working diligently over the past several years to develop market access for U.S. barley there,” said Sadie Marks, USGC manager of global strategies and trade. “Experiencing the full U.S. brewing supply chain from U.S. barley and hop farms, malting facilities and breweries enhanced attendees’ understanding of the industry’s value chain and built trust that will enable significant trading opportunities in the future.”

Marks and USGC Programs Manager Wennie Liu led the group that included executives from six Chinese breweries and import companies. The busy schedule began on July 16 at USGC Barley Sector Director Nathan Boll’s farm in North Dakota and a meeting with members of the North Dakota Barley Council to gain an overview of the state’s barley production practices.

The delegation also visited new Council member Two Track Malting to examine its facilities and stopped at breweries in North Dakota to see firsthand the use and versatility of U.S. barley, followed by a major malt manufacturer in Minnesota that hosted the team for a full day of meetings and tours of the malt production cycle.

Participants arrived in Montana on July 19 for meetings with three breweries before heading West for visits at five barley farms and eight breweries across Idaho and Washington, including USGC member Mountain Malt, and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between USGC member Cold Stream Malt and Grain and a Chinese malt distributor. The MOU is a ceremonial statement of intent between the parties to foster mutual understanding and cooperation to strengthen their existing trade relations and friendship.

“The wide variety of farms, malting companies and breweries attendees visited showed them the care with which U.S. barley is grown and how they can apply it to their own companies in China,” Marks said. “By supporting the Chinese craft brewing industry in its early stages, the Council is laying groundwork for strong business relationships between U.S. growers, maltsters and Chinese brewers to establish loyalty to U.S. products because of their quality and reliability.”

Learn more about the Council’s work in China here.