Cheers To China: Three Sisters Brewing Significant Export Growth
What began as a 10,000-can "sample" order in mid-2024 from a Chinese distributor has grown rapidly, with recent shipments increasing to 20,000 cans.
"The initial email came out of the blue," says founder Joe Emans. "To be honest, when I initially saw the email, I thought it was spam. That's a really big sample order. It's nearly equivalent to what we'd normally produce every other month."
The order wasn't just by chance however, as Three Sisters had captured the attention of the distributor thanks to their reputation for top-quality hazies and strong user ratings on the global beer app Untappd, where users can discover new brews and track trending favourites. This visibility helped them stand out in a crowded market.
Fortunately, Emans followed up on that initial email - and the relationship has since flourished.
"China has its own version of Untappd, so they're really in tune with their customers over there," says Emans. "Sours in particular have really taken off, making up around 60% of their orders, up from 30% a year ago."
Emans is no stranger to adapting. Since brewing in his garage with his wife Sarah in 2017, the brewery has expanded three times thanks to some hugely successful crowdfunding campaigns, and they recently launched a popular taproom. Three Sisters has also won numerous national and international awards, including back-to-back Champion International Small Brewery trophies in 2023 and 2024 at the Australian International Beer Awards.
Now, with demand approaching capacity in recent months, another expansion is already in sight.
"We're a small brewery even by national standards, but we're flexible and curious," says Emans. "If we're asked for a beer that's a particular colour, with specific flavour notes - we'll make it. We're happy to tailor beers to suit the market, while keeping our creativity and quality at the heart of everything we do."
Recent global market shifts, including US tariff increases, have made New Zealand beer even more attractive to Chinese distributors, alongside the country's growing reputation in the industry.
The journey from garage to exporter hasn't happened over night though.
"We've had some great help from the community along the way, including from Venture Taranaki who has provided some fantastic support - from providing co-funding for courses on crowdfunding campaigns which have been crucial to expanding our production capacity, to helping us tell our story as a guest on their Podcast series", says Emans.
Venture Taranaki, the regional development agency, has also supported and explored the potential of a local hops industry through the Branching Out project.
If you're a local business looking for advice or support, check out the range of services offered by Venture Taranaki here: https://www.venture.org.nz/enterprise-and-entrepreneurship/
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