Tawandang plans outlets in Japan, China, Vietnam

18/11/2009
Bangkok Post

Tawandang Brew House, the Thai microbrewery brand with a signature dish of deep-fried pork knuckles with spicy sauce, will use its new outlet in Singapore as a springboard for Asia.

Supote Teerawatanachai, the microbrewery's founder, said new outlets were expected to open in Japan, Shanghai and Vietnam. But operations in these countries would be under joint ventures to make investment smoother, he added.

The expansion in Asia will use the microbrewery on Singapore's Dempsey Road as a model. Tawandang Brew House differentiates itself as a microbrewery by serving Thai dishes by Thai chefs, rather than just German sausages.

"The move to other Asian countries is being made after we have been very successful in our first Tawandang Brew House in Singapore, which opened in June this year at a cost of S$3 million," said Mr Supote.

Four months after it opened, the Singapore outlet has a monthly turnover of about S$600,000 and is on track to break even in 18 to 24 months, he said.

A second Singapore outlet is set to open next month at East Coast, 15 minutes from Changi International Airport. The 1,000-square-metre brewhouse will have 300 seats and offer modern Thai food, including seafood, as well as shark-fin soup, deep-fried pork knuckles and grilled sea bass.

Given the success of Thai dishes among Tawandang's Singaporean customers, the company plans to open Thai restaurants on the island by the middle of next year. The restaurants - some in department stores - will cost from 10 to 15 million baht and cover from 190 to 285 square metres.

Satien Settasit, co-founder of Tawandang Brew House, said the company also plans to rebrand its Carabao Dang energy drink to reach a new target, and avoid reliance on blue-collar clientele.
The company plans to sell Carabao Dang at its beer house in Singapore.

Currently, Carabao Dang is available in Africa and Cambodia with monthly sales of 50,000 to 70,000 cases. The company has seen no impact on its sales in Cambodia from tension between the country and Thailand.