The Malinauskas Government has delivered $50,000 to assist South Australian distilling businesses to embark on a delegation to Singapore this week with the intention of establishing an export market and creating more jobs for the state.
Six South Australian businesses will take part in the delegation led by the industry's peak body, Distillers SA, and will showcase their award-winning gin, whisky, brandy, vermouth and liqueurs for Singaporean importers and consumers at targeted business meetings, tasting events and site visits between 19 and 22 November.
Distillers SA identified Singapore as the optimal export market for South Australia's small-scale, artisanal distillers to target, with the Southeast Asian nation being the world's third largest importer of spirits, with the market valued at $3 billion in 2023 according to UNComtrade data.
Latest ABS figures show South Australia's exports to Singapore grew by 25 per cent to $259 million in the past 12 months, while spirits accounted for $26.7 million of exports to all markets over the same period.
More than 100 distillers operate across Adelaide and regional South Australia, directly employing 600 people in 2022. That figure, however, is set to soar to a projected 2,300 jobs by 2031.
Distillers SA forecast South Australia's total domestic and international sales will more than triple from $39 million in 2022 to between $120 million and $180 million by 2031.
As a global hub and the heartbeat of Southeast Asia, Singapore's geographical proximity, connectivity and growing premium food and wine industry make it the prime market for South Australian brands looking to export.
The businesses taking part in the delegation this week are Applewood Distillery, Flinders Gin, Ginny Pig Distillery, Imperial Measurers Distilling, McLaren Vale Distillery and Threefold Distilling.
At the 2024 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards in September, Imperial Measures took home Best Distiller, Best Gin, the Premier's Spirit Award and the Innovation Award.
Ginny Pig was awarded Best Old Fruit Gin at the 2024 Royal Australian Spirit Awards.
As put by Joe Szakacs
Our distillers have been producing world-class spirits for some time, and it's long overdue that we shared them more widely with the world.
Distillers SA's export strategy, supported by the Malinauskas Government, has revealed the enormous opportunity in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
We're backing our state's distilleries to explore a strategically important new market – strengthening the award-winning industry and creating more jobs for South Australians.
As put by George Georgiadis, President, Distillers SA
Following our Export Masterclass with Export Connect in June, Distillers SA identified that over 25 per cent of our members are eager to expand into new export markets by 2024-2025.
Thanks to the support from the State Government and Austrade's Singapore office, we are now facilitating our first trade visit for South Australia's craft spirits sector.
This visit aims to introduce Singapore to our region's award-winning artisanal offerings, from whisky and brandy to liqueurs and gin. With the rising demand for flavour-forward spirits in Southeast Asia, we see exciting opportunities for growth across multiple spirit categories.
We hope this marks the first of many international trade visits to the region, with continued backing from the State Government.
