Vodka maker Chase Distillery wins China deal

Drinkers with a taste for the premium vodkas and gins produced by Chase Distillery in Hereford – Britain’s only single distillery estate – will soon be able to find the products in bars across Beijing and Shanghai after impressing buyers with its distinctive flavours.

Potato grower​

The company, which grows its own potatoes and apples at Rosemaund Farm, will be shipping 2,500 cases of its vodkas and gins a year to China over the next two years after working with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) West Midlands to secure the deal.

The family-run company has been exporting to 36 countries since 2010, but wanted to expand to China, which imported spirits totalling €338M from the EU in 2014.

Trade mission​

Simon Davies, export director of Chase Distillery, said with UKTI’s help, the company took part in a trade mission to China in 2015, which enabled it to secure distribution for its first major order in the country.

It has now appointed a distributor and is preparing to ship 500 cases in March.

“We’re extremely pleased to have had the help and support of UKTI,”​ Davies said.