food and drink

The 2025 Hainan Consumer Products Expo marked a milestone for UK businesses, with Britain as the guest country of honour. British brands showcased their innovation and heritage, capitalising on China’s growing consumer market. The Hainan Consumer Products Expo, held annually in Haikou, has emerged as a premier platform for global brands to engage with China’s burgeoning consumer market. In 2025, the event took on special significance for the UK, which …

After three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese consumers are more aware of the importance of health and food safety than ever, giving rise to new trends that are driving growth in China’s food and beverage (F&B) industry. This represents new investment opportunities in the F&B sector for UK companies, as Kristina Koehler-Coluccia from Woodburn Accountants & Advisors explains Projections suggest that revenue in the Chinese food market will amount …

From self-heating hot pot to trendy instant noodles, food and drink brands are rushing to create products that appeal to the growing number of people in China who are single or live alone, writes Qing Na from Dao Insights Solo dining restaurants with tables and chairs sectioned into individual booths like private train compartments have drawn increasing footfall from white-collar eaters in major Chinese cities over the past few years. …

From functional foods to plant-based milks, Andrew Cameron, Head of Insights and Strategy at The Silk Initiative, tells RedFern Digital about the current trends in the food and beverage market in China, and what new brands entering the market need to know What general developmental trends are you seeing in the food and beverage category in China? One trend I’d like to discuss is the growth of functional foods and …

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 …

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 …

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 …