Home?Food & Beverage? The Roman Code behind the Agency of Kaiser Beer: The Practical Notes of a 20 - year Foreign Trade Veteran
When the Ancient Roman Legion Meets the Chinese Dining Table
In 1878, the first wisp of hop aroma floating out from the Bamberg Abbey in Germany enabled Kaiser Beer to conquer 62 countries with the brewing philosophy of the Germanic people. As an old agent who has handled the import of 3 beer brandsforeign trade, I found an interesting phenomenon of this 146 - year - old brand in the customs data:2025年1-May, Chinas import volume increased by 18% year - on - year, but the return rate reached 2.3 times that of the industry. Behind this set of contradictory data lies the Roman Code that importers must crack.
Three Keys in the Import Process
The Maze of Brand Authorization: There is a regional general agent - provincial agent dual system for Kaiser Beer in China. We once encountered an importer holding an invalid secondary authorization letter, resulting in the entire container being detained at the port
Customs Classification Traps: In the beer import tariff regulations newly implemented in 2025, Kaiser Dark Beer with a malt concentration of 11.5°P may trigger a 20% tariff jump point
Logistics Temperature Control Blind Spots: Measured data shows thatMaritime Transportationduring the period when it is exposed to an environment of 28℃ for more than 72 hours, the hop acid value will increase by 0.3 PH units
Comparison Table of Common Cognitive Misunderstandings
Misunderstood Cognition
Truth
Having a Food Circulation Permit allows for imports
An additional special business license for alcohol is required (In 2025, an electronic alcohol traceability record was added)
The original factory inspection report is globally applicable
China requires inspection agencies to have CNAS certification (The pass rate of German laboratories is only 37%)
Freight forwarders can handle all procedures
The Chinese back label of alcohol must be submitted for review 40 days in advance (In 2025, a QR code anti - counterfeiting element was added)
Breaking the Situation in Practice: A Case of a Trading Company in Qingdao
2025年3月, we took over an order of Kaiser Beer detained by the customs:500 cases of goods with a value of 870,000 yuan were judged unqualified due to the lack of original wort concentration on the Chinese labelBy urgently activating the pre - declaration review channel and cooperating with the German factory to issue a process description document, the label was finally rectified within 14 days and the goods were cleared smoothly. This case reveals that the value of a professional agent lies not only in handling procedures but also in establishing a risk buffer mechanism.
Five Compulsory Assessment Points for Selecting an Agent
Check the import records of similar products in the past three years (Can be verified on the single - window of the customs)
Confirm whether it holds the AEO advanced certification enterprise qualification (The customs clearance efficiency is increased by 40%)
Investigate the constant - temperature system of the German cooperative warehouse (TAPA certification needs to be provided)
The contract must clearly define the proportion of port detention liability sharing (It is recommended to adopt the no compensation for the first 3 days clause)
Require price comparisons from at least three cooperative insurance institutions (Pay special attention to the war risk additional clauses)
As night falls, when I raise this glass of Kaiser Wheat Beer in my hand, the golden liquid reflects the success and failure stories of countless importers. This beer brand, which inherits the blood of Teutonic Knights, not only tests business acumen but also the basic skills of trade. Perhaps just as Julius Caesars famous saying goes:I came, I saw, I conquered - In the world of import trade, it should be I prepare, I execute, I control.