DARTMOOR Brewery has struck its first deal in the export market, after clinching a deal with a Chinese wholesaling business to distribute two of its most popular beers in China. Dartmoor Brewery was approached by the owner of the wholesaling business after he had tasted and enjoyed one of the brewery's beers on a recent trip to the UK. The first shipment of 800 bottled beers from Dartmoor Brewery including the award winning Jail Ale and Legend, will be sent to China next month. Karen Lunney, who is responsible for developing exports at Dartmoor Brewery, said the market for real ale in China is still relatively new and offers considerable potential to Dartmoor Brewery: 'Beer is already a hugely popular drink in China, in fact it's the world's largest beer market claiming one in every four pints sold globally, but the main sector is dominated by chilled lagers and light ales. ' Princetown-based Dartmoor Brewery, which has been brewing their beers from the heart of Dartmoor National Park since 1994, has created a new Chinese version of the beer labels for the reverse of the bottles to comply with export requirements. The move into exports has been made possible by the company's continued expansion. Within the last two years the brewery has made investments in equipment, staff and a rebrand enabling the brewery to expand sales beyond its South West heartland to across the UK. Karen added: 'Exporting is a very exciting step for the brewery and we hope to see sales rise as a direct result. 'We've worked with advisors and we're confident there is an appetite for real ale in China, but this initial Chinese order is just one pallet so we'll be keen to hear how well it sells and what the Chinese craft beer market makes of our Dartmoor brewed beers.' Mark Shackleton, ambassador for Dartmoor Brewery, said: 'We have looked at exporting our beer for a while but hadn't considered China until Alan Stroud, who runs a successful wholesaling liquor business in that country, approached us in early June. 'It is really exciting considering that China is the fastest growing economy in the world, so opening up many  new opportunities for quality products, which hopefully will include our bottled beers.' Dartmoor Brewery produces more than 2.5-million pints of award- winning real ales, using traditional brewing techniques and local ingredients. Dartmoor Brewery is now Devon's second largest brewery.