Part 1: Story of Tiantai Beer Equipment Company

         --- Growing with the whole craft beer market

 We started at the beginning of the craft beer equipment appeared in China.

Tiantai beer equipment company born more than 14 years after the craft brewing equipment was introduced to China in the 1990’s. 14 years ago, the first craft beer equipment was introduced to China by a college in Jinan city. Some pioneers in this filed started their long journey to study this completely new and secret beer brewing system. At that time, commercial beers are not rarely seen. An ordinary man can afford a bottle of beer daily, like Tsingdao, Haerbin, Snow white etc. However, beer brewing is still a mystery for most of the people in China until the first mini craft beer brewing system was introduced. The new conception moved those pioneer to started one company to build small beer equipment which were specially for bar, pub, restaurant where they believe their systems will be popular. This company, after a long time growing and changing, now is the largest one in China. One of the owner of Tiantai company was fortunately to be one of the first pioneers at that time.

The first try of changing for craft beer equipment

The ‘craft beer’ was really coming to popular during 2005 to 2007 in China as a lot of new things could grow very fast in China. Some restaurants match their barbecue with ‘craft beer’. This is also the prosperous starting of China economy. People can afford more quality food and culture. Barbecue and Craft beer is one of the food menu. This gave beer equipment manufacturing a booming period after five years effort. It was that years those pioneers of beer equipment collected more experience and also money. However, things are changing, the whole market is changing and also the people who were in. Some of the pioneers realized that the ‘craft beer’ made from their equipment was not the real one. More and more equipment problems emerged including brewery tanks welding, testing, polishing and design. The good market and the desire of changing status drive some participants of the company branched from their first team. A new beer equipment company established. It was not the end but another start.

The failure of the first changing because of different understanding to craft beer business

Fortunately and unfortunately, the brew masters in America becoming crazy. Craft beer really boomed up after a very long repressed history. It was the a success against commercial breweries. Craft brewing growed and spreaded at an incredible and excited speed from USA to the rest world like Europe, Australia, Korea, Latin America, etc. When craft beer revolution was well underway, China beer equipment manufacturers also got pieces of information of this real craft beer. It was the fortune that the new started equipment manufacturer was involved in this revolution. He could be a pioneer in real craft beer brewing equipment design and manufacturing. Unfortunately, this partnership company was divided into two parties. One insisted on the traditional way after a while of discovery. Tradition is always with less growing pain; The other would like to change further even there were a lot of unforeseeable future. Two divided conceptions separated from each other far and far. Finally, a Chinese style divorce happened.

Who we are

It is really a long story before the young Tiantai born. Will this boy do something different to craft beer? Maybe or maybe not. The only certainty is that this team which gathered the most craftsman spirit guys would make the craft brewing to be a popular style. Craft brewing is something open to everyone, something with interpersonal communication, something with sharing, something with passion, something with natural professional. The real craft beer equipment is only part of the whole stuffs which help a brew master achieve his intention. The new Tiantai company had to break the traditional understanding of craft brewing.

Where we are going

From then on, this team worked hard to following their idea. The name of TianTai has big meaning in Chinese words. ‘Tian’ means ‘sky’. Craft brewing must be as common as the sky, anyone, anytime, anywhere. It must be a popular style. The biggest dream for a brew master is to share their special beer to other people as many as possible. However, the craft brewing system cost is really big too. It is one of the most important things for Tiantai company to solve. The beer brewing system must be affordable for most of the brew masters who would like to do it. They system can be a regional brewery system, microbrewery system, nanobrewery system or home brewing system. The words ‘Tai’ in China means the ‘Tai Mountain’. It represents reliable. Beer equipment is relatively strict than other beverage or alcohol equipment. Sanitary projection is so important. That is another thing to improve during designing tanks process and arranging production. Quality tanks guarantee the quality beer. In fact, affordable and reliable are not the only two care of Tiantai team. Special is the third. No brew master would like to hear his beer is the same as others. The fascination of craft brewing is mostly on base of special, the deep special tasting like life. It is not easy for a craft beer system manufacturer. There is no standard which can cover all brew masters’ subtle intention. What can Tiantai team do? The only way is to be professional and the left is listening to. A professional team including sales, designers who can understand it well and take it on visual drawings when a brew master sprout his plan become the first task. Thanks for the help of so many craft brewers from USA, Europe, Australia, Korea, Canada, Singapore etc, Tiantai’s team has accumulated so much experience and ideas during building their craft brewery equipment in the past years. We would like to share all others what we have as our friends shared to us. Craft brewing is profession, is creation, is passion, is communication, is sharing... We are in!      

Part III: Our Team