Dr. Cai completed his bachelor's and master's degree courses from Sichuan University from 1977 to 1984; and obtained his Ph.D. in the chemistry of plant polyphenols from the University of Sheffield (UK) from 1985 to 1988. From 1989 to 1993, he was engaged in tea and medicinal herb research at the University of Sheffield and the University of London.

He joined Unilever Lipton Tea R&D Center in 1993 and led fundamental research, technology development, and application. In 2002, he moved back to Shanghai to establish Unilever China Research Institute and held Technical Director of Greater China as well. In 2008, he pursued his own ambition to develop a complete supply chain of quality tea, coffee, and herbs with GreenXtract as its core.

Dr. Cai holds a professorship in China Tea Research Institute, Anhui Agricultural University, Hunan Agricultural University, and China Tea Business School. He has been consulting expert for Shanghai’s science and technology development since 2006. In 2007, he was presented the "Magnolia Honorary Award" by Shanghai Municipal Government. This award is the most prestigious honor awarded to foreign nationals who have made outstanding contributions to Shanghai.