Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd., have begun selling their flagship Far Yeast brand in Beijing, China, signalling their first foray into the mainland China market.
The brewery, who recently moved their headquarters to Yamanashi Prefecture from central Tokyo so their staff could strike a better work-life balance, have said their initial lineup of beers are their three core offerings; Tokyo White, Tokyo Blond, and Tokyo IPA.
Company director Shiro Yamada noted in recent years economic growth and rising incomes in China have led to an increased demand for premium beers as well as an interest in global gastronomy.
“Improvements in logistics and transportation technology have made it easier to distribute fresh food, which has led to a rise in the popularity of high-end restaurants, including sushi restaurants”.
With this in mind Far Yeast are working with their local distributor, Beijing High Table Catering Management Co., to place their beers in high end Japanese restaurants such as the renowned Sushi Ryu (鮨龍) & NO.22 Xiehe Hutong (协和胡同22号).
Yamada explained that before the initial launch Far Yeast conducted test sales in the Chinese capitol with their prospective distribution partner to ascertain which of their beers would best suit the Chinese palate, after which they decided on the release of the 3 beer portfolio.
Far Yeast have launched their core range of 3 beers in mainland China
All three beers being distributed have won multiple awards including a Gold at this year’s Asia Beer Championship for the Tokyo White Saison.
The Far Yeast Brewing Company was founded in 2011 and brewed their early beers in Belgium before receiving permission to operate their own production facility in 2017 at their Genryu Brewery (The Headwaters Brewery) in Yamanashi Prefecture just outside Tokyo. With the addition of mainland China they are now selling their two beer brands, Far Yeast and KAGUA, in 23 countries worldwide as well as at home in Japan.
Far Yeast’s goal is to re-establish the diversity and abundance of true beer culture, says Yamada on his company’s mission “We will continue to strive to bring the unique and distinctive taste of Japanese craft beer to the world”.
