Paulaner USA Announces Agreement to Import Tsingtao Portfolio

From Paulaner:

White Plains, NY —Paulaner USA, the exclusive U.S. importer of the legendary portfolio of premium German beers, is pleased to welcome leading Asian import, Tsingtao to its portfolio. Under this agreement, Paulaner becomes the exclusive U.S. importer of the largest selling Chinese beer in the U.S.   

Effective April 2, 2021, the Tsingtao portfolio includes its; Classic Lager, Pure Draft and 0.0 styles. The portfolio will be available in all 50 states.

“We are excited by the opportunity to add the premium brands of Tsingtao to the Paulaner USA team,” stated Steve Hauser President and CEO of Paulaner USA in making the announcement. “We believe that we can offer the brands the support and strategies necessary to expand their business beyond its traditional Asian restaurant base.”

Paulaner USA’s Paulaner and Hacker Pschorr brands were among the fastest growing German beers in the U.S. as measured by IRI in 2020. The company’s focus on the liquor, grocery, mass merchandising and convenience channels resulted in these gains.

“For many years Paulaner USA sourced a significant portion of its business from the on-premise, particularly in German restaurants. Over the past 5 years we recognized that if we were to grow our business substantially, we needed to expand our off-premise presence, while maintaining our core restaurant base. The strategies and tactics that drove our German brand growth apply perfectly to the opportunity to grow the Tsingtao business,” concluded Hauser.

In commenting on the new relationship, Franklin Ma, Chairman of Tsingtao Brewery International said, “We respect the Paulaner brands for the quality of their beers and their business performance which gives us confidence in their representation of our brands in the U.S. In many ways this is a logical place for us to be given that among the founding members of our Tsingtao brewery in 1903 were German masters.” Tsingtao beer is regarded as a fusion of west and east, bringing together a unique formula of bold Chinese craftsmanship, and refined German technology and the most extraordinary selection of ingredients.

Paulaner USA is in the process of developing its plans for the business in anticipation of the transition from the current importer on April 2. As those plans develop, the company will provide additional relevant details.

About Paulaner USA

Paulaner USA is headquartered in White Plains, New York, and imports Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Fuller’s and Früli. More information can be found at http://paulanerhpusa.com.

About Paulaner
The Paulaner Brewery is one of the largest breweries in Munich, Bavaria in Germany and is part of the Paulaner Brewery Group. The Paulaner Brewery Group unites the brands Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Auer Bräu, Hopf and Thurn and Taxis. Since 1634, Paulaner has represented the finest brewing tradition for top quality crafted beer specialties in Germany and world-wide. Founded (and still being brewed) in Munich, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr are two of the six brands allowed to be served at the world-famous Oktoberfest.
About Tsingtao

Tsingtao Brewery was established in 1903 and now is the sixth largest brewer globally. It is one of the world’s top 500 brands, and publicly listed on both the Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock Exchange. With award-winning beer in America, Europe and Asia, it is now available in more than 100 countries worldwide.