Day 1: A Tardy Blog Post

Hello Shanghai

Boxing Cat Brewery

Meet the Entrepreneur

On July 27th, after 30 hours of travel, I stepped out of the airport onto Shanghai soil and was almost knocked over by a wall of heat! It was a warm welcome to Shanghai to say the least. (That pun’s for you Dad).

Thankfully our first stop was Boxing Cat Brewery where we refreshed with a craft beer and great conversation with Canadian entrepreneur Lee Tseng. Boxing Cat Brewery was the first microbrewery in China, founded in 2008. Not only did Lee found a new business, but he built a new product sector and changed the mindset among consumers.

Throughout his business endeavour Lee had to overcome several obstacles.

Beer was seen as a low tier product….How do you get someone to pay $$ for a beer when they’re used to paying $. Consumer trust was another hurdle because typically “Made in China” is not synonymous with superior quality. Finally, the largest barrier to success was policy.

Despite these challenges, since 2008, Lee has opened three more locations in Shanghai. He gave consumers a setting to refresh after work, proved that quality does not have to be sacrificed for business gain, and created a demand for craft beer in China-a new high tier product. The policy side still needs work…But Lee says be fair, keep an open mind and opportunities will be created and bring you success.

I got the chance to ask Lee where he sources his malt and hops. And I regret to inform the Canadian barley producers that we didn’t make the cut :( Germany is just too well known for their malt.

Thank you Boxing Cat for the craft brew, and the insight into doing business in China. Cheers!