(@ Jan 2024, Hong Kong) — CIMC Enric Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively, “CIMC Enric” or “Company”) (Hong Kong stock code: 3899.HK) are pleased to announce that the Company’s subsidiary CIMC Liquid Process Technology Co., Ltd (“CLPT”) has recently won the bid for the Anhui Guqi Herbal Whisky Distillery project of Anhui Gujing Group Co., Ltd (“Gujing Group”), for which CLPT will provide a full set of whisky brewing and distilling equipment as well as turnkey engineering services. The project will utilise the industry's latest energy-saving and carbon-reducing technologies to help the client achieve its net-zero emissions and carbon neutrality targets. Additionally, it will incorporate cultural and tourism elements to create a next-generation whisky distillery. With its outstanding technical capabilities and extensive project experience, CIMC Enric has positioned itself as the partner of the leading domestic liquor enterprises in the layout of the whisky track, further consolidating its dominance in the global distilled spirits equipment industry.
In this project, CIMC Enric will provide Gujing Group with a full set of whisky production equipment from raw grain to raw liquor, as well as the corresponding turnkey engineering services for design, construction, manufacturing, commissioning and delivery. This will be another whisky project constructed by the Company in China following Laizhou Distillery under Bacchus. CIMC Enric strategically aligns with the domestic liquor enterprise leader this time to help it seize the whisky market’s high ground and revitalise the diversified liquor market effectively.
Whisky is as an imported product deeply favoured by Generation Z consumers. In recent years, as Generation Z gradually becomes the main group of alcohol consumers, the explosive rising demand for whisky is breaking out of its niche positioning in the country, and the scale of the market is expanding. The IWSR report forecasts that 2021-2026, whisky will maintain a CAGR of 6.3% in the domestic market, and in the next 5-10 years, the domestic whisky market is promising to reach a scale of RMB50 billion. Currently, the whisky industry is predominantly dominated by overseas companies and not yet forming a leading pattern, which means that there is a huge potential for local enterprises to venture into the whisky industry track. Moreover, the future domestic whisky market will be full of opportunities and prospects, expected to inject new momentum into the sustainable growth of CIMC Enric's performance.
Along with the domestic liquor enterprises increasing the layout of the whisky track, the domestic whisky market is also stepping up to improve. In April 2023, the Whisky Professional Committee of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association was established, releasing the content framework of the group standard of Chinese whisky product certification rules, as well as the basic requirements of certification procedures and management. These regulatory guidelines ensure that the operation of the domestic whisky market is structured, providing a conducive environment for domestic liquor enterprises to enter the whisky industry track.
Opportunities for entry are born out of change, and opportunities to explore are born. The scale of the domestic whisky market is growing rapidly, and it is a critical period for many liquor companies to enter the market. CIMC Enric adheres to upholding the brand and technology of Briggs and McMillan, the veteran spirits equipment manufacturers in the UK with a history spanning over 200 years, and has a deep understanding of the whisky production process and standards. CIMC Enric has always been practising the highest standards of “Dark Factory” (Smart Factory) and “Zero-Carbon Factory”, and has assisted many well-known brands in the industry in saving energy, reducing emissions and increasing production efficiency.
Mr. Yang Xiaohu, Executive Director and President of CIMC Enric, stated, “CIMC Enric, as the world's leading liquid food equipment manufacturer, winning the bid for the whisky project of Gujing Group, China’s leading liquor company, not only demonstrates the market's high recognition of the Company's products and services, but also lays a solid foundation for the Company's whisky-related projects. In the future, CIMC Enric will continue to grasp the development opportunities of the industry, consolidate the technological foundation, join hands with domestic brands to create a whisky culture that belongs to China, and promote China's whisky brewing industry to shape a good ecological environment.”
About Anhui Guqi Herbal Whisky Distillery Project
Anhui Guqi Herbal Whisky Distillery project is co-financed by Anhui Gujing Group and France Camus Group. It is planned to build the raw material warehouse, brewing workshop, distillation and blending workshop, cellar room, whisky gallery, cultural experience centre, etc. Combined with the characteristics of Bozhou's traditional Chinese medicine and the culture of health preservation, it will be built into a herbal whisky estate integrating production, R&D, experience and sales.
