Prince Leopold of Bavaria
German brewer “The World of Neuschwansteiner” is eyeing Macau and the mainland market beyond it to promote its new premium beer products. Named after a Bavarian royal castle, the beer is said to embody the authenticity of the royal family, according to the Prince Leopold of Bavaria who recently visited Macau on a commercial tour.
“What’s special is the identification, because the ‘Neuschwansteiner’ beer is named after our castle that my great, great uncle King Ludwig II built in Bavaria. And the beer is brewed in Bavaria, so the identification is 100 percent from me and my name stands for quality,” explained Prince Leopold, who represents the Neushwansterin Castle and is heir to the throne of the royal family that ruled Bavaria for 800 years until 1918.
“I’m here as a brand ambassador of ‘Neuschwansteiner’, we’ve been to Hong Kong which is the first place we went to China, and now we are here in Macau to try to launch the beer in Macau,” Leopold told the Times in an exclusive interview during his stay at the Venetian.
Along on the commercial tour was the lifestyle brand’s CEO Mr Christain Seitz, who specified that the product’s target market is the “social elite, cosmopolitans and international travellers.”
“The big challenge is not entering Macau, the big challenge is because we follow the target group, and they show up not in one country but several places, the most exclusive places. So what we have to do is at the same time give the brand a home which is Germany and Austria, then Monaco, and then we go to Dubai, Hong Kong and Macau,” he told the Times.
“HK and Macau could count as an opinion market for mainland China. So we follow a story: firstly show up here, then go to the mainland. For the whole of Asia, it’s exclusive now here [HK and Macau],” he added.
To promote “Neuschwansteiner” premium beer in conventional markets in Europe and further afield into other parts of the world, Prince Leopold acknowledged that his identity has played a special role.
“The name – Prince of Bavaria – helps a lot, because it opens doors and you meet people normally you don’t meet. Especially Bavaria in all of Germany, our family’s very much been accepted by the local people and also out of Bavaria. I’m quite a known person, so when I go around, people recognize me and talk to me,” he said.
Brewing and drinking beer has been an old tradition in his home state that can be dated to the early 14th century. Naturally, through promoting the beer, the Prince said he’s also promoting the culture and royal heritage he’s so proud of.
“I love beer, for long time I’ve been a beer drinker. I’m convinced that the product has so much potential. I like to bring the culture, long history in Bavaria, where we say we started drinking beer from our mother’s milk,” he explained.
Preserved in a champagne bottle, “Neuschwansteiner” beer is able to attract “people who are used to drinking quality wine or champagne” simply by its appearance. Bottles decorated with Swarovski crystals are also planned to be launched to attract more female consumers.
“We only know beer in a bottle in this shape and a beer that’s been drunk at Oktoberfest in a tent or beer garden,” he said, drawing with hand gestures. “I have been showing the [Neuschwansteiner] bottle to friends and relatives, when they saw it they were surprised because a normal beer bottle is a different kind of shape. And when they started to drink it they were convinced.”
“What makes it so special is that you bring normal beer to a higher level. It’s very unique. You drink it in a champagne glass and the taste of the beer is just fantastic,” he stressed.
“It’s interesting that at a cocktail reception where you put the most expensive glass of champagne, one third of guests would prefer to drink our beer. It is like that at all the events we are doing,” added Mr Seitz.
Mr Seitz further suggested that the product is “an elegant drink” and takes a cultural approach to reach potential customers.
“We want to give elegance to the drinker, to the host, to serve it, to be proud,” he stressed. “The difference here is it’s not simply a beverage, it’s not a product, it’s full of cultural heritage; this is so important.”
“Since we have opened the castle and museum, fifteen million visitors have been both inside the castle and showed pictures they took to their relatives and friends. So we reached about two to three hundred million people that are emotionally touched by Castle Neushwansterin and by King Ludwig II. When people see this [beer] and drink it, they have something to tell: ‘I was there’ or ‘I want to go there.’ So it’s a totally different approach to reach this group,” he said.
Not only the identification, the brewing process of “Neuschwansteiner” beer is also said to be unique, which combines the Bavarian brewing tradition with the brand’s innovation.
“First, the natural purification of the water as it filters through the rocky strata of the Alps; second the beer is pressed through an amber filter during the brewing process. This leads to its high quality and purity. Lastly, it is the ice freezing finishing process, which drives the alcohol content up to 6 percent,” explained the brewer.
According to Prince Leopold, the iconic Disneyland castle is designed based on the Neuschwanstein Castle, whereas the Castle and its builder, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, tend to be known more widely than Bavaria.
“We have a lot of Chinese people coming to the Castle; why don’t we do it the other way around and bring people from Germany and Europe to Macau? I think we can help each other,” he said, adding that more cultural exchange between Macau and Germany is expected.
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