Beer from China is finding more and more fans in Pakistan – even though Muslims in the strictly Islamic country are actually forbidden to buy alcohol. What attracts consumers?
Hui's colorful labels Cheng attract attention
Chinese beer has recently been selling like hot cakes in Pakistan. The drink is made in Balochistan in the west of the country. The brewery supplies large parts of the province as well as the southern province of Sindh and the commercial metropolis of Karachi. The colorful packaging and the high alcohol content of the beer help attract new customers among the locals.
Muhammad Zaman Khan, director general of the South Balochistan Tax Agency, told DW that a Chinese company applied for a permit for the brewery in 2016 and was granted the license in 2018. The company started production last year. Up to 100,000 liters could be produced daily.
Initially, the offer was aimed at Chinese people working on projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Then distribution was expanded to local retailers. The company produces three different types of beer, says Asif Hasan, who lives in Hub, northwest of Karachi, where the brewery is located. The beer comes in three varieties, all of which are sold in half-litre cans.
A growing market
All of his friends have already tried the beer, says Hasan, a Muslim from Karachi. “I've drunk it myself countless times since the brewery opened.” A Hindu alcohol dealer from Karachi reports that the beer is becoming increasingly popular among Pakistan's middle and upper classes.
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Beer is getting more expensive
For Saami Ibrahim, the high alcohol content of five to eight percent plays a role: “I only drank two cans and I already felt tipsy,” the man from Karachi told DW. The high alcohol content makes the beer particularly suitable for customers attractive, who want to experience exactly that, Akhter Baloch is also convinced. In his opinion, the colorful packaging could also encourage people to try the drink. In his opinion, the fact that the beer is brewed by foreigners but in Pakistan also contributes to its attractiveness.
Hardly any access to alcohol
This success is amazing, because alcohol is in not easily available in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, but officially banned for Muslims. Usually only Christian, Hindu and other non-Muslim traders are allowed to buy and sell alcohol. However, residents of Balochistan and Sindh provinces report that the Chinese beer is different. Yousuf Baloch, from the port city of Gwadar in Baluchistan, assures that the three types of Chinese beer are easy to find across the province.
Alcohol production in Pakistan is concentrated in a few companies, but the success of Chinese beer should stimulate competition. Even if only beer is brewed there at the moment, says the director general of the tax authority, Muhammad Zaman Khan, the brewery is licensed to produce other alcoholic beverages depending on demand.