Food and Drink

From plant-based Beyond Meat to Hey Tea and Gong Cha’s trendy bubble teas, Chinese consumers continue to look for novel and healthy experiences from food and drink products, and UK brands need to do their research before entering the market, writes Sandra Weiss from RedFern Digital Since the outbreak of Covid-19, there have been several shifts in consumer behaviour and preference in China’s food and drink market. This article looks …

From KFC’s tea-only spin off brand to HeyTea’s new product based on a popular historical drama, recent developments in China’s ice cream, energy drink and bubble tea markets show the importance of integrating Chinese cultural elements into your products. Qing Na from Dao Insights explores three key summer trends It is getting harder to tickle the taste buds of Chinese consumers due to their rapidly-changing preferences and the lightning-fast pace …

Alcohol has shaped Chinese culture for thousands of years, influencing art, philosophy, politics and tradition. Recently, alcohol consumption has been tied to changing political and economic conditions, with young Chinese consumers increasingly willing to try drinks such as whisky, beer and wine Whilst baijiu (a strong colourless liquor usually distilled from sorghum) remains the favourite tipple for many Chinese drinkers, sales are declining as the younger generation continue to associate …

China’s coffee consumption is booming, with local brands like Manner Coffee threatening the supremacy of Western brands like Starbucks. Juliette Pitt examines what the success of homegrown brands means for the future of consumer brands in China While China is still regarded highly for its tea, young Chinese people have recently been turning to coffee to get their caffeine fix. According to the Qianzhan Research Institute, China’s coffee market is …

CBBC Premium Member, Diageo, the global leader in beverage alcohol and owner of Johnnie Walker and Singleton Scotch whiskies, has broken ground on the site of its first malt whisky distillery in China Located in Eryuan County in southern Yunnan Province, the Diageo Eryuan Malt Whisky Distillery will produce Diageo’s first China-origin, single malt whisky. Details of the £55.2 million investment were officially unveiled at a special ceremony in Eryuan on 2 November which …

In this series we look at China-based entrepreneurs, the businesses they have developed, and how they have coped with recent obstacles created by the pandemic. Christiana Zhu, founder of plant-based yoghurt brand Yeyo, recounts her China journey I moved to China in 2014 to work on a growth project as a specialist marketing consultant for sustainable travel company WildChina. At the time I was 5 years into my career in …

The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC)’s new order on imported overseas products comes into effect on January 1, 2022. In order to meet the new policy requirements, overseas food brands will need to make hasty adjustments to their product packaging – is there time? And could cross border e-commerce channels be the answer? Frank Ren of RedFern Digital explains Once the administration of Order No.248 (hereinafter referred to …

A new video series produced by Alibaba explores the role China has played in the growth of three British brands with a particular focus on the challenges of expanding internationally amid the Covid-19 pandemic. First up: Teapigs. One of the many things that British and Chinese consumers share is a love of tea. That meant that for British brand Teapigs, China was a natural stepping stone in their international expansion. …

Demand for seafood in China has risen in recent years not only due to the growing middle class, but the popularity of short videos and live streams promoting it, writes Elijah Cao of RedFern Digital In 2009, Chinese consumers only made up 1% of the exports of Boston lobster from Canada or the US. Fast forward ten years to 2019, and the export volume had grown to 30%. Despite demand …

Jacob’s Well is a British wholesale distributor selling food and drink across China. The company’s directors, Zhong Shi Jia and Andy Radcliffe explain how and why they entered the market, and what’s worked to make their business a success so far We met shortly after university and became friends before setting up Jacob’s Well. We are a total solution offering UK export, China import, marketing and distribution services for any …