Finding an importer for Indian craft beer abroad

What an importer actually does

In most markets, alcohol can only be brought in by a business licensed to do it. The importer clears customs, pays import and excise duties, registers your labels where that is required and holds stock in a bonded or duty paid warehouse. Some importers also distribute and sell to bars and shops themselves. Others sell on to wholesalers.

In the United States, for example, alcohol usually moves through three tiers: importer, then distributor, then retailer, with state laws on top. In smaller markets one company may do everything. Know which model applies before you start talking, because it decides how many margins sit between your price and the drinker's.

Where to look

Start with the bars and shops in your target city that already stock Indian or other imported craft beer. Their suppliers are your shortlist. Indian restaurants abroad are a natural first channel, so ask who supplies their beer. Wine and spirits importers sometimes add craft beer, but check they understand cold storage and short shelf life.

Trade shows, the commercial sections of Indian missions abroad and export promotion bodies can introduce you to importers. Treat every introduction as a lead, not a recommendation. Our guide to picking a first export market covers how to choose the country before you choose the partner.

How to judge a candidate

Ask each importer for its current portfolio, the outlets it sells to and how it stores beer. A good craft beer importer keeps stock cold and can tell you how long a typical case sits before it sells. Ask for two references from other breweries it represents and actually call them.

Watch for a few warning signs:

• A portfolio so large your beer will be one line among hundreds.
• No cold storage for hoppy or unpasteurised beer.
• Pressure to sign a long exclusive deal before any trial order.
• Vague answers on who pays for marketing and samples.

Who owns the label registration

In several markets the importer registers your label or product with the authorities. If that registration sits in the importer's name, changing importer later can mean starting the process again. Ask whose name it will be in and whether it can be transferred.

The same goes for trademarks. Register your brand in the target country yourself, or make sure the agreement says any registration made by the importer belongs to you. A brand you do not own abroad is a brand you can lose.

The terms to agree in writing

• Territory. One country, one region or one city.
• Exclusivity. If granted, tie it to minimum annual volumes.
• Term. A first term of one or two years, with clear renewal and exit terms.
• Price and Incoterms. Whether you quote ex works, free on board (FOB) or delivered.
• Payment. Advance payment or a letter of credit for early orders.
• Marketing. Who pays for samples, events and point of sale material.
• Stock rotation. What happens to beer close to its best before date.

Use a lawyer who knows the target market's alcohol law. This guide covers what to ask, not legal advice.

Start with a trial order

A first order of one pallet or a shared container lets both sides learn without much risk. Count the weeks from order to shelf. Ask for sell through reports every month. If the beer is selling slowly, find out why before you send more. It may be price, it may be placement or it may be that the beer arrived tired after six weeks at sea.

Picking a partner, building the price chain and judging a market from monthly sales data are the business decisions that decide whether exporting works. Few brewers have done them before their first shipment.

Support the importer once the beer lands

An importer with dozens of brands will push the ones that sell themselves and the ones whose brewers show up. Plan to visit the market at least once in the first year. Spend a few days with the importer's sales team, pour the beer for buyers and train bar staff on what makes it different. A brewer who can explain a rice lager or a hop schedule in person sells more than a brochure does.

Give the importer what it needs to sell: good photographs, tasting notes, food pairing ideas and a clear story of where the beer comes from. Agree a small sample budget for the first year in cases. Track where those samples went. If samples go out and no orders follow, you have learned something about the outlets, the price or the partner.

Your first step

Pick one city abroad. List ten bars, shops or restaurants there that already sell imported craft beer and find out who supplies each one. Email the three names that come up most often with a short introduction, your range and your current pack formats.

Common questions

Can an Indian brewery sell beer directly to bars abroad?

Usually not. Most countries require alcohol to be brought in by a licensed importer, who then sells to bars, shops or wholesalers.

Should I give an importer exclusive rights?

Only with minimum annual volumes and a clear exit clause, ideally after a trial order has shown the partnership works.

Who should own my trademark in the export market?

You should. Register it yourself or make sure the importer agreement says any registration belongs to your brewery.