Pakistan has issued a liquor license to one Chinese company called Hui Coastal Brewery and Distillery Limited. An international company is going to produce beer in the country for the first time.
According to media reports, Hui was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in April 2020. The departments of Balochistan Excise, Taxation, and Anti-Narcotics allocated the license.
Manufacturing Beer in Pakistan
The company will base its brewing plant in Lasbela, Balochistan. From there it will carry out the entire process of manufacturing, packaging, and delivering beer in Pakistan.
There is not much information available about this company but media reports added that Hui Coastal has ‘vast’ experience in manufacturing alcohol in China. Rawalpindi’s Murree Brewery is one of the oldest and most prominent alcohol manufacturers in Pakistan since 1860. Its closest competitor was Quetta Distillery, while many local brewers enjoyed a limited market.
However, the popularity of foreign brands has always been higher in Pakistan. Local manufacturers have struggled in keeping up with the smuggled alcohol products from India and Western countries.
Joint Venture with Pakistani Authorities
Hui Coastal has been launched as a joint venture with Lasbela Industrial Estate Development Authority (LIEDA) in Balochistan. It is an autonomous body responsible for promoting industrialization in the region of Lasbela, Balochistan. Hui Coastal Brewery on the other hand is reportedly under a Chinese citizen named Bo Wang. Company directors include one Chinese, Lu Xihui, and two Pakistanis, named Noman Ali Khan and Nida Noman.
Launching New Brands
The reports further stated that the company will introduce two new brands in Pakistan. Currently, the most popular brand, Murree Brewery has circulated about 11 brands in the Pakistani market, out of two are non-alcoholic. The limit of alcohol percentage in original Murree Brewery drinks normally stays between 3.5% – 8%. It is not clear how strong will be Chinese beer when it comes to Pakistan.
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