Tanduay Sets Foot in Benelux Region as Tan Brothers Pursue European Market Expansion
Tanday President and COO Lucio Tan III and Executive Vice President Kyle Tan are further expanding the company’s presence in Europe’s Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg (Benelux) area as they signed a partnership with Alcobrands, one of the region’s biggest wines and spirits distributors.
Kyle Tan, who handles the company’s international expansion, said that this is an opportune time for them to bring Tanduay to the region.
“The younger generation of drinkers are open to discovering new spirits from different countries, and we would like to bring them a taste of the Philippines through Tanduay,” Tan said.
Nicolas Steelant, Brand Manager at Alcobrands, noted that the high quality and premium packaging of Tanduay rums will be appealing to customers in Benelux. He noted the company’s use of quality sugarcane and aging process for its rums as distinct factors in its differentiation from European rum brands.
Tanduay sources its sugarcane from the Philippines’ Panay region, which is known for growing high quality sugarcane. The company is also known for its distinct distillation and blending process and for having a Master Blender, the guardian of its rum formulas, to oversee the quality of its rums before sending them off to be packaged and distributed.
“The Asian vibe also lets the customer dream about Asian beaches and way of life. It’s a new type of rum for this market,” he said.
The Tanduay Double Rum, Tanduay Asian Rum Silver, and Tanduay Asian Rum Gold are under Alcobrands’ premium segment.
“Tanduay Asian Rum Gold will be our headliner in the premium rum category and the Tanduay Double Rum in the super premium segment,” Steelant said.
He added that Tanduay would appeal to the market as a “quality pouring rum to make easy cocktails like Dark ‘n Stormy, Manila libre, and Mojito.
“In the Benelux, the rum category is still growing, especially dark rum. Sales have been mostly driven by cocktails like Dark ‘n Stormy, which is popular among the younger generations,” he said.
Tanduay is the only Asian rum carried by Alcobrands, which aims to be the Benelux’s most personal distributor of local and international spirits, wines and premium mixers. It is now available in the cities of Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Liege, as well as in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague.
“Our international partnerships have been crucial to our success in the most recent years. With our partnership with Alcobrands, we are looking forward to growing our business more in Europe,” said Lucio Tan III.
Tanduay has been declared the World’s Number 1 Rum for three consecutive years by Drinks International Magazine.
Apart from Benelux, Tanduay is also available in Germany in Europe. Tanduay products are also being sold in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, and the territory of Guam through its distributor-partners. It is available in China, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates as well.
