Carlsberg & Meituan link fine dining with beer delivery

Carlsberg Asia has expanded its partnership with Chinese digital services group Meituan through a new collaboration with the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, linking premium dining venues with quick-commerce beer delivery across key Asian markets.

The agreement marks the first time Black Pearl, a high-end restaurant rating guide under Meituan, has partnered with an international brewer. The initiative places premium dining and beer pairing at the centre of Carlsberg's regional digital and online-to-offline strategy.

As part of the move, Carlsberg and Meituan have launched the Carlsberg Drinking Roadmap, which appears under Dianping's Must-Eat List 2025. The curated list highlights restaurants that serve Carlsberg's beer portfolio for on-premise consumption and on-demand delivery.

The roadmap links restaurant visits with online ordering through Meituan's platforms. Consumers can buy Carlsberg beers while dining in these venues or arrange delivery for home consumption.

Carlsberg and Meituan are using Meituan's technology infrastructure and behavioural data to shape what they describe as real-time, occasion-based food-and-beer experiences. The partners plan services that include delivery, personalised promotions and curated beer assortments aligned with different dining scenarios.

"Our collaboration with Black Pearl and Meituan is more than a campaign; it is a clear statement of building unique bonds that draw on each other's brand values and ethos. It showcases the power of partnership - where our brewing heritage and R&D excellence meets China's most prestigious dining guides and its largest lifestyle platform. Together, we are setting a new premium standard and creating unmatched value for consumers across the ecosystem," said Arindam Varanasi, Commercial Vice President, Carlsberg Asia.

Premium focus

The Black Pearl tie-up targets high-end restaurants in major mainland Chinese cities. Carlsberg said it is redefining modern beer occasions through curated culinary experiences in Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, with expansion planned in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau and Malaysia.

To launch the collaboration, Carlsberg's Master Brewer, Zoran Gojkovic, visited China for a series of food-and-beer pairing events with star chefs. The events took place at venues including modern Cantonese restaurant Yue in Guangzhou, Yun Jing at Raffles Shenzhen and 1996 Sichuan Cuisine in Beijing.

Chefs at these restaurants developed tasting menus matched with a range of Carlsberg beers. The pairings aimed to give diners a different perspective on how beer can accompany fine-dining dishes.

Carlsberg said the beer selections were chosen to reflect the artistry and heritage of Black Pearl-listed venues. The premium line-up included the Alchemy series, developed by Gojkovic and produced from research at the Carlsberg Research Labouratory.

The Alchemy collection currently features three varieties. These are Wheat Lager, Vinous Beer and The Rubedo. Each style showcases a different expression of flavour and aroma within the broader beer category.

The Carlsberg Research Labouratory employs more than 100 scientists and has a long record of scientific work in brewing and related fields. The group credits the laboratory with advances, including the pH scale, award-winning chemical research, and work on climate-tolerant plant types.

Mass-market reach

Beyond top-end Black Pearl venues, the partners are also targeting popular everyday restaurants. Carlsberg and Meituan are extending the collaboration through Dianping's Must-Eat List 2025, which highlights widely recommended eateries.

The initiative currently focuses on restaurants in Foshan and Beijing. These locations will feature the full Carlsberg beer portfolio, covering classic Carlsberg products, other lagers and the Alchemy line.

The companies aim is to position beer as a standard element of dining occasions across a variety of formats. These range from routine meals to celebrations at casual venues.

By placing a spectrum of beers in trending restaurants, Carlsberg expects more consumers to sample different styles and explore its wider portfolio. The approach blends the prestige of Black Pearl sites with the visibility of high-traffic mass-market eateries.

Digital expansion

The partnership deepens Carlsberg's integration with Meituan's digital ecosystem. Meituan operates a large quick-commerce and lifestyle service platform in China, and it holds extensive data on dining trends and consumer ordering behaviour.

Carlsberg and Meituan plan to use real-time analytics and behavioural insights to adjust beer offerings by outlet, time and occasion. The partners intend to align product selection and promotions with specific consumer needs at particular moments.

The arrangement gives Meituan differentiated drinks content and beer education within its app environment. It also provides Carlsberg with a broader digital reach in a competitive market for alcohol brands operating both on-premise and off-premise.

Carlsberg describes the Black Pearl initiative as a flagship element of its regional digital acceleration plans in Asia. The group said the collaboration with Meituan would underpin the development of the next phase of beer occasions that blend brewing expertise with online platform innovation across multiple Asian markets.