Exporting craft gin: labels, partners and markets

Is your gin ready to export?

Before you look abroad, check the basics at home. Can you make the same gin every time? Do you have stock to supply a distant buyer and still serve local customers? Is your cash flow strong enough to carry stock that sits on a ship for weeks and an importer who pays late?

A brand that cannot supply its home market reliably will not do better abroad. Work through production capacity first.

Choose a market with care

Pick one market, not ten. Consider whether gin is already popular, whether the import route is open to small brands, whether duty and tax leave room for your price and whether you can reach buyers. Some countries restrict or ban alcohol. In those you must follow local law and may not be able to sell spirits at all.

Do not trust a market-size headline. Visit if you can. Look at shelves and menus, as you did at home. See market research before launching a gin.

Labels and compliance

Each country has its own label rules: the wording of the category, strength format, volume, producer or importer details, language and warnings. In the United States, for example, labels need federal approval before import. The process differs from the EU and UK. Rules change, so check with the destination regulator, an importer or an adviser before printing.

You may need a separate label per market. Plan that cost and the stock it creates. Never print a large run for a market before you confirm the label rules.

Importers and distributors

Most countries expect a licensed importer. Some, like the United States, use layers: importer, distributor, then retailer. Each takes a margin. Each has to agree your gin is worth their time.

Look for a partner who already sells similar craft spirits and cares about small brands. Ask for references and agree targets, territory, length of contract and what happens if either side wants out. Use a lawyer for exclusivity terms. Honest partners are worth more than big ones that forget you.

Duty, tax and the price walk

Spirits are taxed at import and again on sale in most places. Duty is often based on volume of pure alcohol. Local taxes add more. Build a price walk from your price to the shelf price in the destination market, including freight, duty, importer and distributor margins, retailer margin and any local tax. Compare it with local competitors, as in pricing and positioning. If the shelf price becomes uncompetitive, the market is wrong for now or the pack needs rethinking.

Shipping glass

Spirits travel in cartons on pallets, usually in containers. Agree who is responsible for each stage and when ownership passes, using standard shipping terms. Pack well, because breakage claims are slow. Check whether your product needs to ship under bond or duty-paid. Use a freight forwarder with experience of alcohol.

Ship samples by a legal route. Sending spirits by post or courier is restricted in many places.

Cash, risk and building the relationship

Export ties up money. Stock is on a ship for weeks, then in a bonded warehouse, then with a distributor who pays on terms. That can be several months from your invoice to your cash. Ask how payment will work before you ship: advance payment, a letter of credit or open terms with a credit check. Currency movements can eat a margin too.

Start with a small first order. Learn how the system works, then scale. Do not stake the home business on one overseas shipment.

A distributor abroad needs help to sell your gin: product training, samples, marketing material, a visit from the founder and a patient approach. Plan time and a modest budget for support. A brand that ships a pallet and disappears will not be reordered.

Agree what you will do together, such as tastings in trade accounts, a launch event or a menu feature. Keep the story and the claims the same as at home.

If you are an overseas company coming to India

Companies abroad that want to sell drinks in India face the mirror image of these steps, with state-level rules. See launching a spirits brand in India from abroad.

Common questions

Which country should I export to first?

One where gin is already enjoyed, the import route is workable and your price can compete. Research it on the ground if possible.

Do I need a different label for each country?

Often yes. Rules on wording, strength and warnings differ.

Do I need an importer?

In most markets yes, because a licensed importer is required by law or practice.

Can I post samples abroad?

Often not. Alcohol shipments are restricted in many places. Use a legal route through a forwarder.