Made in Russia bar in Harbin introduces Chinese guests to Russian alcoholic beverages

Throughout the Made in Russia Harbin festival and fair, a bar with a cocktail and beer menu will be open to visitors. Guests will be offered drinks from five Russian manufacturers representing Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. The Made in Russia bar is an industry-specific format for omnichannel promotion of Russian alcoholic beverages implemented as part of the Made in Russia National Store Program by Russian Export Center (REC, VEB.RF Group). "In this same location a year ago, we first launched the Made in Russia bar, aimed at introducing our Chinese friends to the Russian alcohol industry. Thanks to industry-specific promotion online and at festivals, by the end of 2025, sales of alcoholic beverages under the Made in Russia National Store Program grew by 14% year-on-year," Alexey Murzenok, Director, International Partnership Programs. The names of seven cocktails containing Russian wines, namely Abrau Durso, Fanagoria, and vodka from Tatspirt, reflect national and local identities, tailored to the consumer, such as "Katyusha," "Matryoshka," and "Russian Bear." This time, the bar menu has been expanded with a beer menu that includes six brands from Bochkarev Brewery and the Moscow Brewing Company. "Export is a strategic focus for Bochkarev Brewery, which is why we traditionally participate in the Made in Russia festival and fair in China. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce Chinese consumers to high-quality Russian beer and our brewing culture. This year, Bochkarev Brewery is represented in several formats: at the Made in Russia bar, at the fair stand, and at the Douyin venue. At the Made in Russia bar, we are presenting our new La Costa Fresca, a light beer often served with a wedge of lime. Festival guests will also have the opportunity to taste Bochkarev’s Remeslennoye beer, for vibrant food pairings, and Russkoye beer, inspired by Russian brewing traditions," Evgeny Amelyanov, Head of Import and Export Operations, Bochkarev Brewery. After sampling a cocktail or beer, festival-fair visitors can purchase the product at the manufacturers’ stand, while online shoppers can buy the alcoholic beverages via streams. Live streams with online sales are available from the Made in Russia Festival and Fair venue on the Chinese Douyin social commerce platform. "We are delighted to be represented at the Made in Russia festival for the second year in a row. Harbin is a special place for us, and our mission here remains unchanged: to showcase the full diversity and richness of Russian wine products. Our focus, of course, is the Victor Dravigny line with its recognizable, vibrant style. But this year, we've gone further and prepared premium cocktails, Made in Russia and Northern Lights, especially for festival guests. They offer a new, modern way to experience the flavor and aroma of our sparkling wines. Abrau-Durso isn't just about sparkling wines. Festival guests can also try our still wines. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our stand!" Boris Titov, shareholder of the Abrau-Durso Group. To place products on the shelves of Made in Russia National Stores and promote them under the Program, exporters should use the Marketplaces. Placement in National Stores service on My Export platform or email Russian Export Center at seller@exportcenter.ru . With this service, entrepreneurs can place their products on online shelves with just one click. Currently, the network of national stores is represented on 21 e-commerce platforms in nine key export markets (China, Türkiye, Vietnam, the UAE, Egypt, Thailand, and others). The Made in Russia festival and fair is a large-scale event held as part of the International Cooperation and Export national projects under the auspices of the National Priorities Autonomous Non-Profit Organization and organized by Russian Export Center. It opened on May 18 and will run until May 21. The event will be held concurrently with the Tenth Russia-China Expo at the Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair. This is the third consecutive year that Harbin hosts Russian festival. In total, REC has organized six such events in China, starting in 2024, when the first fairs were held in Shenyang, Dalian, and Chengdu.