"We brew real Munich light - with an intense taste, just a little lighter," says Felix Wendlandt from the Graefelfinger Gesellschaft KCG.
The beer is not produced in Bavaria, but in the Middle Kingdom.
Graefelfing - The Krass Capital Group AG (KCG) has existed since 2008, which “quite normally” aims to invest in young companies, for example from the solar and IT industries.
In addition, the three-person team has already tackled the establishment of a company itself, for example the offer for the worldwide networking of state-approved lotteries, which can implement extra offers via "Global License Management GmbH".
Würmtal: Bavarian company has beer produced in China - trustworthy brewery in Shanghai
One of the new business partners is Karl Bauer.
The northern Bavarian didn’t just talk to the Munich team of the KCG about numbers, but also discussed his homeland - including a no longer produced but unforgotten brand of beer: “Brander Urstoff”, brewed until 1969 in the castle brewery near Marktredwitz 1684 goes back.
Karl Bauer had owned the trademark rights to “Urstoff” since 2004.
"We here in the team like to drink beer and found the topic interesting," says Felix Wendlandt, chief analyst at KCG.
But it did not seem to make much sense to revive the raw material in Bavaria - the economic growth prospects were not dynamic enough for that.
Another piece of the puzzle had to be added to turn the vague idea into a business plan.
That piece of the puzzle was a business trip to China.
"Bavarian beer is known and loved there," says Wendlandt and names breweries from Munich and Erding that export to the Middle Kingdom.
“But it sometimes takes up to three months from the storage cellar to the supermarket,” he argues.
Because the delivery crosses the equator twice in the container and is strongly warmed up.
“Bavarian beer in China definitely doesn't taste the way you know it from Bavaria,” says the 29-year-old.
Bavarian beer in China: hops and malt from Germany - water regularly tested in Weihenstephan
Solution: The KCG team was looking for a trustworthy brewery that brews exactly as it is told in China.
“Our contract brewery, so to speak,” explains the industrial engineer.
Offers in China have been checked since November 2015 and a deal was reached with a brewery in Shanghai in March 2016.
In addition, a Chinese subsidiary was founded with six employees, including a German master brewer who oversees production.
Felix Wendlandt is the managing director.
"Hops and malt are delivered from Germany, as is the yeast - it comes from Doemens," he explains.
Only the water is from China itself, but samples are regularly tested in Weihenstephan.
Basically, a Bavarian beer is actually made, freshly brewed on site according to the purity law.
"We hardly changed the original Brander recipe and only held back on the alcohol content because the Chinese like light beers." With at least 4.8 percent, the "Brander Urstoff" does not disappoint Bavaria either.
The marketing phase is currently underway - the logo has been designed to be a little more youthful in order to be more reminiscent of the trendy craft beer scene.
“We are planning to sell 50,000 hectoliters per year initially,” a figure that is not that great.
But if beer sales increase, as expected, at some point it will be inevitable that the boss will also be there.
"I'm thinking specifically about moving to China," says the native of Starnberg, because: "A Chinese company cannot be managed from Germany in the long term."
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our new, regular Würmtal newsletter.
(amb)
