Bottom line: Bacardi’s new Tang tea-based liquor could do well despite its premium pricing and Beijing’s frugality campaign if it takes aim at affluent yuppies who like to try new things and are put off by the stodgy image of baijiu.
Bacardi rolls out tea liquor
It’s hard to get excited about a liquor story as the world returns to work at the start of a new week; but I’ll admit I’m just a bit intrigued by reports detailing a new attempt by global giant Bacardi to tackle China with a new tea-based spirit. Frankly speaking, I’m a bit surprised that no one has tried this before. That’s because such a liquor, if packaged and marketed properly, could quickly win over many of China’s urban yuppies who eschew traditional homegrown baijiu liquors but haven’t exactly embraced western alternatives like whisky and rum. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: Wuliangye’s new tie-up with Brown-Forman continues its drive to diversify and create new products for younger consumers, which could help it emerge as a leader when liquor makers emerge from their current downturn.
Brown-Forman links with Wuliangye
It’s not often that I get to write about foreign company involvement in China’s traditional liquor industry, which is largely closed to overseas investment and is also quite fragmented and filled with pitfalls due to dominance by local interests. So I was quite excited to read a new report saying Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF-B), a major US liquor maker whose brands include Jack Daniels whiskey, has teamed up with leading Chinese spirits maker Wuliangye (Shenzhen: 000858) to develop new products for emerging markets. Read Full Post…
