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Greetings all!
Has anyone looked into importing US microbrews? Or other beers from around the world? With the number of expats living in Costa Rica, appears to be an untapped market.
Any importer contacts that might be able to partner with?
I love the microbrews and drink ‘Red Seal’ beer out of California on a regular basis.
You would certainly have a customer in me if you could pull this off…
But how?
Sorry mate!
Don’t know the answer to that one but…
http://www.distribuidoraislena.com is the company that imports Leffe from Belgium, I don’t know who imports the Red seal I love ….
As you can see from
[ http://www.elfinancierocr.com/ef_archivo/2009/septiembre/20/negocios2082894.html ]
… with CAFTA the import taxes on beers has declined from 15% to 11% and will decline by an additional 1% per annum over the coming 11 years so the market is getting more attractive …
Natalia Chavarría is the manager of Mercadeo de Agencia Feduro and imports Miller, you might want to try her and …
Importer Oliver Spors brings in Oettinger beer from Germany
Does that help?
I’m sure importing beer is certainly possible but I would not expect to get rich off of it. I just think the expat market is too small here and Ticos overwhelmingly drink Imperial or Pilsen.
And for all but the pickiest of beer aficianados, Pilsen, Imperial and Bavaria are just fine. After all, after one you can’t tell the difference anyway.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]After all, after one you can’t tell the difference anyway.[/quote]
Ah, David, I must disagree with you there. That statement is true when you are talking about bad beer. However, when you are drinking a fine West Coast craft or micro-brewed ale, you are talking about a different liquid altogether. Those ales are one of the finer things I miss in Costa Rica. I love flying Frontier when I go to the US, because upon landing in Denver, the first thing I do after Customs is head for the Chop House and Brewer (conveniently located in the Frontier terminal,after clearing TSA for the next leg of my journey) for a very fine India Pale Ale.
I am strongly considering brewing my own ales here, but haven’t taken the time to get the necessary equipment together.Pura birra (and particularly if it is a fine craft ale),:D ,
Jim
Santa Rosa de PoásI personally think there is a big difference between Imperial/Pilsen and Bavaria. I think Bavaria is much tastier. No, it’s not after one, for me usually after five…..:-)
[quote=”Andrew@CR”]for me usually after five…..:-)[/quote]
Oh, good grief! Five beers in any three-day period and I’d be permanently disabled. Are you still in your twenties?
[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”Andrew@CR”]for me usually after five…..:-)[/quote]
Oh, good grief! Five beers in any three-day period and I’d be permanently disabled. Are you still in your twenties?[/quote]
An eon ago, Heinecken was only available in kegs, from Germany (this was when Bud was IT). I remember tapping one (attempting) and before I got it seated, the pressure shot it past my head, and the tap stuck in the ceiling. Very dangerous work, bartending. Some of you can remember when wine was available only in carafes…red, white or rose. There WERE some foreign wines, but Poille Fuisse, one or two reds from France, and that rose from Portugal in the cute little bottle (Mateus?), impossible to decork. This is generally speaking, of course, for the “middle class”. The rich could always sate their “jones”.
I was living in Hawaii in the ’60’s, and it was a BIG deal when someone smuggled a case of Coors (Cuwers) from the mainland. Primo, the local brew? A case and you might get one that didn’t taste like…well, fill in the blank.[quote]”I was living in Hawaii in the ’60’s, and it was a BIG deal when someone smuggled a case of Coors (Cuwers) from the mainland. Primo, the local brew? A case and you might get one that didn’t taste like…well, fill in the blank.”[/quote]
OMG, what a flashback! You had to be a local or desperate to drink Primo. Our choices were Primo, Schlitz, or Michalob. I chose the latter.
There is a bar in Zapote that is called Stan’s Irish Pub and they have a HUGE selection of beers from all over the world. You might want to check out how that place is doing…In my experience, Ticos are not people who will change their brand loyalty to Imperial or Pilsen.
Good luck. The Cerveceria here has 96% of the market…thank
God for Hoegaarden. Check this site out; http://www.imperialbeerboutique.com[i]Not [/i]being a beer drinker, won’t deter me from replying to this topic 😆
I would think that a major problem, would be that the ‘ex-pats’ that the OP would like to sell to, are spread throughout the country, with many not having access to the larger supermarkets that may sell/stock imported beer. The [i]pulperias[/i] in small towns are not going to carry what they can’t sell, and [i]they do know[/i] they will sell the local products. Cheap.Boy! I think that’s a great point whether it’s in regard to importing beer or anything else for the expat market. Outside Escazu and Santa Ana, we’re pretty thinly spread.
As I type this I am sampling a rather lovely Italian amber ale called G. Menabrea e Figli supposedly founded in 1846
It has a lovely nose, it has a delicious chewy flavor and I’m rather wishing I had bought more than one bottle.
Their website is [ http://www.birramenabrea.com/ ] It’s an unusually artistic site (but then again isn’t real beer a work of art?) and their story is quite interesting…
Scott
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