Peninsula All-Media Reporter Chen Shaohua
Qingdao is a city that wants to "ha" beer when it comes. Faced with the trend of personalized and high-end consumption, craft beer is catering to the public's pursuit of "drinking enough" to "drink well" with a unique accent. In recent years, it has ushered in explosive growth in Qingdao and even the whole country. According to industry statistics, there are currently nearly 300 craft breweries in Qingdao, distributed in Jimo, Laoshan, Laixi and other districts and cities, and craft beer houses have also been laid out. The industry is at the forefront and when the dividends are approaching, Qingdao's craft market has not yet emerged from the brand's "dark horse", but it has begun to stage a continuous game between store opening and store closing rates. Last year alone, about 60 craft factories and beer halls in Qingdao lost and were eliminated.
The air outlet that continues to heat
The nearly three hundred companies in Qingdao compete in
What is craft beer? "The industry does not have a clear definition and standard for what craft is. Craft beer is actually an imported word, which means handmade beer." On March 3, Wang Jialin, a professor at the School of Marine and Bioengineering of Qingdao University of Science and Technology and a national beer judge, said in an interview with a reporter from Peninsula All-Media that in the "Workshop Beer and its Production Specifications" issued by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association in 2019, workshop beer is translated as craft beer in English, the same as craft beer. The specification defines workshop beer as beer produced by a small beer production line, and during the brewing process, no substances that are not related to the adjustment of the beer flavor are added, and the flavor characteristics are outstanding. The specification of
also determines the "personality" and "small but beautiful" market attributes of craft beer. Based on this, the craft track has also become an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises to make a living on the territory of old giants.
In recent years, many emerging brands have emerged, constantly making the craft "cake" bigger and stronger. Public information shows that the first round of rapid development of domestic craft beer was after 2008, when the first batch of domestic craft beer brands represented by Gao Master and Fengshou Craft appeared at that time. From 2015 to 2017, brands such as Zebra Crafts and Panda Crafts received financing. According to industrial and commercial statistics, around 2018, there were less than 2,000 domestic craft track companies. This year, the craft market ushered in the first round of rapid development and gradually became popular thereafter. By 2021, 600 new companies were added in the first half of the year alone. The reporter learned from the Tianyan Check client that as of January 2022, there were 5,385 craft beer-related companies, of which 4,324 companies were in existence.
related research report shows that the total sales of craft beer account for less than 1% of the total beer sales, but the craft market is growing against the market at a rate of 40% per year. In the next few years, the share of the craft market is expected to increase to 3% of the entire beer market.
"The rapid growth of craft beer comes from the changes in consumer groups on the one hand. As domestic consumers born in the 1990s and 2000s are becoming the main consumer force, their consumption is more personalized and advocating trends." Professor Wang analyzed that, on the other hand, from the perspective of economic development level, the expected continuous growth of China's per capita GDP in the future will provide effective support for the release of craft beer demand.
"Industry dividends have allowed many small and medium-sized enterprises to see opportunities. As of now, Qingdao has built nearly 300 craft breweries, of which 106 are complete." Qu Wei, chief engineer of Jike Crafts, introduced that as a beer city, Qingdao is focused on this market, in addition to many craft entrepreneurs, there are also various capitals and even cross-border brands. In 2017, Panda Craft completed a Series A financing of 119 million yuan, led by Qingdao Huatong Group. With the strategic investment of the state-owned platform, Panda Craft, which has an annual production capacity of 2,000 tons, has expanded significantly, and its registered place will be moved to Shibei District, Qingdao City, and renamed Panda Craft (Qingdao) Wine Co., Ltd. Relevant reports show that the annual production capacity of its Anshun factory in Guizhou will reach 30,000 tons, making it the largest craft brewery in China. In 2020, Qingdao-Anshun jointly built the panda craft project in the industrial park, and Qingdao National Development Bank issued a low-interest loan of 50 million yuan. Outside the track, there are also major manufacturers who have entered the market across the border. Qingdao Langyatai Group and Huangdao Development Group have established Qingdao Jinshatan Craft Beer Co., Ltd., Haidilao and Hema Fresh have launched customized craft beer, and the "Ji Beer" beer from herbal tea king Wanglaoji appeared at the National Sugar and Wine Commodity Fair.
Low threshold caused the industry to reshuffle
Last year, Qingdao eliminated 60
5 years ago, for Qingdao citizens, craft beer is still a new thing that is not well-known to the public. Today, the craft beer market remains growing rapidly, but the track has begun to become crowded. The reporter searched on Qichacha and found that Qingdao craft beer was able to find 419 results. At the same time, well-known domestic craft brands such as Gao Master, Jing A, Niu Beertang, and Panda Craft also came to conquer the city. Last year, many brands such as Panda Craft opened stores in Qingdao, where you can drink craft beer with unique flavors and buy bottled beer.
htmlOn December 3, the reporter met Zhao Chunshan, chairman of Qingdao Taiji Industrial at Jike Craft, No. 63 Haier Road, Laoshan District. He carefully savored the newly produced filling craft beer. "The difference between craft beer and large-scale beer is 'small and beautiful'. The so-called small refers to the production scale. This is based on the regulations of the American Brewers Association. Craft beer merchants need to meet several conditions: First, the annual output cannot exceed 6 million barrels (about 70.2 tons); secondly, the proportion of non-craft brewers or corporate institutions cannot exceed 25% of the shares; finally, most of the beer flavor must be obtained from traditional or innovative raw materials and fermentation processes.""Based on the production limit, many craft enthusiasts believe that building a craft beer bar requires only a few equipment. And low-priced equipment, especially in the second-hand market, only requires more than 100,000 yuan or even tens of thousands of yuan. The entry threshold is low. , leading to constant attempts to squeeze into the craft track to dig gold. In the past three years, Qingdao has built a large number of factories, and was eliminated due to poor management problems such as equipment, technology and management. "Zhao Chunshan said that craft beer is no longer a scarce product at present. Several popular categories a few years ago are now full of the streets, which undoubtedly increases the competitive pressure of entrepreneurs. "In the wild growth, some bad phenomena have also been exposed, such as low thresholds, inadequate management, and uneven products. At the same time, the craft beer category has not entered a node of both production and sales, and it is normal for some companies entering craft beer to withdraw from this category due to insufficient overall strength and other reasons. Last year alone, about 60 craft beer breweries and craft beer beer pavilions were closed. "He introduced that some companies are constantly falling down, and capital from inside and outside the industry has continued to pour into this track, and Qingdao's craft industry is still in a reshuffle.
is not just Qingdao. The reporter logged into the Tianyan Check client and learned that from January 5, 2016 to January 5, 2022, 1,061 of the 5,385 companies related to craft beer have been cancelled, revoked, and closed. It is worth noting that most enterprises that are in the state of cancellation, revocation, or suspension of business will be established within five years. Data shows that in 2021, the annualized store opening rate of domestic craft terminals was 38%, and the annualized store closing rate reached 35%.
industry standards and definitions have not yet been clarified
"It's not that the scale is small, it's called crafts."
The crafts are getting more and more courageous. In the storm of the track, everyone can "craft"?
"In a fourth-tier city, a beer worth 10 yuan per kilogram is also called craft beer, while an imported beer worth 200 yuan per cup in a bar in a first-tier city is also called craft beer." Qu Wei, chief technical engineer of Jike Beer, said: "The word 'craft' is too 'broad' at present." In his opinion, my country currently lacks relevant craft beer standards, and consumers' concepts of craft beer are also unclear.
"For the understanding of crafts, the United States and Germany are two different routes. Germany mainly uses big barrels of fresh beer, and the varieties focus on a few categories of white beer, dark beer, lager, and Al. The United States has obvious fragmentation characteristics. A small bar has dozens of categories, and even adding some pepper, apple juice, and whiskey has become a new variety." Professor Wang Jialin said.
In 2019, the "Workshop Beer and Its Production Standards" group standard issued by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association is a recommended standard. Although the neutral noun of Workshop beer cleverly avoids the various conceptual conflicts of craft beer, it does not make a digital definition of key factors such as production scale and flavor. Overall, craft beer still lacks mandatory industry standards.
Based on the upgrade of consumer groups' demand for health, taste, etc., craft beer is loved by young consumer groups and has formed a trend. Currently, the layout of craft beer houses has appeared in Qingdao. "But it is not called craft if it is small, nor is it equivalent to craft if it is imported beer." In Professor Wang Jialin's view, craft beer should be defined as an upgraded version of beer products, and it needs to be improved from raw materials to equipment to technology to operators, professional qualities, market management, etc.
"Invest 200,000 to 300,000 yuan to open a store, and invest 500,000 to 1 million yuan to invest." Zhao Chunshan introduced that taking a 200-square-meter tavern as an example, only 30 to 50 square meters of area are needed for production and brewing. Investors only need to purchase a few brewing equipment and choose a personalized decoration style to open the store, which can ensure annual production and profitability. This is the current amount of expenses required to invest in crafts. "However, the market is full of cheap equipment. At the same time, brewing technicians do not have professional means because they cannot guarantee microbial data and cannot achieve the target taste, thus losing product quality. It seems that the initial investment cost is low, but it cannot gain a foothold in the industry for a long time."
"Creating a craft brewery is different from pubs and bars. It not only requires brewing equipment, but also filling equipment, and the investment is relatively large." Zhao Chunshan introduced that it is understood that if you want to run a craft beer enterprise, you need to configure a winery with canning equipment of 10 million to 20 million yuan and brewing equipment worth nearly 20 million yuan. In addition, companies also need sufficient working capital. And this is only the basis for running a craft beer business, not the ceiling. Since investing in building a factory requires at least 100 million yuan in capital reserves, most entrepreneurs will choose the OEM model. However, due to the reduction in order volume, factories on the supply chain end have experienced large-scale bankruptcy.
Target group migrates to younger generation
"scene" marketing becomes the main theme
Interview with reporters found that in addition to craft enthusiasts, the main consumer groups of Qingdao craft beer are mainly young people who love to try new products and pursue personality. According to a survey conducted by Jiuqian Middle Station, the target groups of craft beer are born in the 1990s, 1995s and 2000s. The migration of the main consumer group means that residents' consumption level is upgrading. According to a research report by Industrial Securities, the main population of craft beer consumption in my country is gradually transitioning to the post-90s and post-00s, and the trend of younger generation is obvious.
Take Donglao Craft as an example. The main consumer group is young people because they want to keep trying and are more likely to accept new things. As a local craft enterprise, Donglao Craft has an annual output value of about 10,000 tons. It mainly produces craft products such as yellow beer, white beer, IPA, coffee and milk, Shitao, among which yellow beer and white beer are the best-selling. The reporter learned from the interview that, as a local brand in the light wine beverage category, Donglao Craft is based on its own professional winery and is constantly strengthening online and offline traffic diversion and marketing, and laying out a chain effect. At present, Donglao Craft Brand has opened nine franchise stores in many districts and cities such as Shinan, Shibei, and Laoshan. "In recent years, the market demand for craft beer has been increasing. While Donglao Craft meets its own production and sales, it is also increasing its production volume to do OEM for multiple brands." Hua Chenggang, head of Qingdao Donglao Biotechnology Co., Ltd., introduced.
As consumer demand increases, the quality of craft beer is also constantly improving. "Craft beer has greatly improved the stickiness between consumers and products by bringing consumers a unique and diverse taste experience, and has also made craft beer gradually integrated into consumers' daily lives." Mr. Feng is a craft beer enthusiast. "It took about one or two years from 'like to drink' to learning 'tasting'." Every weekend, Mr. Feng would invite three or five friends to gather in the craft beer in the city. "The difference between craft beer and large-scale beer is also the drinking scene." Mr. Feng said that his favorite is an industrial-style tavern in the city, where you can feel a different cultural atmosphere in the specialty restaurants of Steel Fort and Steel Skewers.
"Craft beer has the attributes of face consumption, scene consumption, social consumption, etc., and can quickly accumulate a group of ‘fans’ and form a circle effect, attracting more and more people to enter the beer house and join the craft drinking team."Zhao Chunshan said that during the promotion process, Jike Craft focuses on cultural output and circle influence. "Jike's goal is to feed back to his alma mater and contribute to Qingdao's strength. The 19 brand founders recruited are all Jida Qingdao alumni. "Zhao Chunshan said. "Since its opening in January, the audience of Jike Crafts is mainly people aged 20 to 35. They are highly educated, curious, tend to spend more on leisure and value quality over quantity. "
At the same time, he also emphasized that unlike other alcohol industries, among the consumer groups targeted by craft beer, the female consumer group has risen rapidly, changing the current situation of a single male consumer. Gathering and drinking have also become the main consumption scenarios. The industrial map of
continues to expand
How local brands stand out to achieve a dark horse
Qingdao people love to drink beer, so that there will be beer supply in KFC in Qingdao. The beer houses everywhere in Qingdao city provide consumption scenarios for young people who pursue personality and like beer. The search for crafts on Ele.me is based on the keyword "crafts" and there are many craft beer houses such as Strolling Craft, Qingxiang Craft Beer, Weimai Craft Beer Restaurant, Qingdao Xiaomanerdongge Craft Pulse Hall. Some of Qingdao's craft beer brands have moved from Qingdao to the whole country, and many other brands such as Donglao Craft and Weimai Craft have moved from offline beer houses and specialty stores to online. With their own Tmall brand, products are exported to the whole country.
"But it is also undeniable that as the beer capital, there has not yet appeared a leading brand in Qingdao's craft beer market, which has broken through the siege like leading brands such as Panda Craft and Gao Master. "Zhao Chunsheng analyzed that the main reason is that Qingdao people have been spending many years on large-scale beer, which has led to a relatively small proportion of craft beer market, and big fish cannot be raised in the pond. Faced with the market appearance that is not a strong market, Jike Beer has been preparing to build in September last year and built a factory in December. The first batch of craft beer produced in January this year was sold out. Why did they choose to join the market under the fierce battle of the market? Faced with this question from reporters, Zhao Chunshan replied: "It is not difficult to build a craft brand well. Products are based on, culture is far-reaching, and we must also rely on the new model. "In his opinion, high-end brewing equipment, professional service teams, and new ideas and new channels for chain franchise are the keys to the victory of craft companies.
"The large-scale bankruptcy of craft brewers is first caused by the wrong understanding of the concept of 'craft'. "When talking about how to stand out and build a good brand, Professor Wang Jialin, who is also the chairman of Qingdao Dehua Beer Company, expressed his opinion. Because crafts highlights personality, exaggerates "personality", and lacks a standardized management system. "Craft breweries are not just a beer hall upgrade, but should have the production of products with guaranteed quality and certain characteristics. The product quality has good consistency and stability. While providing consumers with craft beer, they also provide corresponding beer cultural feasts. "At the same time, he also emphasized that because "craft beer" is generally small in scale and relatively scattered, it has brought a lot of inconvenience to management, and strict factory management is a certain difficulty. However, exploring a set of suitable industry management systems and protecting consumers' health rights and interests is an inevitable condition for the healthy development of the industry.
Professor Wang Jialin also emphasized: "300 companies have gathered in the track, and Qingdao's craft beer industry is currently in the jungle stage. If enterprises want to break through the siege, they must rely on excellent and stable quality, open up consumers' minds through brand marketing, and form brand awareness among consumers' groups in order to open up the market situation and obtain commercial returns. "
" craft beer is not only a drink, but also a cultural carrier. "In Zhao Chunshan's view, the rise of craft beer brands cannot only focus on economic interests, but ignore the shaping of beer culture. In addition to its unique taste, the cultural tone is the key to craft beer seizing the large-scale beer market, which is also the direction for Jike Beer to focus on in the future.
(Daimain News·Peninsula News)
