英国十九世纪著名外交家政治家帕默斯顿说,请客吃饭是外交的灵魂。该国首相卡梅伦显然深谙此道。今年十月习近平访英,他给习发出酒吧之邀,满足了外交需要,还不经意成就了一个生意人的大好“钱”景……
By Simina Mistreanu
When President Xi Jinping went on a state visit to Great Britain this past October, British Prime Minister David Cameron invited him for a swift pint of beer at his local pub in Buckinghamshire.
今年十月,习近平访英,在英国首相卡梅伦的邀请下,去伦敦郊外白金汉郡的一家酒吧品尝啤酒。
Cameras filmed the two world leaders walking to the counter and Cameron ordering two pints of Greene King beer. Next, the men are pictured having a toast and drinking beer with a snack of fish and chips.
媒体镜头里,两国领导人行至吧台,卡梅伦点了两杯啤酒,两人碰杯后就着薯条下酒。
As in the past, when Xi visited local restaurants in Beijing, Chinese went crazy wanting to replicate the experience. This time, they craved the beer that Xi was drinking.
不出所料,两人手里的英国麦啤成了人们趋之若鹜的酒桌“逼格”利器。
For Peter Bloxham, a Beijing-based British businessman who imports Greene King beers into China, it was a windfall.
Peter Bloxham,在北京的英国商人,专门从事Greene King啤酒的进口业务。对他来说,这是一场飞来横财。
“The two days after the event, our phone never stopped ringing,” Bloxham said. “It was ringing day and night. All over China, agents, hotels, restaurants, they wanted IPA. And we haven’t got it because we never knew there was going to be such a demand.”
“新闻出来两天后,我们的电话就被打爆了。中国各地的代理商,宾馆,饭店都想要订购。我们从没想过会有这么大的需求量,所以一直供不应求。”
Bloxham started importing British beers into China in 2004 with his company PFB Trading. He brings traditional British brands such as Greene King, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven.
04年开始,Bloxham就做起了英国啤酒的中国进口生意。他引进了一系列老牌英国啤酒,包括Greene King,Old Speckled Hen,Abbot Ale还有Belhaven。
But until now demand hasn’t been so high, as the beer market is dominated by Chinese light lager brands such as Tsingtao, Yanjing and Snow. As for imported beers, German, Belgian and American brands sell much better than British ales in China.
但是这个市场一直没有做大,国内的啤酒市场还是被青岛燕京雪花这几个国产品牌占领。至于进口啤酒,德国比利时和美国的牌子也比英国啤酒卖的好得多。
Bloxham used to import about 6,000 bottles of British beers and ciders every month. Now, after the famous Xi-Cameron toast, he’s waiting for three shipments totaling 75,000 bottles of Greene King IPA to reach the Tianjin port this month.
过去,Bloxham每个月进口6000瓶左右的英国啤酒和果酒。现在,一个月就有75000瓶Greene King啤酒到港。
“We’d become multimillionaires if it went on like this because it’s just crazy, absolutely crazy” Bloxham said. “I think after Spring Festival we’ll get back to normality, but our sales will go up by then.”
“这太疯狂了,这样下去我们离千万富翁都不远了。春节后销量可能会回归正常水平,不过肯定还是会涨的。”
China’s beer market is the largest in the world in terms of volume. In 2014, it totaled 500 million hectoliters. But this year, the volumes decreased by 5 to 10 percent because the lower end of the market has become saturated, according to research firm Daxue Consulting.
中国有着全球最大的啤酒市场,2014年的消费量就有五百亿升。不过今年的销量跌了5到10个百分点,因为低端啤酒市场渐渐开始饱和。
Out of that market, real ale – known as beer that is unfiltered, unpasteurized and contains live yeast – makes up less than 1 percent.
然而庞大的中国啤酒市场上,只有不到1%是未过滤未消毒含活酵母的麦酒。
Importers such as Bloxham have started to bring real ale into China in the early 2000s, selling it in gourmet stores and at some Western restaurants. Later that decade, local microbreweries started opening in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, catering at first to expats.
像Bloxham一样的进口商在世纪初就把真正的麦芽酒带到中国,在美食店和西餐馆出售。后来他们陆续在北京上海等大城市建起啤酒厂。一开始,顾客主要都是外国人。
Beijing has several popular microbreweries, including Great Leap Brewing, Arrow Factory Brewing, Slow Boat Brewery and Jing-A Brewing. The bitter, thicker beers are not a familiar taste for most Chinese, who are used to lighter beers, which are had to wash off spicy foods.
北京有几家小有名气的小啤酒厂,比如Great Leap Brewing,Arrow Factory Brewing,Slow Boat Brewery和Jing-A Brewing。然而习惯淡啤酒的国人对苦涩浓烈的英国麦啤并不习惯。
But some analysts believe the real ale market will grow in China, as the middle class is moving toward more premium drinks, and people in their 20s and 30s have travelled more and have encountered these drinks abroad.
不过一些人分析,国人对正宗麦酒的需求会越来越大。中产阶级开始转而消费更优质的饮品,二三十岁的年轻人也越来越多出国旅游,尝试异国风味的酒类。
In the meantime, Bloxham, who also sells British ciders and ginger beers, hopes President Xi will try out another one of his brands during his next visit to the UK.
Bloxham也做着英国果酒和姜酒的生意,想着习近平下一次访英时能尝尝这些酒。
“I contacted them in the UK and said next time he’s visiting, get him to try one of your Crabbie’s (a ginger beer), and then we’ll have good sales of Crabbie’s in China as well.”
“我联系了在英国的那些人,告诉他们,下次习近平访问时,让他试试姜酒,再拉动一下销量。”
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