Wken
06-05-2014, 03:27 PM
Hi,
My name is Wim, I am from Belgium but I moved to the USA at the end of last year.
I owned a restaurant, brasserie, in Belgium for 5 years prior to moving. I quickly discovered that Belgian beers are very popular all over the US, but I think there is still a gap to fill. I am in contact with 2 breweries (1 bigger and 1 smaller) in Belgium who aren't on the market here yet and want to export their beers.
I did a lot of research and I am aware of all the necessary licenses, (Basic importer license, state license, local license) but I feel there is not much information on the internet about my particular situation. I am new to the import/export business and I hope I can get some advice here. I want to function as a broker, agent, between the breweries I will represent and the distributors in the USA. I was wondering how an actual trade works? If I did my research right, I don't need a big starting capital since I am not buying the beers myself. Does anyone have any experience in this and give me an example how a trade works? I read somewhere that if a distributor is willing to buy, they will give a bank guarantee (not sure if that's the right translation in English) to my bank, which will send it forward to the bank of the brewery in Belgium. They will send the product and when it arrives at the distributor the money will be released. Is this how it can work?
I have so many more questions but I would love to start with really understanding how a trade works, from placing the order to receiving the product.
Thanks!
My name is Wim, I am from Belgium but I moved to the USA at the end of last year.
I owned a restaurant, brasserie, in Belgium for 5 years prior to moving. I quickly discovered that Belgian beers are very popular all over the US, but I think there is still a gap to fill. I am in contact with 2 breweries (1 bigger and 1 smaller) in Belgium who aren't on the market here yet and want to export their beers.
I did a lot of research and I am aware of all the necessary licenses, (Basic importer license, state license, local license) but I feel there is not much information on the internet about my particular situation. I am new to the import/export business and I hope I can get some advice here. I want to function as a broker, agent, between the breweries I will represent and the distributors in the USA. I was wondering how an actual trade works? If I did my research right, I don't need a big starting capital since I am not buying the beers myself. Does anyone have any experience in this and give me an example how a trade works? I read somewhere that if a distributor is willing to buy, they will give a bank guarantee (not sure if that's the right translation in English) to my bank, which will send it forward to the bank of the brewery in Belgium. They will send the product and when it arrives at the distributor the money will be released. Is this how it can work?
I have so many more questions but I would love to start with really understanding how a trade works, from placing the order to receiving the product.
Thanks!