German producers evaluate hops market in China

IN 2015, China imported more than 1,000 tons of hop pellets from Germany.  This growing demand for hops, an ingredient in beers, has prompted HVG Hopfenverwertungsgenossenschaft e.G to engage in a campaign to share the merits of high quality German hops, and provide information about labelling. The company has partnered with hops-growing associations from Tettnang, Elbe-Saale, and Hallertau in Germany as well as with the producer cooperative HVG Spalt. The three-year campaign is co-financed by the EU.

Classic aroma hops are used to produce very mild and fine aromatic beers for the Chinese market. For craft beer, special flavor hops from Germany deliver intense and exotic taste experiences, which are ideally suited for the production of special and unique beers.

German hops fulfill expectations in terms of food safety, quality, and control. Almost 100 percent of German hops fall under the quality regulations of the European Union, such as the protected geographical indication (PGI) or protected designation of origin (PDO). Chinese brewers can now use this identifiable advantage to offer their customers beers with primary flavor ingredients of certified quality and origin that can be transparently and fully traced. The attributes of these hops make all the difference between conventional products and certified European quality products.

While the first two years of the campaign supported by the EU predominantly addresses the decision-makers in the beer industry, the third year will focus on consumers. The project targets the metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai, where brewers and beer lovers will be exposed to the relevant advantages of European products – especially German hops – in different ways.

The planned measures include a media campaign with a newly designed logo on the Internet and in periodicals. Specialists from the beer industry and beer lovers can find all the information they need about European quality products and German hops at the website www.DeGuoPijiuhua.eu. Those who want to have a look for themselves are welcome to visit HVG Hopfenverwertungsgenossenschaft e.G. in China at the 12th China Brew China Beveragetrade show (CBB 2016) from October 11 to 14 in Shanghai, in Hall W1. There will also be an information event about German hops at the fair on 13 October 2016.