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Monday, October 29, 2007

Turning a phone call into import business


VANCOUVER -- Helen Zhao found out that sometimes you just have to pick up the phone to make your fortune. That's essentially how she got off employment insurance and became the exclusive Canadian importer of China's second-best-selling beer.

Of course, other factors came into play before Pearl River Zhu Jiang Beer arrived in liquor stores and Chinese restaurants as a long overdue alternative to the familiar Tsingtao -- factors such as vision, research, hard work, luck, bravado and persistence.

Even the Canadian government contributed by financing a program for would-be entrepreneurs administered by S.u.c.c.e.s.s., Vancouver's non-profit immigrant services agency. Ms. Zhao enrolled after the computer company where she worked as a bookkeeper went belly up during the high-tech meltdown of the late 1990s.


But the moment of truth came in 2003 when Ms. Zhao, who doesn't drink, boldly called the export manager at Guangzhou Zhu Jiang Brewery in Guangdong -- otherwise known as Canton province -- and asked if he wanted to sell his beer into Canada.

When he said yes, the next step was to get some samples and try to persuade the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch to list the product. Unfortunately, in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, it was virtually impossible to get air freight or courier companies to ship small quantities of liquid.

The solution was for Ms. Zhao to go to China and bring back the samples.

"At the time, I didn't have any money," Ms. Zhao said. "I was on EI and out of a job for a while. So I said, 'Yes, I could come, but if you want me to import your beer, you should offer me an airplane ticket.' And they did."

Wasn't that a bit cheeky?

"I know, I know," Ms. Zhao said. "It's amazing, but I did it anyway, and they flew me over and I picked up some samples."

Zhu Jiang Brewery was established in 1985 with guidance from InBev, the Belgian brewing conglomerate owning international beer brands that now include Canada's Labatt and Alexander Keith's. The Guangzhou plant is described as the world's single largest brewing facility, producing 48,000 bottles an hour.

"They make over 20 different kinds of beer," Ms. Zhao said. "Because I don't drink, I don't know which is which, so I showed the liquor board everything and they chose one."

The board selected Zhu Jiang Gold Lager, which Ms. Zhao renamed Pearl River Zhu Jiang Beer for the Canadian market. "At first I thought it would just go into a few Chinese restaurants, but it took off. It's in almost every province except Ontario, and it's mostly Caucasians who drink it because it's a premium import beer and people just love it."

To her surprise, women enjoy Pearl River beer, which she describes as similar to Corona in taste but a little stronger at 5.3% alcohol by volume.

While she is reluctant to disclose financial details of her business, which she operates as Richmond's Omega Trading Group Ltd., she acknowledges that volumes have tripled since the first year when Pearl River was available only in British Columbia and Alberta. The beer is now one of the top 10 imports in Quebec, where it is in more than 400 stores, and approval is pending in Manitoba. Only Ontario's Liquor Control Board is holding out. "We keep on applying, but they've turned me down three times because they say they already have one Chinese beer and that's good enough."


Thanks to the growing strength of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. and Chinese currencies, she says she will be able to discount Pearl River beer to $8.99 for six bottles from its current $10.25, starting on Oct. 28.


"We want to thank the customers for their loyalty," she said. "We made some extra money and we want to pass it on to the customers."

And for would-be entrepreneurs she offers this advice: "If you have a dream and you want to do something, just don't give up. Keep on trying. I had lots of hard times and I cried so many times, but after all this work, you have success."