Why premium New Zealand tonic brand East Imperial is taking off in Asia1 Feb 2023 14:51
Premium New Zealand tonic water and mixer brand East Imperial sees a big opportunity to expand in Asia, with the recent reopening of China expected to drive a tourism boom in 2023.
The company recently appointed SUTL Group to distribute its products in Vietnam and Singapore, expanding on the agreements it already has with Leung Yick in Hong Kong and Wen Hua Hang Wine Spirits Company in China.
“We’re only a couple of weeks into the new year, but we’ve got a real sense of momentum building up and this should carry on until the end of February, going into the end of the first quarter. So far, things are looking good,” Anthony Burt, founder and CEO of East Imperial, told Inside Retail.
The story so far
Burt launched East Imperial in 2013 after spotting an opportunity in the drinks market for a more premium mixer brand.
“Companies like Schweppes and a younger brand out of England, called Fever Tree, all still behave like soft drinks. They position themselves like soft drinks, so there was a definite opportunity to be more premium,” he noted.
Believing that New Zealand was not ready for a premium mixer brand, Burt entered the Singapore market early on, and it has been a cornerstone of the brand’s success thus far.
“We now have 12 different flavours in our product portfolio, we market our products to over 20 countries globally. It’s been quite a journey. We’ve had to navigate through a pandemic, supply chain challenges, and it’s not been all plain sailing,” he added.
He feels the challenges of the past few years have made East Imperial more resilient. The team is always striving to be more agile and aware of opportunities both offline and online.
The launch in Vietnam presents an exciting opportunity for the business to grow in the luxury hotel and hospitality scene, according to Burt.
With an estimated 100 hotel projects currently under construction in the country, Vietnam’s tourism sector is expanding, with international tourist arrivals expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
When it comes to China, East Imperial has taken a different approach to its distribution strategy. The company has enlisted local know-how to tackle the market and has benefited greatly from this.
“We’re just happy to see the restrictions being lifted in China, and with a lot of people travelling and a surge of demand expected, we have a lot of ambitions for China going into 2023. It’s a massive region for us,” Burt said.
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