China’s fresh food cold supply chain is still at under half of its market potential
The cold supply chain in China was worth 380 billion yuan in 2020, with double digit growth, and is expected to reach RMB 512.25 billion in 2026. The cold supply maintains the quality and freshness of food and beverage products in transport. Cold chain logistics refers to the pre-cooling treatment, processing, transportation, storage, distribution, sales […]
The green step towards less waste – A glance at China’s new packaging regulation
On August 10, 2021, the Chinese State Regulation for Market Regulation (SAMR) launched a set of new provisions restricting excessive packaging of food and cosmetics (GB23350-202X) in China under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The new packaging regulation in China replaces the previous provisions defined in 2009 and is to […]
Here’s what F&B businesses need to know about China’s 2022 food import law
On the 13th of April 2021, the General Administration of Customs of P.R. China (GACC) released two new decrees affecting the food import law. Taking effect on the 1st of January, 2022, decrees 248 and 249 are raising concerns and questions from food importers worldwide, as it is more and more difficult to pass “China’s […]
The Coffee shop market in China: Blue Bottle squeezes in with Starbucks, Luckin and Manner with its Shanghai entry
Blue Bottle, a Californian-based high-end coffee chain, has made its debut in Mainland China, opening its first store in Shanghai Jing’an International Center (上海静安国际中心). The grand opening of the Auckland coffee store has attracted heaps of crowds, with customers queuing up to 7 hours outside of the two-story historic building on Chang’an Road (长安路), just […]
China’s dairy market: How a population known for lactose intolerance became the world’s largest dairy importer
With over 90 billion USD (RMB 572 billion) in revenues and nearly 28 million tons of products consumed in 2020, China is the world’s second-largest dairy market after the US and the world’s largest one by dairy imports. China’s total dairy consumption volume kept on fluctuating in the past five years, but the growth outlook […]
“Duk Haan Yum Cha”: Chali and Chua Lam’s Dim Sum Rejuvenate the Tea Trend with Zao Cha Culture (早茶文化)
“得闲饮茶” (Duk Haan Yum Cha), a popular greeting in Cantonese-speaking areas, meaning “let us go for tea together when we have time”. This is one of the most representative expressions under Cantonese Zao Cha Culture (早茶文化). Chali, a tea brand based in the Guangdong Province, is utilizing this culture to present a joint program with […]
How brands are biting into Chinese mooncake culture
Every mid-autumn festival Chinese people celebrate by spending time with their loved ones while exchanging and eating mooncakes, densely baked pastries that come with a wide variety of fillings. The festival is deeply rooted in ancient tradition and there are several legends about its origin, but the most convincing explanation is that it is closely […]
“土” is in: How a beverage brand makes corny rural-style advertising cool again
Starting with a viral popularity of its corny theme song, MXBC (Mi Xue Bing Cheng 蜜雪冰城), a beverage brand known for its cheap drinks, became a phenomenal hit among Chinese Gen Z in 2021. MXBC infused a brainwashing jingle and catchy lyrics into their theme song, triggering a wave of parodies and short videos on […]
Harbin Beer’s secret to increasing their female consumer base: Leveraging the idol economy
At a time when China’s idol economy has an unprecedented influence on young consumers, Harbin Beer has successfully attracted the attention of the fan circle and set itself apart from other brands that use celebrities as their endorsers. Harbin Beer is one of the oldest beer-brewing companies in China. Zhang Yixing is a Chinese idol […]
The premium bakery market in China begins to trickle into lower-tier cities
China’s bakery sector has been expanding rapidly in recent years, underpinned by the country’s rising middle class, the ongoing Westernization of lifestyles and diets, and the increasing demand for convenient food. The baked goods market in China began to gain momentum in 1980 and boomed between 2000 and 2010. During this period, all kinds of foreign brands […]
Foodtech in China: Is this the answer to national food self-sufficiency?
China’s most popular C2M platform Pinduoduo has recently overtaken Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba as China’s top shopping site. Although Pinduoduo is now king among Chinese E-commerce platforms in active users, it has yet to achieve profitability. So in order to become profitable, Pinduoduo is now focusing on Foodtech. As executive director Xinyi Lim puts it: […]
Manner Coffee: From one roadside store to nation-wide, how this boutique coffee shop has expanded throughout China
The coffee market in China continues to grow at a tremendous pace, with a variety of shops testing out different business models in this industry. But after the rise and fall of Luckin, the sudden rise of instant coffee like Coffee Pls, and a myriad of foreign players like Starbucks, a simple and humble Manner […]