Jump to Navigation Jump to search Jump to Content Jump to Footer

Largest Chinese liquor producer opens first foreign branch in NRW

The Chinese Wuliangye Group from Yibin in the province of Sichuan is establishing a subsidiary in Düsseldorf with the support of NRW.INVEST.  

From Düsseldorf, the company plans to intensify its contacts with German retailers and restaurateurs. "Düsseldorf, with its lively gastronomy and bar scene and a wide range of international products, offers the best conditions for this," explained Shuguang LI, Chairman of the Wuliangye Group. Petra Wassner, CEO of NRW.INVEST, highlighted further reasons for the location selection: "With its central location in Europe and as the most dynamic China location in Germany, NRW offers excellent conditions for such cooperations." 

At the opening ceremony, the company presented its baijiu, the world's most consumed liquor. A special feature of the production is the fermentation process which, according to a 600-year-old tradition, continues to take place in clay-lined containers. LI is confident that China's national drink will now also cause a sensation in Europe. "Baijiu is largely unknown in Europe. We would like to change this situation and expand the range of European spirits to include a specialty with a unique flavor."

The Wuliangye Group currently employs around 50,000 people. The Group is also active in the automotive, bioengineering, medical technology, electronics and logistics sectors. Company representatives also visited Düsseldorf's Mayor Thomas Geisel together with other high-ranking representatives of the city of Yibin and presented business and cooperation opportunities. Yibin in Sichuan Province, a partner province of NRW, is striving to intensify its cooperation with NRW. In addition to the energy, chemical, mechanical engineering, food processing and liquor industries, the city is focusing increasingly on the fields of e-mobility, environmental protection, new material, IT, logistics and medical technology.