Wheat Beer Increasingly Popular - Erdinger

ERDINGER in the USA – The World’s Most Popular Wheat Beer!
Newcomer South-East Asia
Ireland’s pub culture
ERDINGER in Croatia
G
reeting…
The positive economic development in some
of the smaller states of South-East Asia has
opened up new and very promising markets
for German brewers. The excellent reputation
of Germany’s beer culture has long
been known in such countries as Cambodia,
Vietnam and the Philippines, which are
among the latest export markets for our
brewery. ERDINGER Weissbräu is active here
as an ambassador for Bavarian beer brewing
– with great success among both the
local population and visitors from abroad.
This underlines once again the importance
of sticking to one’s principles and upholding
the company’s commitment to tradition and
quality.
Best regards from Erding
Werner Brombach
Wheat beer increasingly popular
When it comes to beverage
consumption, the USA is the
undisputed leader: each
American drinks around 375 liters (99
gal) of bottled beverages per year, compared
with an average 167 liters (44
gal) in Europe. Until 1994, the USA was
also the world’s leading beer nation. In
the meantime, however, the Americans
have been overtaken by China and the
USA is now in second place with a total
volume of around 233 million hectoliters
(6155 million gal), followed by
Germany in third place. The huge US
beer market has experienced some
significant changes over the past few
years: the market is no longer
dominated by such well-known lagers
as “Bud light”, “Miller lite” and “Coors
light”. The current trend is toward
more individual tastes: an increasing
number of so-called “microbreweries”
are creating a more vibrant beer
market and many Americans have
discovered their “own” special brews.
Among the top 15 new brands which
established themselves in the retail
USA
trade in 2006 there is even a US wheat
beer at third place. This trend toward
greater variety is also being felt by
beer importers who enjoyed over 7 %
growth in both of the last two years.
Imported beers are benefiting in
particular from the lack of a premium
segment on the domestic market and
have since notched up a market share
of 12 %. Beers from Mexico, Canada,
the Netherlands and Belgium are
particularly popular, but the up-andcoming
countries are Great Britain,
Ireland and Germany. It’s no surprise,
therefore, that the USA is one of the
most important trading partners for
German brewers, who shipped some
1.5 million hectoliters (369 million
gal) across the Atlantic in 2004.
Although US legislation restricts the
distribution network for external
“newcomers”, beer specialties such as
ERDINGER Weissbier – marketed in
America by importer Jeff Coleman
of Distinguished Brands – enjoy partic-
Oktoberfest “Made in the USA”: ERDINGER Weissbier is the perfect beer
for Oktoberfests in the USA, as demonstrated here in Vail, Colorado.
www.erdinger.de

EXPORT NEWS 1/07
ularly good market opportunities. In
addition to the classic “ERDINGER
Weissbier with Fine Yeast”, a second
variety has also succeeded in establishing
itself in the USA: “ERDINGER Weissbier
Dark” – a beer which is unique on the
American market. Strong growth figures
have shown that this particularly fullflavored
wheat beer is exactly the taste US
consumers are looking for. Importer Jeff
Colemann has a simple explanation for it:
“Those that try ERDINGER Dark simply
love it”.
Within the huge export market of the USA,
certain regions stand out in particular. In
the North-East, for example, ERDINGER
Weissbräu has enjoyed particularly strong
Miami
ERDINGER IN USA
sales growth: twice as much wheat beer
was served there in January 2007 than in
the same month of the previous year. In
Colorado there are several “ERDINGER
Oktoberfest” strongholds. The events in
Vail, Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch
and Denver have already established
national reputations. In the beer tents
they serve the original Weissbier which
also fills the beer mugs at the traditional
“Herbstfest” in Erding: ERDINGER
Festweisse. This beer has been marketed
in the USA since 2005 as “ERDINGER
Oktoberfest Weizen”.
ERDINGER can also boast excellent results
in California – above all at the Waterfront
Café in Los Angeles, directly overlooking
Venice Beach. With its phenomenal
view of the Pacific Ocean, the café
served as a backdrop in Clint
Eastwood’s Oscar-winning movie
“Million Dollar Baby” and is a meeting
point for ERDINGER fans in L.A.
ERDINGER is also particularly trendy in
southern Florida, where it is now
served in the most elegant restaurants
and lounges on Miami’s South Beach
and Art Deco district. The beer is also a
great favorite in the art and party scene,
where ERDINGER is proving highly
popular at vernissages, for example.
DJs in particular rave about the cool
non-alcoholic variety: the isotonic
thirst-quencher is the ideal energy
provider for those long party nights.
The “Waterfront Café” in L.A. is one of the most popular
and high-selling ERDINGER bars in the world.
Chicago
New York skyline
HONORS
Ten years of
imports
Heineken Switzerland has been
marketing ERDINGER Weissbier
in Switzerland for ten years now.
To express their gratitude for the many
years of successful cooperation, Karl-Heinz
Schwander (l., working for ERDINGER in
Switzerland) presented a special certificate
to Toni Schneider (r.), Director Sales &
Distribution Heineken Switzerland.
AWARDS
Ambassador
for Bavarian
hospitality
Tom Blomberg (l.), manager of the
“Cardinal” pub in Stavanger can now
proudly call himself an “Ambassador
for Bavarian Hospitality” in Norway. He
received ERDINGER Weissbräu’s “Three
Golden Wheat Stalks” award in recognition
of his many years of partnership.
The certificate and a brass badge were
presented to him by Michael Schauerte
(r.), the private brewery’s Area Sales
Manager. Another ERDINGER Weissbräu
partner of many years’ standing is Rene
Levi (pictured left with his wife) of the
“1920 Beer Restaurant” in Athens/Greece.
He was also thanked by Michael Schauerte
for his loyalty and congratulated on
receiving the coveted ERDINGER award.

Nikola Pavlinek and his company Nipa Trade Ltd. have been successfully
importing ERDINGER in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro
since 1998. Over the past few years the company has succeeded in
increasing sales in the Adriatic region by 350 percent. The Croatian market for
bottled ERDINGER Weissbier is enjoying particularly strong growth at the
moment, although sales of draft beer are also on the rise. ERDINGER Weissbier
is especially popular in the capital city of Zagreb, as well as in Dubrovnik and
Osijek. Thanks to its flourishing economy, Croatia is regarded as one of Eastern
Europe’s most promising
beer markets. Nipa Trade
Ltd. was founded in 1992
and employs six people at
its head office in Zagreb,
while ten further staff
attend to the needs of
customers in the other
regions of Croatia. The
company not only supplies
bars and restaurants, but
also major retailers such
as Metro, Kaufland and
Ipercoop.
Nipa Trade Ltd. employees in front
of St. Mark’s church in the
center of Zagreb.
EXPORT NEWS 1/07
New markets in South-East Asia
The boom in Asia’s major industrialized
nations is currently
dominating the business news.
Yet the smaller nations of South-East
Asia are also experiencing an unparalleled
economic upswing which
is expressing itself, amongst other
things, in a booming beer market.
ERDINGER, for example, has been able
to tap into highly promising sales
markets in Vietnam, the Philippines and
Cambodia.
Wherever local breweries are reporting
encouraging output growth, conditions
are also ideal for the Bavarian wheat
beer with fine yeast. In 2005 Vietnam
expanded production volume by over
18 percent and is now one of Asia’s top
5 beer nations with 13.8 million
hectoliters – trailing only China, Japan,
Thailand and South Korea. The country
is being closely followed by the
Philippines, where output reached 13.5
million hectoliters in 2005. And
although beer production in Cambodia
is still below the half-million-hectoliter
OUR IMPORTERS NIPA TRADE LTD. NEWS TICKER
- partner for Croatia
VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, PHILIPPINES
mark, local brewers have been steadily
raising output over the past few years.
In addition to their flourishing local beer
markets, the discovery of the three
nations as attractive tourist destinations
has also helped prepare the ground for
ERDINGER’s growing success among the
inhabitants and their visitors from
around the world. In Vietnam, where
tourism is helping power Asia’s fastest
growing economy, the finely flavored
wheat beer has been available since
early 2007. In Ho Chi Minh City, the
former Saigon, the Bavarian specialty is
already on the drinks menus of leading
bars and restaurants, such as “Ice Blue”
or the “Tell Restaurant” with its excellent
continental cuisine. With more than
7,000 islands, tourism in the Philippines
is spread widely among hundreds of
resorts and hotels, an increasing
number of which now serve ERDINGER.
In the Kingdom of Cambodia, the worldfamous
wheat beer has established itself
in particular in the former Siamese city
of Siem Reap. It is here that tourists can
Franz Beckenbauer
Soccer icon Franz Beckenbauer and ERDINGER Weissbräu are
to remain partners for a further three years. The new TV
campaign was presented in spring and featured employees of the
private brewery for the first time alongside Franz Beckenbauer.
Team ERDINGER Non-Alcoholic
Triple Olympic champion in Turin/Italy, Michael Greis, has been
voted Sportsperson of the Year 2006. A jury composed of some
3,000 members of the German Sports Journalist Association
honored the biathlete and Team ERDINGER Non-Alcoholic
member for his exceptional performances in the past year.
ERDINGER Non-Alcoholic in Switzerland
As of March 2007 ERDINGER Non-Alcoholic has been listed by Switzerland’s
largest retail chain Migros. The 0.33-liter longneck bottles are sold in sixpacks.
Sales so far indicate strong consumer demand and a positive future
in Switzerland.
America’s Cup
ERDINGER Non-Alcoholic was among the official suppliers for
the German yacht “United Internet Team Germany” at this year’s
America’s Cup, which took place in Europe for the first time
in 156 years. At their base in Valencia / Spain, skipper Jesper
Bank and his crew were able to enjoy a refreshing ERDINGER
Non-Alcoholic.
marvel at one of the country’s most
important tourist attractions, Angkor
Wat, Asia’s largest temple complex
originating from the 12th century. Vis-àvis
the complex, the restaurant “Chez
Sophéa & Matthieu” serves ERDINGER
together with Khmer and French
specialties. In the three young export
nations around the South China Sea, the
classic Bavarian wheat beer has thus
already gained an impressive number of
new international customers.
Angkor Wat in Cambodia

EXPORT NEWS 1/07
The “Hole in the Wall” is Ireland’s longest pub.
Its roots go back to the year 1681.
Irish pubs stand for good beer
enjoyment in enjoyable company
and have spread the reputation of
Ireland’s beer culture around the
world. A visit to the pub is simply an
integral part of everyday life in Ireland:
eight out of ten Irish people are to be
found there on a regular basis. It is no
surprise, therefore, that beer sales “on
the premises” play a major role on
the Emerald Isle and account for over
70 % of total revenues.
This economic significance of the Irish
pub has long historical roots. It was
the Romans who laid the foundation
for the development of a “pub culture”
in the British Isles with the spread of
the “taberna”. Centuries later, monasteries
set up inns to cater to the
many pilgrims traveling through the
country. However, this well-developed
network of inns suffered a serious
setback when Heinrich VIII dissolved
the nation’s monasteries. This left only
the beer houses and taverns trading
wine. In the 17th century both began
to be referred to as “public houses”, a
term which was later shortened by the
Victorians to “pub” – and the golden
Hier, im „Café ein Seine“, trifft man mit
etwas Glück Bono, den Sänger von U2.
age of “pub culture” as it is known
today was launched.
Today, the island is covered by a tight
knit network of these traditional
drinking houses, whereby beer is the
undisputed number one alcoholic
beverage with a market share of 53 %.
Together with the Czech Republic,
Germany and Austria, Ireland is
among the top four nations in terms
of per capita beer consumption.
However, the previously dominant
varieties, lager and stout, have recently
been under challenge as international
premium beers have become
increasingly popular. What’s more, the
Irish are attaching ever greater
importance to quality. Recent market
research studies have shown that 45 %
of all adults believe it is worth paying a
little more for good quality beer.
Specialty beers with a slightly exotic
character are particularly popular
among Irish beer connoisseurs. The
interest is so great that there are even
radio shows in which various
international beer brands are presented
and their taste analyzed. Up to
IRELAND’S PUB CULTURE
on the “Emerald Isle”
just a few years ago, however,
consumers were prevented from
enjoying many famous high-quality
beers, as the distribution channels
were mostly dominated by Guinness,
Heineken and Beamish. As one of
the first importers, “Noreast Beer
Ltd.” set about establishing international
premium beer brands on
the local market – including
ERDINGER Weissbier in 1998. The
traditional Bavarian brand soon
found favor with Irish consumers and
is now the market leader in the wheat
beer segment. ERDINGER Non-
Alcoholic is also enjoying strong
popularity in Ireland: as the country’s
only non-alcoholic wheat beer, it is a
true specialty with tremendous growth
potential. Thanks to these positive
developments, the Emerald Isle is now
one of ERDINGER Weissbräu’s top 5
export nations.
ERDINGER wheat beer is served at
over 350 pubs and restaurants
throughout Ireland. The Bavarian
specialty is particularly well
represented in the country’s pub
capital, Dublin, where a wide variety
of styles is available. Among the
more traditional are the “Hole in the
Wall” – Ireland’s longest pub – and
“The Long Stone”. The atmosphere of
those pubs frequented in the early
1900s by artists and writers is to be
found in the “Café en Seine”, which
is decorated throughout in the art
deco style. Trendier pub visitors will
prefer the music café-bar “Soul 28”,
where jazz, funk, soul and comedy can
all be enjoyed. Other pubs serving
ERDINGER include the “Porter House
The “Porterhouse Microbrewery” is one of only a
few small breweries still brewing the traditional
“porter”, which gave birth to “stout” in 1820.
“Hogans” is located near Trinity College, where
writers such as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and
Samuel Beckett were educated.
“Jack Carvill & Sons”, Dublin
Microbrewery”, “Bob’s”, “Mao’s”,
“Palace Bar”, “Luigi Malone’s”,
“Market Bar”, “Fire Brigade” and
“Pravda”. Clubbers can round off a
night of partying with a refreshing
glass of wheat beer at “Hogans”.