Home»Food & Beverage» Import Beer Agency Pitfall Avoidance Guide: Practical Insights from a Seasoned Foreign Trade Professional
Before opening the bottle, check the "wine label" first—Preparations for Import Qualifications.
Last year, a client brought me a sample of German craft beer, and the "5.8%vol" label on the bottle nearly caused the entire shipment to be held up at customs. To import beer, you first need to secure three essential "permits":
Food Circulation Permit(Required for the operating unit)
Registration Form for the Circulation of Alcohol(Issued by the Provincial Department of Commerce)
Registration number of overseas food production enterprises for imported food(Customs General Administration Registration)
The "Bubble Crisis" in the customs clearance process
Clearing customs with beer is like shaking a bottle—one wrong move and it might "explode." Among the typical cases we've handled, 23% of the issues stem from the Chinese back labels:
Common error items
Compliance Requirements
Original wort concentration labeling
Must use the Plato degree symbol °P
Alcohol Content Labeling
The measured value error does not exceed ±0.5% vol.
Expiration date format
"See cap/bottle body" – the specific location must be indicated.
The "Temperature Defense Battle" During Transportation
A certain Belgian Trappist beer once experienced turbidity and sedimentation due to temperature fluctuations in the container. We mitigated the losses through a three-stage temperature control solution:
Q: How to control costs for small trial orders?
Suggested routeChina-Europe Railway ExpressLess than Container Load (LCL), 30 days faster than sea shipping with no port demurrage fees. Last month's case of Polish beer shipment saved a total of 12,000 RMB for 20 pallets.
Q: How to handle products nearing their expiration date?
It is stipulated in the contract in advance that "60 days before arrival at the port." Our partnered bonded warehouse can provide relabeling and date modification services (must comply with Article 67 of the Food Safety Law).
Q: How to avoid cross-regional sales issues?
German wineries now employ a triple-code anti-counterfeiting system: cap inner code + outer box traceability code + customs declaration QR code, enabling flow tracking through blockchain technology.