Chinese Liquor Making a Name on World Stage

12 | Tuesday, July 7, 2020 CHINA DAILY From left: A worker inspects Moutai liquor labels. Rows of Moutai liquor are sealed on the production line. Staff members package Moutai bottles. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Chinese liquor making a name on world stage Brand index reports “Moutai believes that only if it stratospheric rise of produces the best liquor in the world can it lay the firmest founda Moutai as company’s tion for its brand value growth.” commitment to high The enormous Chinese market provides the strongest support for quality strengthened Moutai’s growth, he stressed. “Chi na’s reform and openingup and eco By YUAN SHENGGAO nomic rise over the past four decades have nurtured a large mar hinese distiller Moutai is ket with more than 1.3 billion peo the world’s fastest growing ple, where if your product is popular brand, according to the top and well recognized, you will cer 100 global brands list. It tainly gain huge space for growth. Crose 17 places from 2019 to become “In this regard, Moutai is fortu the 18th most valuable brand in the nate to have grown in one of the world. most dynamic markets and an open The rankings of the 2020 BrandZ and inclusive economic environ Top 100 Most Valuable Global ment. The former gives us the Brands were released by communi strength to grow, while the latter cation services group WPP and con provides us with the opportunity to sulting company Kantar at the end learn from outstanding peers such of June. as CocaCola and Diageo.” Seventeen Chinese brands made Li said: “Cultural consensus and the 2020 BrandZ top 100. Two new synergy have strengthened the foun comers were Bank of China, ranking dation for Moutai to make further 79th, and short videosharing plat progress.” form TikTok at 97th. The combined The Chishui River Basin, where brand value of the 17 increased 16 Moutai is located, has been thought percent from 2019, almost three of as the most active industrial belt times the global growth rate. in the global spirits market in recent Moutai, valued at more than years. $53.75 billion, came in just after Over the past decade, the taste of internet giants Alibaba and Tencent, Chinese consumers has gradually which took sixth and seventh posi changed due to the improved quality tions in the rankings respectively. Moutai liquor is shown by foreign guests during the International Bar Association’s 2019 Annual Conference. of sauceflavored baijiu (traditional “We see a significant improve Chinese liquor made from grain). ment in brand equity now com In the past five years, saucefla pared to 10 years ago because vored baijiu led by Moutai has businesses understand the impor become increasingly popular in the tance of investing in brand building Chinese spirits market, Li said. “A and are stronger and more resilient growing number of companies in as a result,” said David Roth, CEO of the industry have begun to produce The Store WPP for the EuropeMid this kind of baijiu with more com dle EastAfrica region and Asia, and plex processes at a higher cost, chairman of BrandZ. attracting more consumers.” “While COVID19 has impacted Since 2018, the company has been every business regardless of size or applying its Cultural Moutai brand geography, consistent investment in ing strategy to shape its corporate marketing can and will help carry image and temperament using you through a crisis,” Roth said. international perspectives and Doreen Wang, global head of world vision amid the context of glo BrandZ at Kantar, said Chinese balization. The move is also aimed at companies have established a repu offering cultural experiences to con tation for innovation and taken cen sumers with different cultural back ter stage in the global business From left: Li Jingren, vicechairman and president of Kweichow Moutai Group. Moutai liquor is displayed at an overseas distributors’ grounds, Li said. community. conference in 2019. Moutai has recently mobilized six Despite the difficulties amid the other peer companies to sign the COVID19 outbreak, Chinese brands Joint Development Declaration of still achieved growth, assuring con moving forward”, said Li Jingren, Moutai is considered one of the It generally takes at least five is located, as well as nearby regions, Enterprises in the World Saucefla sumers worldwide and reinforcing vicechairman and president of best distillers worldwide, created in years before Moutai spirits can be he added. vor Liquor Core Production Area. the foundation for exploring Kweichow Moutai Group, which is a special environment where the bottled for sale, according to the The complex production also They make commitments to create abroad, she said. headquartered in Guizhou prov soil, climate and terrain contribute company. requires experienced workers and better conditions, set stricter stan As a shining example among ince, Southwest China. to the liquor’s unique qualities, Li The sorghum, a raw material for technicians to repeatedly prepare dards, establish a better reputation them, Moutai has maintained With its brand value rising year said. brewing Moutai spirits, is also and brew test batches before they and undertake more responsibilities strong growth in brand value. onyear, Moutai is on a fast track to Moutaibranded spirits go unique, Li noted. can make it, Li said. “To ensure the for the growth of the production are Since its 2012 debut at 69th on the highquality growth, Li said. through long, complex and strict Its thick skin and rich nutrients quality and taste, we have not only as along the Chishui River. BrandZ top 100 list, the rankings Behind the growth is the compa production procedures — 165 tech are suitable for the multidistillation built up teams of excellent craftsmen “I believe that with progress in have witnessed its international ny’s stringent quality control stan nological steps in 30 processes — requirements of Moutai, yet its and liquormaking engineers, but our cooperation, Moutai will win standing advance rapidly. dards, the most critical factor in its ranging from raw materials prepa yields are not as high as expected. also have stateoftheart equipment more opportunities and broader The BrandZ rankings are “a pre brand value, according to the senior ration and brewing to product deliv This is because it can only be pro for distillation, analysis and data spaces to increase its brand influ cious partner to accompany Moutai executive. ery. duced in Renhuai where the distiller detection,” he said. ence,” Li said. Spirit of expertise and craftsmanship preserved over thousands of years By YUAN SHENGGAO a long tradition of making liquor in addition to its highquality products the global business community, a unique environment. and services, Li said. Moutai puts emphasis on quality Moutai liquor, a household name From unearthed cultural relics, it “It is Moutai’s history and cultural control, improving services and beat in China, is flowing abroad and is thought locals began distilling heritage that have shaped its image ing shortcomings to gain sustainable increasing its reputation in the liquor more than 2,000 years ago, and character,” he said. growth, he said. international market. according to Li. In 1951, when Moutai began trans Positioning the brand firmly in the “For consumers in most countries The township was known as an forming itself from a small workshop highend liquor segment, he said a around the world, Moutai is an important salt trading hub some 70 to a modern enterprise, its annual price war has never been an option unfamiliar Chinese spirit with a years ago and became a center of output was some 70 metric tons and for Moutai, no matter what the com mysterious oriental culture,” said Li wealth. This helped encourage high its annual revenue was less than pany’s business results are. Jingren, vicechairman and presi cost production in Moutai’s develop $10,000. “The highend market, as we dent of Kweichow Moutai Group. mental stage. “People without knowledge of understand, is focused on quality,” he “However, we believe in our quality The Chishui River, running Moutai’s history can hardly imagine said. “We believe that the priority and and taste. As long as we are given through the township and flowing that it took us more than half a centu importance of quality and brand are time, more international consumers into the Yangtze River, provided a key ry to reach where we are today and always above other factors.” will definitely become Moutai fans. waterway to ship goods to Shanghai become one of the world’s largest In China, consumers instantly “It’s like decades ago, when Chi before the steam engine was intro liquor companies by market value,” recognize Moutai’s commitment to Moutai’s complex production method requires experienced workers nese people of our generation first duced to inland China. Li said. quality and regard it as a benchmark and technicians to repeatedly prepare and brew test batches before experienced beer. We gradually fell Li said the birth of Moutai is simi “For all the Moutai staff, including for Chinese alcoholic beverages. they can make the final product. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY in love with this beautiful drink. lar to that of famous wine industry myself, Moutai is not only a precious “This is hardearned trust and an Chinese liquor, including Moutai, belts, such as Bordeaux. Both have a asset left by our predecessors, but honor,” he said. will attract more consumers in the long tradition of craftsmanship, a also a historical mission that our gen Internationally, Moutai has For Moutai, the shortterm goal in tion of Moutai liquor’s overseas sales global market.” favorable climate and geographical eration must carry on,” he said.

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