CWS was founded in 2006 with an immediate focus on the on-trade channel, building over the years a nationwide distribution network. CWS now operates from five sales offices (Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen), enabling the company to serve a large base of direct customers across the country and to become one of the leading on-trade distributors in China.

Since 2020, CWS has expanded its activities to wholesalers, creating an efficient backbone network to supply second- and third-tier cities. This wholesale development has allowed CWS to consolidate and successfully distribute a strong portfolio of spirits, making it one of the few robust independent spirits importers in the Chinese market in recent years.

At the end of 2019, Elan established a new subsidiary in Hong Kong, CWS-HK, to extend its distribution across Greater China. CWS’s key suppliers followed this move and joined the CWS-HK portfolio, enabling CWS and CWS-HK to operate with an almost fully integrated portfolio. As of 2024, the integration of CWS and CWS-HK has been accelerated by merging logistics, IT and marketing resources.