"Chinese Wisdom" Brings New Vitality to German Old Brands

Feldberg Beer is a famous German beer enterprise with a history of 160 years, and COFCO Mingzhuanghui is a global wine brand service provider that has just been established for 5 years in China. Since 2018, the two have formed a deep friendship through the CIIE platform, and thus began a beautiful story of "forgetting old friends".

For the past 5 years, the CIIE has made the Chinese market a great opportunity for the world, and participating in the CIIE has become their annual agreement. Empowered by the spillover effects of the CIIE, Feldberg has gradually grown into one of the most popular imported beer brands in the Chinese market, and has driven its parent company TCB Group to become the second largest beer brewing group in Germany and one of the top 30 beer companies globally.

Shared development opportunities

Feldberg did not become famous overnight.

The operation and management of alcoholic beverages is a complex system, with interconnected execution elements such as procurement, quality control, logistics, storage and transportation, sales, promotion, and after-sales. It can be said that the whole body is affected by one action. The aroma of wine is also afraid of deep alleys, especially when it entered China in early 2013, Feldberg lacked both channels and popularity.

After 5 years of sedimentation, I finally waited for an opportunity.

Recalling the first China International Import Expo, Alex Kleon, the General Manager of TCB Group, praised it endlessly. In the small display area, the strong wheat aroma and pure taste of Feldberg beer have been recognized by many buyers and consumers. Among them, there is COFCO Famous Zhuanghui.

During the extension period, both parties reached a deep strategic cooperation agreement. Afterwards, COFCO Mingzhuanghui actively took on the spillover effects of the CIIE and efficiently completed the transformation from a "purchaser" to a "trader". More than 500 stores across the country are filled with various series of Feldberg beers. Nearly a thousand nationwide promotion and tasting events per month fully unleash the charm of Feldberg.

According to statistics, in 2019, the sales revenue of Feldberg increased by nearly 40%, achieving a single product sales revenue of over 100 million yuan, and successfully occupying a place in the Chinese imported beer market. "China is the world's largest producer and consumer of beer. Through the CIIE, we have gained the most intuitive understanding of the potential of the Chinese market, and more experienced the strength and sincerity of Chinese enterprises, gaining more confidence." Alex Kleon said.

On the basis of maintaining long-term cooperation with Feldberg, COFCO Mingzhuanghui has also continuously expanded its "circle of friends" through the matchmaking and bridging of the CIIE, and has reached cooperation with multiple overseas liquor companies such as Le Voeux Winery in France, Ansheng Winery Group, Fist Group in Spain, Carlo Winery Group in Chile, and Senia Winery.

At the 5th China International Import Expo, COFCO Mingzhuanghui reached cooperation with multiple overseas liquor companies

"Since the first China International Import Expo, our procurement scale has been continuously increasing, with a significant increase in the number of cooperating suppliers and transaction amounts." Bu Chaohui, Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the Market Brand Management Center of COFCO Mingzhuanghui, said that although the segmented tracks of various enterprises are different, the unchanged keyword in the communication process is "the Chinese market".

"The CIIE has become a 'touchstone' for overseas enterprises to enter China, through which they can see China's determination and confidence to actively open up its market to the world and share development opportunities," said Bu Chaohui.

Conspiracy for transformation and upgrading

In recent years, with the rapid development of digital technology, new consumer formats, scenarios, and services have emerged like mushrooms after rain, profoundly changing the sales model of enterprises.

Strolling through the CIIE, Feldberg feels the most cutting-edge production technology and advanced marketing concepts, and has determined a development strategy for youthfulness and digitization. COFCO Mingzhuanghui has also fully absorbed the nutrients of the CIIE. According to the actual needs of the enterprise, COFCO Mingzhuanghui actively adjusts its trade service plan and provides support to the best of its ability for the transformation and upgrading of Feldberg. Taking Chinese Loong and dragon scale as elements, COFCO Mingzhuang Hui helped Feldberg design the Red Can Reserve Lager Beer, which symbolizes "auspicious" and "good luck", in combination with the new China-Chic trend. Once the product is launched, it immediately becomes a "hot selling item".

"The CIIE is a window for China to build a new development pattern, a platform to promote high-level openness, and a globally shared international public good. Guided by this concept, we not only need to share the dividends of the Chinese market with overseas enterprises, but also use 'Chinese wisdom' to help them achieve high-quality development in line with the times." said Bu Chaohui.

In the international market competition, "Chinese wisdom" has also given Feldberg more advantages and confidence. At the beginning of this year, the comprehensive cost of raw materials in the upstream of the German beer industry surged, posing significant challenges for related liquor companies. In the face of adversity, thanks to the good reputation won at the CIIE and the early layout in the new consumer scene, sales in Feldberg increased by 80% year-on-year from January to April, showcasing the "Feldberg sample" rooted in the Chinese market to the world.

Promoting Cultural Integration Together

"We firmly believe that as long as all parties follow the trend of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win, and promote practical cooperation around key areas such as food security, we will definitely promote global food security and high-quality sustainable development of the food industry..." On November 5, 2022, at the sub forum of the 5th Hongqiao International Economic Forum on "Promoting Global Food Security and Rural Revitalization through Economic and Trade Cooperation", Luan Richeng, President of COFCO Group, delivered a keynote speech, demonstrating the "Chinese attitude" in addressing food security issues.

After the meeting, Feldberg and COFCO Mingzhuanghui once again joined hands, taking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany as an opportunity, based on the deep connotation of "making friends through wine", innovatively solving problems from a cultural perspective, and striving to jointly explore new ways to deepen exchanges and cooperation on food security.

Feldberg brought "Dragon Boat" and "Zongzi" back to Germany. This year's Dragon Boat Festival, Feldberg organized the Feldberg Dragon Boat Festival in Saxony, Germany, so that people in eastern Germany can feel the splendor of Chinese culture in the dragon boat race, deeply understand the "big food concept" behind "one Zongzi", and actively promote the Expo to German enterprises.

COFCO Mingzhuang Hui has brought German football, rock and other cultures into China. During the Qatar World Cup, COFCO Mingzhuanghui applied the latest and trendy concepts learned at the CIIE to practice, planned a series of marketing activities, and allowed more Chinese consumers to experience the "German flavor" while promoting cup replacement and enjoying wine. At the same time, it conveyed the brand concept of pursuing environmental protection in Feldberg to the outside world.

"Civilization can only be integrated through communication, and progress can only be made through integration. We hope that through the efforts of both sides, more people can take action and contribute to building a global food security community," said Bu Chaohui.

"In this process, we hope to borrow more inspiration from the Expo, spark more sparks, and continue to create a richer life experience for Chinese and global consumers," said Alex Kleon.

Now, the preparation work for the 6th China International Import Expo is in full swing. COFCO Mingzhuanghui and Feldberg, this pair of "forgetful friends", are ready to raise their glasses again and share more beauty with the world.