FBIF2024 Recap: Global Executives Dive into F&B Innovation

Author: FBIF

The FBlF2024 Food & Beverage lnnovation Forum and FBlF Food Innovation Expo took place on 25-27 June 2024 at the National Convention and Exhibition Centre (Shanghai). Under the theme of "Unbox the Future", FBIF2024 discussed how can businesses break the cycle of involution.

The first day of FBIF2024, 10 sub-forums and exhibitions opened at the same time. The 3-day FBIF2024 includes 190+ topics (agenda), 270+ speakers, 150+ VIP guests for the Channel Gala, 900+ exhibitors, showcasing more than 2,000+ innovative products, 350+ top-selling products and innovative brands in the FBIF New Product Connection Corridor and FBIF Food Innovation Expo, which will attract 47,000+ visitors (including 1,000+ channel visitors) to the show.

How could we "Unbox the Future"? We have found that the biggest challenge Chinese food brands facing today is to create breakthrough products in a saturated domestic market, while the second biggest challenge is to find new growth channels.

Therefore, at FBIF2024, we hope to not only help brands make good products, but also help great products find the right channels.

From June 25-27, FBIF2024 will share successful growth cases from 27 countries around the world, and bring you to learn about 100+ brands that are growing against the trend and their top-selling products, as well as explore the future trends of the industry.

This year, the FBIF Food Innovation Expo has launched a series of "FBIF Super Picks" events, including FBIF2024 Channel Gala, FBIF2024 Channels & Brands Matchmaking, Channel Zone, FBIF New Product Connection Corridor and brands exhibition and so on.

Next, please join us in reviewing the exciting on-site content of the first day of FBIF2024.

Dairy Talks: Hit New Category

According to Jonathan Yan, Partner & Head of Food & Beverage Practice of Roland Berger, China's newborn birth rate has faced a cliff-like drop, and the aging population is showing an irreversible trend. At the same time, the industry is still dominated by room temperature dairy products, while consumer demand for short shelf life and cold chain products is increasing day by day.

Undeniably, dairy brands are facing both opportunities and challenges. How to hit new categories and find new opportunities will become the breakthrough for brands.

Jonathan Yan, Partner & Head of Food & Beverage Practice,Roland Berger

Alexandre Pasquet, North Asia General Manager of Lactalis, shared the company's in-depth insights on Chinese consumers.

Alexandre Pasquet pointed out that children in Europe start to consume natural cheese earlier to fulfill their healthy nutritional needs. At the same time, today's Chinese consumers are increasingly interested in functional and natural dairy products. In this regard, Lactalis predicts that natural cheese will also have a higher share in the Chinese market in the future.

It is reported that Lactalis has built 269 factories in more than 51 countries, and has also built a small factory in Jiangsu, China, for the production of natural cheese. Alexandre Pasquet further disclosed that, targeting the emerging market segment——Camembert, Lactalis will also innovate based on Chinese consumers' preferences, adding Chinese elements and producing directly in China.

Alexandre Pasquet,North Asia General Manager, Lactalis

Chunxi Liu, CEO of Yili, shared Yili's thinking of continuously pushing out new products in combination with different scenarios and segments of the population. Chunxi Liu pointed out that Yili has deeply integrated its products into the daily lives of Chinese consumers, innovating for the dining table, office, and social scenes, so that children or adults can find the right products for themselves.

In addition to traditional supermarkets and emerging channels, Yili is also making a continuous layout in specialized channels, introducing products with specific efficacy into pharmacies and launching products that are used jointly by multiple people to make the relationship in the county more intimate.

In response to the segmented health needs of consumers, Yili, for the first time in the industry, used the concept of homology of medicine and food to launch milk that focuses on blood sugar control, using mulberry leaves and corn husks as the core efficacy ingredients, combined with lactose decomposition technology.

Chunxi Liu, CEO,Yili

Casey Thomas, Vice President of Greater China of Fonterra, mentioned that grass-fed dairy products are increasingly attracting attention from consumers around the world, and Fonterra has continued to innovate in response, such as working with customers to make sustainable strategic partnerships in China; helping customers to better understand the preferences of Chinese consumers; and helping the local industry to achieve its sustainability goals through a low-carbon grass-fed model.

Casey Thomas, Vice President of Greater China,Fonterra

Xingshi Zhang, General Manager of Jiangsu New Raspberry Marketing Center, said, "Everyone's yogurt is for drinking, and we're in the business of eating." The strategy of yogurt brand New Raspberry's marketing is that instead of better, it should be different. As an emerging company, New Raspberry says the brand will insist on being innovative and differentiated.

From left to right: Shayla Zhang, Executive Director, Frost & Sullivan; Yang Zou, Party Secretary and Chairman, Haihe Dairy Co., Ltd.; Xuedong Bai, Vice President & Co-founder, Blue Sea Dairy; Xingshi Zhang, General Manager of Marketing Center, Jiangsu New Raspberry

Yang Zou, Party Secretary and Chairman of Haihe Dairy Co., Ltd. said that Haihe is not just producing milk, but producing milk that is good to drink and fun to play with. First of all, in the choice of flavors, to do colorful, to meet the needs of consumers. It is also important to have fun with the product, such as launching a yogurt co-branded with Degang Guo of Deyunshe, and launching a new flavor of cilantro avocado. Through this positioning, which is both delicious and fun, Haihe can go farther on the track and make consumers more agreeable to the fact that this brand will bring satisfaction and value to their lives.

Xuedong Bai, Vice President & Co-founder of Blue Sea Dairy, pointed out that Blue Sea Dairy relies on the New Hope Dairy system and focuses on brand innovation. Taking Da Vinci Yogurt as an example, the brand is positioned as a delicious yogurt, and its first product is "Good Satisfaction", which is different from freeze-dried fruit yogurts on the market, as it puts whole strawberries and grapes into the yogurt.

Song Ren, President of Milkground, mentioned that after Milkground became the No. 1 brand in China's cheese industry with a cheese stick, it internally defined that Milkground has come to the 2.0 era. What is the 2.0 era? It is category innovation and crowd breaking.

Milkground has set its sights on young people and middle-aged and old people. So how to feel the young people's preferences, and then innovate the category? Milkground has upgraded its cheese sticks into flower cheese sticks, the new product features zero cane sugar, low GI and light weight. This product was quickly liked by young people after it was launched in May. By using flowers in cheese, young consumers can feel the release of emotional value.

Song Ren, President,Milkground

Snack & Baking: Make Snack Delicious And Fun

Tetsuya Murata, President and CEO of Kanro, shared the story that Kanro opened the door to "innovation" with Japan's first soy sauce candy and the first twisted cellophane packaging in 1995.

Tetsuya Murata, President and CEO,Kanro

As a company that achieves revenues of RMB 1.35 billion in 2023 and rank No. 1 in Japan's confectionery (excluding chocolate) market, Kanro will also return to its customers in 2024, focusing on customer-centered product development and promotion.

Tetsuya Murata points out that as the environment has changed dramatically, so have customer behaviors and values, and in order to respond to these changes more flexibly and quickly, Kanro will return to customer-driven management by providing valuable products and services to customers.

How to return to customers? Customer-oriented, firstly, by expanding the customer base; secondly, by digging deeper into the customer, increasing the lifetime value of the customer, and deepening the relationship with the customer.

Tetsuya Murata cited such a case. He said that the age group of hard candy consumers is relatively high, and young people used not to eat hard candy, and if such a group of people grows, the company's hard candy business will keep shrinking. Therefore, Kanro wants to expand the hard candy consumers to the whole age group.

How to go about it?

Kanro focused on the high school student population, and spent six months to a year setting up a project team with high school students to talk to them about how they viewed hard candies, the difference between hard candies and other snacks, and so on. After fully understanding the needs of the crowd, in 2023, Kanro and the high school students worked together to create a "透明 なハートで生きたい"(a pocket candy which means want to live with transparent).

"High school students are just a young tier of consumers, and we don't just want to seize hold of high school students, we want to launch products that fit different age groups, including the Generation Alpha, the older age groups, and so on. Each group has their own ideas, and their ideas change as times change. Therefore, we will enhance communication and thus feedback to the product layer."

Based on its past experience in product development, Kanro has not only developed products for Generation Z, but also targeted Generation Alpha as well as parents of Generation Z to further broaden the consumer base. "We are constantly innovating." Tetsuya Murata emphasizes, "We tap into the essential needs of consumers as a way to develop more valuable products and services."

Drink Talks: Wow, Drink It Up!

How imaginative can ginger be as an ingredient in beverages? In the keynote speech "Bundaberg: From Australia's Top Ginger Beer To The Globally Popular "Craft" Soda.", Michael Stacey, Chief Customer Officer of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, said that Bundaberg, the Australian brand with ginger ale as the largest single product, has a sales network covering more than 60 countries on five continents.

Michael Stacey, Chief Customer Officer,Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Michael Stacey shared that ginger is an ancient ingredient originated from China, which not only has certain health benefits, but also its flavor can bring a warm, stimulating and comforting feeling to people, meanwhile, ginger has been used in different products in many ways, such as gingerbread cookies, which are enjoyed by children at Christmas time. In addition to ginger ale, Bundaberg has introduced a variety of flavors for consumers to choose from.

According to Michael Stacey, many of Bundaberg's products are designed to better communicate with consumers, such as the time it takes to brew a bottle of soda is clearly written on the packaging, reflecting the brand's sincere attitude, such as "flip the bottle, shake it well, and pull off the cap" opening method, in order to be more easily accessible to consumers.

It is reported that Bundaberg entered China in 2017 and currently sells around 80 million bottles per year in China. In the Chinese market, Bundaberg mainly through the cultivation of loyal consumers and loyal consumers endorsement to achieve growth, at the same time, Bundaberg in China also attaches importance to the development of the drinking scene, such as cooperation with the coffee shop, into the hot pot scene.

Michael Stacey expressed his hope that in the future, Bundaberg will enable Chinese consumers to enjoy Bundaberg's beverages in every store in China.

At Drink Talks, Bin Zhang, Founder & CEO of Halmana Beverage Inno-Lab invited 5 famous ingredient companies in China to launch 8 ginger-flavored drinks for the audience to taste and score live. Symrise, MonkFruitCorp., ADM, Damin and Flower Flavours all participated in this activity. After the audience tasted and scored, the best experiential product, the most innovative product, the most R&D product and the best flavor product were selected.

Audience Tasting On the Spot

Lemons have created endless possibilities, from the classic Sprite, Seven-Up, and Iced Tea, to cold-pressed lemonade, hand-pumped lemon tea, and lemon flavored candies, innovations in lemon flavors continue to emerge to this day. And brands are proving the high acceptance of lemon flavored products in the global marketplace.

What is the innovation mechanism behind lemon flavored products? How do you bring lemon flavored products to a wider market? Lemon Republic, which sales have exceeded 300 million yuan in three years, LEMON RIGHT, which makes a cup of tea with three kinds of lemons, and Mengtai Biotechnology, which is rooted in the industrial chain, discussed the answers together.

From left to right: Linda Zhang, Co-founder & Chief Expert, Lezhihui Management Consulting; Simon Geng, CEO, Lemon Republic; Baihe Xu, Founder & CEO, LEMON RIGHT; Qiutan Cui, Chairman, Mengtai Biotechnology

Baihe Xu, Founder & CEO of LEMON RIGHT, said that he got into lemon because "there is no Top1 in the sour track of ready-made tea drinks"; Qiutan Cui, Chairman of Mengtai Biotechnology, believed that "science and technology (development) has supported us to do deep processing of lemon"; Simon Geng, CEO of Lemon Republic said that "lemon is the number one flavor in China and the world, and it is worthwhile for people who make beverages to spend more time on it."

The three companies betting on lemon have also made more attempts at lemon innovation.

Qiutan Cui found that lemon essential oils would be more prominent and visible in meat. He thinks lemon's anti-anxiety functionality could be one of the selling points for lemon products. "The main components in lemon essential oil are limonene and citral, and there are about 100 papers that we can find saying lemon essential oil has a positive and obvious effect on anti-anxiety."

Baihe Xu has begun experimenting with lemon as a base with any ingredient, making a variety of attempts such as lemon tea with sea cucumber, lemon tea with wasabi jelly, lemon tea with black truffle, and lemon with cilantro. In the future, LEMON RIGHT will do more linkage with ACG, such as opening an ACG lemon tea store, or combining lemon tea with baking - because we believe that "LEMON RIGHT, infinite possibilities".

Simon Geng, on the other hand, believes that from innovation to processing, lemon branding is something that can be done for ten or twenty years. In his opinion, there are infinite possibilities for Lemon in terms of product innovation and scenario innovation. Lemon Republic has a cold-pressed lemon liquid product, which was initially rejected, but after the actual launch of the product, the data is good instead. "It allows people to drink lemon anytime, anywhere, and instead breaks some of the boundaries of lemon itself."

Alcohol Talks: Keep Alcohol Engaging

In the presentation titled "Sipping Across Borders: Strolling Through the Global Alcohol Markets", Shirley Zhu, the research director for Greater China at the International Wine & Spirit Research Institute (IWSR), shared her insights into the current trends in the global alcohol industry.

She noted that in 2023, the growth dynamics of the alcohol market slightly shifted. Overall, while the global total sales volume of alcohol across all categories decreased by 1%, but the market value increased by 2%. The trend towards premiumization in the alcohol sector is expected to continue, although its scope is narrowing. Additionally, the growth axis for alcohol has shifted from developed to developing markets. At the same time, due to a global trend towards moderation in alcohol consumption, there is an increasing engagement with non-alcoholic beverage categories.

Shirley Zhu, Research Director – Greater China,IWSR

As the food and beverage industry increasingly focuses on international expansion, how can alcohol, with its strong cultural attributes, successfully make its way overseas? In the speech and discussion titled "How Did the Negroni, Popular for Over a Century, Find New Inspiration in China?", Pauline D. Cha, China Managing Director of Campari Group, shared insights from the practical case of "Wugroni", a cocktail launched by Campari Group in collaboration with Wuliangye in September last year.

Pauline D. Cha, China Managing Director,Campari Group

Pauline said that although Chinese Baijiu has very high sales volumes in China, its export accounts for less than 0.3% of the total production. Even if Chinese Baijiu is successfully sold overseas, it is difficult for it to move beyond the Chinese community and integrate into the lives of foreign consumers.

Pauline further pointed out that the biggest challenge in the globalization of Chinese Baijiu is the drinking scenario. In China, Baijiu is usually consumed "unmixed, but with meals", but in the West, spirits are rarely served at dinner tables. To help Western consumers accept Chinese Baijiu, starting with cocktails could be an effective strategy. With this in mind, Campari Group created the "Wugroni" cocktail by replacing the gin in the classic Negroni recipe with Wuliangye’s strong-aroma Chinese Baijiu.

Pauline emphasized that the key to a brand's success in cross-cultural markets is "respect." This means honoring the core values of one's own culture while also respecting the culture and values of others.

Regarding how Chinese alcohol companies can balance these two aspects of "respect" when expanding internationally, Pauline believes that market education is essential. Chinese companies can take cues from the spirits industry by organizing tastings and working with bartenders to help Western consumers develop a genuine appreciation for Chinese Baijiu.

Condiment & 3R Food: New Taste That Spice Up New Lives

Condiment & 3R Food have been a hot topic over the past year. At FBIF 2024, iResearch premiered 2024 Condiments Market Trends White Paper.

Steven Zhou, General Manager of iResearch, shared the whitepaper, which for the first time put forward the four major trend directions of ABCD for the development of condiments in 2024.

• Adding (increase nutritional elements): add fruits, vegetables, proteins and other natural elements in condiments, green organic and more nutritious.
• Blending (mix and match regional flavors): the mix and match of "basic with X" will make the taste richer and more innovative.
• Cutting (reduce the burden on the body): reduced salt/low sodium, less sugar, zero-added condiments and ingredients to reduce the burden on the body.
• Decreasing (reduce environmental pollution): reduce the non-recyclable ingredients in the packaging of seasonings, more low-carbon and environmentally friendly.

StevenZhou, General Manager, iResearch

Steven Zhou also discussed the development trend of China's condiments industry: China's family structure has become smaller, users prefer a more sophisticated lifestyle and more convenient dining; it is easy to get started in cooking but difficult to advance, and nearly 30% of users are cooking novices who don't know how to cook well; despite the rise in the per capita cost of cooking, Chinese people's DNA of loving to cook can't be blocked; 60% of users buy compound condiments to save time and effort; "delicious taste, healthy formula, and clean ingredient list" have become the three major factors of concern for users to buy condiments.

In addition, iResearch also shared the performance of condiments in the segmentation track. compound condiment "rice sauce" has been growing rapidly, with a year-on-year growth rate of 129.1%; "umami-enhancing" condiments chicken essence / monosodium glutamate (MSG) is showing a trend of high unit price and rapid growth; China's chili peppers ranked first in the world in terms of planting area, production and trade. The product concept of "Spicy" has a scale of nearly 1.4 billion in the online market of seasonings in Q1 2024, which is far ahead of other product concepts.

Function & Ingredient: Explore The Next Star Ingredient

Dr. Daisuke Fujiwara, Director, Institute of Health Sciences of Kirin Holdings, shared the company's advantageous ingredients, innovative brands and products on the spot.

Dr. Daisuke Fujiwara, Director, Institute of Health Sciences,Kirin Holdings

He said Kirin Holdings currently has three main business areas: one is the food and beverage business that includes beer, soft drinks, and health foods; the second is the pharmaceutical business; and the third is the health science business that focuses on disease prevention.

Dr. Daisuke Fujiwara recalled that in 2010, Kirin Holdings first discovered a lactic acid bacterium that acts directly on the immune command center. Kirin Holdings has high hopes for the ingredient and has launched the brand IMMUSE to drive the commercialization of the ingredient.

According to data provided by Dr. Daisuke Fujiwara, IMMUSE has already launched 59 related products in a variety of food and beverage categories and product formats, including juices, gummies, chocolates, protein powders, and supplements. He claimed that IMMUSE sales have now increased fivefold compared to sales during the launch period in 2019.

Channel Talks: Laying A Solid Groundwork

In Channel Talks, Ali Sun, General Manager of E-commerce of Baixiang Food, delivered a speech titled "The New Era of Channels: Diversified Products Revitalize Brand Vitality".

Ali Sun, General Manager of E-commerce,Baixiang Food

What does channel innovation mean to brands? In Baixiang’s view, channel innovation is actually a positive match and response to channel changes.

Ali Sun said that the channels have undergone tremendous changes in recent years. The size of each channel has decreased, where previously a single channel could achieve a scale of 100 million yuan, now even combining 3-5 channels may not reach the same volume.To maintain the original scale, brands must now operate across more channels.

The fragmentation and downsizing of channels have also increased the difficulty of operations. In this context, brands need to transition from traditional distribution models to actively managing each channel. To cater to a broader audience, especially younger consumers and more personalized channels, Baixiang has been constantly iterating on flavors and categories since 2021. By 2023, Baixiang managed instant convenience foods, and expanded intosnacks and more region-specific products.

"In Baixiang's current perspective, channel innovation essentially means returning to the essence of the product and the channel itself." Ali Sun took coriander instant noodles as an example. In May 2023, Baixiang launched coriander instant noodles on Douyin e-commerce, which was extremely popular at the time.

In October 2023, Baixiang launched the "PuPu Customized" coriander instant noodles in the PuPu Mall. Despite the initial popularity, this product did not succeed and even disappeared. It was not until the beginning of 2024 that the iterative Baixiang coriander instant noodles were launched in all channels. Although it didn't generate the same initial buzz, the sales volume was dozens or even hundreds of times higher than before.

At present, Baixiang is in an omni-channel operation state, with some channels just beginning and others in the process of refinement. Ali Sun emphasized that to continue growing and securing its position in these channels, it must do two things: one is to constantly upgrade and iterate products in response to channel changes, and the other is to continue to expand product categories.

"Success has no set formula. For Baixiang today, we are constantly customizing competitive products suitable for consumers in the channels. Similarly, we are also investing much more manpower, material and financial resources into each channel to research, observe changes, identify all possible opportunities, and avoid all potential risks within that channel," Ali Sun concluded.

Pack Talks: From Appealing to Branding

How can we make global consumers passionate about our brand like Nike?

Simon Collins, founder of The House of Collins, believes that there are three main factors that trigger consumer behavior: the first is price; the second is laws or some regulations, such as the law requiring product packaging to be non-flammable; and the third is desire . And "desire" is the most important reason.

Simon Collins, Founder,The House of Collins

Simon Collins further pointed out that desire is not only derived from physiological needs such as the need for food when hungry, but can also be stimulated by emotional needs. Brands need to pay attention to four principles if they want to stimulate consumers' desire at the emotional level:

First, respect cultural diversity and be inclusive（DIVERSITY). This principle is particularly important for overseas brands. They need to avoid the misunderstanding of blindly exporting Chinese culture and integrate into the culture that is more popular in the local market to make the brand more friendly to the locals.

Second, companies should not only focus on profits, but also create value (VALUE NOT PROFIT) , such as creating a better growth environment for partners.

Third, adhere to the spirit of continuous improvement and never compromise (BRILLIANCE ONLY).

Fourth, tell consumers a fascinating story (TELL YOUR STORY). For example, you can create a certain lifestyle for consumers, insist on some spiritual pursuits, etc.

Simon Collins finally said that the most important reason for a successful brand to be successful is to keep consumers enthusiastic about the brand.

Marketing Talks: Growth and Beyond Growth

Thai advertising is unique in the advertising industry - it is creative and innovative, and has a great influence outside the Thai market. So, what is unique about Thai advertising creativity? Asawin Phanichwatana, creative partner of NOAH WORKSHOP, as the Southeast Asian Creative Person of the Year, shared how he advertises in Thailand.

Asawin Phanichwatana, Creative Partner,NOAH Workshop

Asawin Phanichwatana said that when creating advertisements, the first question he considers is "who is our audience." The level of detail in answering this question determines the final effect of the advertisement.

Asawin Phanichwatana concluded that Thai people tend to have five characteristics: lazy, easy, mix, entertain and empathy. The key to Thai advertising being so eye-catching is knowing the locals well enough.

He also shared some creative advertising cases in Thailand, all of which showed the selling points of products in a dramatic and unexpected way. In his opinion, content that can arouse emotional ups and downs is more in line with Thailand's relaxed social culture than a serious description of the value of the product.

In addition, it also revealed the behind-the-scenes strategy that enables Thailand's creative advertising to communicate effectively with consumers: first, clarify the content that the audience is interested in, such as the audience's fears, dreams, pursuits, etc. Second, create highly acceptable advertisements based on content that the audience is interested in.

Finally, Asawin Phanichwatana emphasized that inspiration is all around us, and advertising is about understanding what the people around us need.

Startup Talks: From 0 to 1 to 10

How products go from 0 to 1, and then from 1 to 10, this is a topic that all new brands are interested in. Sha Chen, Chairwoman of CAT FOUR COFFEE; Lily Yan, CEO & Head of Product Research of KaiCha; Maqingyun Zheng, Founder & CEO of JiǎnFǎ Wheat, shared how brands can find their origin market at Startup Talks.

CAT FOUR COFFEE pointed out that instant coffee products still occupy a large market share in China, and most consumers have never consumed coffee. The huge market gap still leaves new opportunities for new brands.

Sha Chen shared that Yunnan, where CAT FOUR COFFEE is located, is one of the core producing areas of the world's four major high mountain coffees. The uniqueness of CAT FOUR COFFEE lies in that it is a company that completely uses Yunnan culture to reshape the global category of coffee. It is also the first company to propose a new category of Yunnan Alpine Coffee.

Sha Chen, Chairwoman,CAT FOUR COFFEE

CAT FOUR COFFEE are rooted in Yunnan culture and have become a representative work of Yunnan coffee. They carry out brand marketing through "holding Alpine Coffee picking festivals" and "packaging and selling goods on the shelves themselves", and use "Yunnan coffee sales No. 1" to endorse the brand. In 2022, it became the coffee brand with the No. 1 GMV in the instant coffee category of Douyin e-commerce.

In terms of corporate management, Sha Chen shared that CAT FOUR COFFEE introduced the entire upstream and downstream industrial chain through lean production, improved the efficiency of the entire industrial chain, reduced the cost of the entire industrial chain, achieved consumer equality and enriched coffee farmers; and helped terminal distributors to continuously improve inventory, profits, shelves, etc., helping CAT FOUR COFFEE win the market.

Lily Yan revealed at the scene that the founding team of the sugar-free tea brand KaiCha was once a national agent for digital products. When they were agents, the founding team also wanted to build their own brand, and they eventually found new opportunities in the field of sugar-free tea.

KaiCha found in the 2022 tea beverage data that compared with the markets in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, Chinese Mainland's ready-to-drink tea accounts for a relatively low proportion in the beverage market, and sugar-free tea accounts for a relatively low proportion in ready-to-drink tea. Considering the consumption trend of health and sugar-free, KaiCha chose the sugar-free tea track and launched 7-0 products - 0 sugar, 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 tea powder, 0 tea concentrate, 0 flavors, and 0 preservatives. Yan Li said, "We took the 'elevator' of sugar-free tea and achieved rapid growth."

Lily Yan, CEO & Head of Product Research,KaiCha

Maqingyun Zheng shared the story of JiǎnFǎ Wheat from 0 to 1 from the perspective of product selection and traffic. Maqingyun Zheng believes that the mainstream market has been occupied. From the perspective of consumers, the segmented track has become the second curve of brand growth. "I specialize in the segmented market and can be the first in the segmented market."

Talking about the key to the explosion of JiǎnFǎ Wheat on Douyin, Maqingyun Zheng believes that Douyin is the main battlefield for traffic, and the new platform and new communication methods have also brought new communication value. "When I live broadcast, I always wake up customers, tell them who I am, and keep conveying my values. What do I represent? I am not a logo, I am not a brand, I represent a sincere value, a value of steaming whole wheat bread."

Maqingyun Zheng, Founder& CEO, JiǎnFǎ Wheat

FBIF Food Innovation Expo (FBIF Super Picks)

FBIF Food Innovation Expo as a concurrent exhibition of FBIF (Food and Beverage Innovation Forum), focuses on innovation and aims to provide F&B companies with a professional display and communication platform, complementing the forum and jointly promoting the industry development. This year, we are launching a series of "FBIF Super Picks" activities, including the "FBIF New Product Connection Corridor" and brand exhibition with over 350 global best-selling products and innovative brands, the "Channel Zone" featuring more than 50 key channels, the "FBIF2024 Channels & Brands Matchmaking" with over 100 invited channels, and a "FBIF2024 Channel Gala" with over 150 VIP guests and so on.

Applying the dual criteria of "innovation" and "high growth”, the FBIF New Product Connection Corridor of FBIF Super Picks has selected over 280 best selling products and innovative brands.

FBIF Channels & Brands Matchmaking features 8 themed matching sessions, including JD Special Investment Promotion Meeting, Bussan Beijing Logistics Enterprise Ltd. / 7-11 Chain Convenience Store Special Investment Promotion Meeting, TEMU Cross-border E-commerce Special Investment Promotion Meeting, East China Region Channel Matching Event, Food Export Specialized Matching Event, Exclusive Influencer and Buyer Collaboration Event (Yimeishang) , Food and Beverage OEM Product Selection Meeting and and FBIF Wow Food Awards 2024 Specialized Selection Meeting.

On the first day, the FBIF Channels & Brands Matchmaking conducted three special sessions to help brands connect with channels. Take the JD Special Investment Promotion Meeting as an example, 24+ JD related personnel appeared on the scene and shared their selection strategies and latest retail trends through the form of "theme-based sharing with product selection matchmaking", helping brands realize the accurate matchmaking of various channels. In addition, a large number of visitors were also present at the special investment meeting for the Bussan Beijing Logistics Enterprise Ltd. / 7-11 Chain Convenience Store Special Investment Promotion Meeting.

Meanwhile, in order to make it easier for channels and brands to communicate, FBIF Food Innovation Expo has opened a special zone for channels. Over 50 well-known channels stationed in the zone, including Temu, Hotmaxx, 66 planet (Middle East and Southeast Asia business development services), Weee! (America's online Asian Supermarket), Fresh Life Style (Southeast Asia offline channels 30000+),  Dongguan City Cai Hua Trading Co., Ltd.(Yue He Ji), Be Friends Holding Limited and so on. There were also floods of enthusiastic vistors lining up to get the 2024 Food & Beverage Best-Sellers and Innovations: A Buyer's Guide.

FBIF Food Innovation Expo covers multiple categories including dairy products, beverages, snacks, alcohol, convenience foods, functional foods, ingredients, OEM, packaging, design, marketing, etc, with more than 900 exhibitors. Find the collaboration across the entire industry chain!

In previous FBIF Food Innovation Expo, the Special Events specially planned by the organizer has always been highly anticipated. This year, the Special Events of   FBIF Food Innovation Exhibition 2024 focuses deeply on innovation, consisting of FBiF Global New Food Collection, FBiF Global Creative Packaging Design Gallery, Foodtalks Salon and FBIF2024 Channels & Brands Matchmaking.

Explore global innovations at the FBiF Global New Food Collection, where the FBIF New Product Report team has meticulously selected over 2,000 innovative products from major markets around the world, including more than 800 products from international markets.

FBiF Global Creative Packaging Design Gallery brings together more than 180 outstanding packaging works around the world, including Japan, the United States, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, etc.

The Foodtalks Salon has set up 6 major themes and 1 special event, meanwhile, 35+ experts will share their views on raw materials, technology, industry, market and business, providing industry insiders with rich speeches and more interesting interactions.

About FBIF2024

Under the theme “Unbox the Future”, Food & Beverage Innovation Forum 2024 (FBIF2024) and FBIF Food Innovation Expo 2024 (FBIF Super Picks) takes place 25-27 June 2024 in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). In the forums, industry trends and innovation cases are explored for diverse F&B product categories including dairy, snacks, baking, beverages, alcohols, condiments, 3R Food, and in multiple perspectives, i.e., strategy, function & ingredients, marketing, channels, packaging, start up, technology and etc.

FBIF Wow Food Awards Ceremony and FBIF Food Innovation Expo, an exhibition of food innovations that covers over 62,000 square meters, also bring a splash of inspirations. FBIF2024 has 190+ topics, 270+ global speakers, 150+ VIP guests for the Channel Gala, 900+ exhibitors.