Locals find dealers to bring products to world market

The ongoing international wine and liquor expo in Guiyang, capital city of Guizhou, has built a bridge between the province and the world, said industry insiders.

Zhang Zaibin, chairman of Guizhou Xiongzheng Distillery Group, headed a delegation to the third China Guizhou International Liquor and Wine Expo, which runs from Sept 9 to 12.

He said the expo calls to mind a famous Chinese proverb.

"'Even the finest wine must avoid being buried in a deep valley'. The Chinese saying means that we have to strengthen ties with the larger market," Zhang said.

"The expo has provided this opportunity for us," he added.

Since Xiongzheng first attended the expo in 2009, the brand's influence has greatly increased, he said.

"The development of Guizhou's liquor industry provided us a chance to be known by the outside world. I believe the credit should also be given to the expo since it is one of the few international liquor and wine expos in the country," said Zhang.

He said the rapidly growing reputation of Guizhou as a liquor-producing province has brought many business opportunities to local companies, especially the smaller distilleries.

"In the past, domestic and international dealers have mostly been attracted to premium brands like Moutai," he said, adding that they have discovered many lesser-known brands that are still high in quality in the delegations' frequent trips to the expo.

And he noted that liquor and wine expo has played an important role in helping to increase recognition of such brands.

Zhang said his company has achieved 50 percent sales growth in the past two years, and most of the deals they are making are with distributors outside the province.

"Unlike before, the dealers now are willing to visit us to seek opportunities for cooperation. "

High-end brands have also maintained their growth momentum.

For instance, Huaizhuang Liquor recently signed deals worth more than 370 million yuan at its 30th anniversary ceremony.

"Seeing the growing demand for Guizhou's liquor products, we're confident in keeping the position as a top-tier white liquor brand in China," said Chen Guo, chairman of Huaizhuang.

The Guizhou International Liquor and Wine Expo has evolved from a liquor expo first held in Zunyi city in 2008.

It grew into an international event in 2011, and the first session under the present name was held in Guiyang in August.

During the second session in September 2012, deals worth more than 10.7 billion yuan were signed, according to data from the expo's organizing committee.

"This year's expo is even larger than last year's event, and we hope to achieve better results," said Chen Zeming, deputy director of Guizhou Department of Commerce, a co-organizer of the event.

Chen said this year's expo has attracted more than 800 overseas wine and liquor companies from 38 countries, including renowned wine-producing countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.

These foreign companies will continue to carry on cooperation with partners in Guizhou, Chen added.

In addition to foreign firms, the expo also drew more than 1,000 domestic liquor and wine companies, including giant players like Moutai and Wuliangye.

"Exhibitors have filled up the 3,000 booths in an area of 80,000 square meters. The scale of this year's event will be the largest ever," Chen said.

As part of the exhibition, Guizhou's liquor culture is also on display.

"Guizhou has a long history of making baijiu - or white liquor. And quite a few brands have been household names for many years," said Chen Gui, a distributor from Guangdong province.

Zhao Kezhi, Party chief of Guizhou, said hosting the first international liquor and wine expo in China shows Guizhou's potential in the industry has been recognized by the international community.

He added that the expo is a showcase for the new image of Guizhou, a window for opening up and a stage for attracting investment.

Despite a recent decree from the central government to ban top liquor brands like Moutai from official banquets, Guizhou's liquor industry saw steady growth in the first half of this year amounting to a 19.5 percent increase year-on-year.

zhaokai@chinadaily.com.cn