In 2014, while still a sophomore in college, Zhengxuan Xing began his entrepreneurial journey by tapping into the rising wave of content creation on WeChat. This early move laid the groundwork for a content-first business mindset. By 2019, sensing major shifts in platform dynamics, he quickly pivoted with his team to Douyin (TikTok China), where he dominated the sweet potato vertical, ranking No.1 in sales for two consecutive years (2020–2021).
At the end of 2021, Zhengxuan made a bold leap into the pre-packaged food industry. His brand Yeren Riji rapidly delivered multiple blockbuster products with over ten million units sold—among them, Konjac Oat Chicken Breast Dumplings, Buckwheat Buns, and Low-fat Meat Swallows. By 2024, the brand had surpassed ¥300 million in annual revenue, with its konjac dumplings becoming the best-selling product nationwide. The brand also expanded offline, launching a notable co-branded line with Yuanji Yun Jiao.
From content to commerce, from online traffic to offline expansion, each shift demanded sharp strategic foresight and robust execution from the leaders behind the brand. Zhengxuan Xing will candidly share how he led Yeren Riji through multiple reinventions, how he translated content logic into brand strength, and how these transformations shaped both the business and his personal leadership journey.
DHA, a core component for brain health, accounts for 3.7% of the overall market share. Affected by declining birth rates and severe product homogenization, the brain health category saw a growth rate of -5.9% in 2024. The DHA market urgently requires product innovation or dosage form upgrades.
With over 20 years of OEM experience in infant and child health, Yichao Health has accumulated extensive expertise in producing DHA algal oil. In 2024, the company launched new products: DHA algal oil pudding candy and a liquid drink series. Supported by proprietary invention patents and third-party absorption rate data, these products enhance differentiation and competitiveness, empowering brand partners to create new growth drivers in the brain health market.
Fermented TCM ingredients are emerging as a new hotspot in the food and beverage industry, with a promising market outlook and increasing industry attention.
Qingdao Kangmaichen has been deeply engaged in the field of fermented TCM for over a decade, mastering core technologies, holding proprietary strains, and developing health products to pharmaceutical standards. The company adopts an industry-unique benchmark—measuring success by a twofold enhancement in efficacy post-fermentation—and has completed three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving 240 participants, validating product efficacy and safety. In May 2024, Kangmaichen assisted a major corporation in launching a liver health product, which achieved over 80 million RMB in sales within its first year. The company is now a key supplier of fermented TCM ingredients and products to multiple publicly listed companies.
Leveraging its extensive research experience, Kangmaichen will explore in this session how bio-transformation through fermentation can drive innovation in TCM, unlock new opportunities in this niche sector, and provide high-quality, scientifically backed, and highly effective ingredient and product solutions.
Ten years ago, Feng Yiduo left her job as a graphic designer at an ad agency to become a full-time mom. What began as a simple wish to bake a unique birthday cake for her daughter soon blossomed into a journey of artistic exploration—one that fuses food with fine art.
Today, Feng is known for her hyperrealistic cakes that mimic everyday objects like hairy crabs, ribbonfish, and watermelons, as well as delicate potted plants like pine bonsai and lilies of the valley. She even recreated the elaborate "Nine Dragons and Nine Phoenixes" crown of Empress Dowager Xiaoduan—an edible tribute to Chinese history and craftsmanship. Her works are astonishing in their lifelike detail, blurring the boundaries between art and pastry.
How does one blend design thinking into the delicate world of baking? What inner journey did Feng undertake to evolve from a designer to an artist who sculpts wonder out of flour and fondant? This is a story of creativity, transformation, and the power of reimagining tradition.
The growth path of Songxianxian has not been smooth, encountering numerous setbacks and challenges. In 2021, founder Zihan Yi sold her property and raised 20 million yuan to collaborate with several MCN agencies for live-streaming sales. However, due to the agencies' failure to fulfill their obligations, the company was on the brink of collapse. Faced with this adversity, Zihan Yi personally led the team and directly collaborated with influencers to rebuild sales channels. Through relentless efforts, by 2023, Songxianxian ranked first in the seasoning category on Douyin, the chicken essence category on Tmall, and the chicken essence category on JD.com, with annual sales surpassing 800 million yuan.
However, with the increase in similar products in the market and intensifying competition, Songxianxian began facing even more challenges: How to maintain its leading position in the fierce market competition? How to continuously innovate and meet the ever-changing demands of consumers? In this session, Zihan Yi will deeply explore the strategies of "self-rescue" employed by Songxianxian through these setbacks, as well as her thoughts and growth as a business leader when facing challenges.
How can food flavorings go beyond providing characteristic aromas to offer additional functionalities? Pan-Asia leverages big data-driven intelligent analysis tools to explore the extended effects of aroma molecules with sensory functions. This enables applications such as color preservation, anti-microbial properties, and taste modulation in food, aligning with the "clean label" trend in the health-conscious market. By doing so, Pan-Asia provides food and beverage companies with more innovative and high-quality solutions.
As market competition intensifies, offline retail is caught in a sweeping “low-price storm,” where price-performance has become the default play. But this singular focus is putting mounting pressure on retailers, brands, distributors, and service providers across the board.
Is price-performance truly the only path forward?
Drawing on extensive data, WinWin Network reveals that many brands are breaking through by tapping into health-driven positioning, upgrading ingredients and processes, and innovating in flavor, format, and packaging. These strategies are not only winning consumer favor—but also opening up more resilient pricing structures and premium potential.
Backed by its nationwide offline retail monitoring network, WinWin Network will share forward-looking insights into emerging retail dynamics, and uncover how leading brands are using data to sense shifts and stay ahead of the curve!
As the summer beverage season enters its peak, retail execution has become a critical battleground for brand sales. But is your product truly ready for this high-stakes competition?
From cold-chain displays and execution of sales agreements to real-time data feedback and region-specific strategy development—every detail of terminal performance deserves to be seen, measured, and optimized. With rising in-store display costs, how can brands allocate resources more precisely and maximize their return on investment through effective execution? The answer lies in data.
This session is jointly presented by WinWin Network, a leading offline retail monitoring agency, and Shanghai Retaileye Intelligence. Based on visualized data from real-time sales and on-shelf execution, the two partners will introduce an integrated solution to validate and optimize retail display investments. This data-driven approach helps brands build a “digital twin” of their retail presence—enabling smarter decisions and stronger performance in a competitive summer market.
At the FBIF2024 forum, Mr. Hu captivated the audience with his extensive experience in overseas expansion and engaging storytelling. In recent years, numerous enterprises have established international business departments, actively venturing into overseas markets, marking a new milestone for Chinese fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands going global. Mr. Hu stands out as one of the first senior executives to personally engage in this endeavor. By conducting on-site market research, directly liaising with local businesses, experimenting with various market entry strategies, and recruiting local teams for operations, he has accumulated a wealth of hands-on experience.
In this Foodtalks live interview, we will delve into Mr. Hu's practical experiences in formulating and executing globalization strategies, sharing insights and strategies for overseas market expansion. Our goal is to assist more business leaders and practitioners in navigating the path of globalization with greater stability and success.
In recent years, China’s food and beverage industry has experienced rapid growth and structural transformation, emerging as a significant force in the global market. With evolving consumer preferences and a rising focus on health-conscious choices, Chinese brands specializing in tea-based beverages, functional foods, and specialty snacks have gained traction both domestically and internationally, showcasing the unique appeal of Chinese culinary culture.
However, in an era of global economic integration, Chinese F&B brands face new challenges in their international expansion. Cultural barriers, strict market entry regulations, fierce global competition, and varying food safety standards all pose significant hurdles. As these challenges continue to shape the global landscape, it is crucial to explore breakthrough strategies and collaborative solutions that will drive the sustainable internationalization of Chinese brands.
The "Breaking Barriers & Winning Together: A New Era for Chinese Food & Beverage Brands Going Global" roundtable will bring together industry leaders to analyze the current landscape, exchange insights, and chart new paths for Chinese brands to thrive on the global stage.
While the title "entrepreneur" may not be particularly fashionable, a cross-industry serial entrepreneur who also engages in paragliding certainly stands out.
Fabio Wang began his entrepreneurial journey in 1994. In 1997, he founded the Kangnuo Dairy Factory in Handan, Hebei, pioneering home delivery of milk boxes in China. During breaks from entrepreneurship, he immersed himself in paragliding, representing China in international competitions and maintaining top national rankings for several years. However, his adventurous spirit didn't stop there. In 2020, Wang invested 240 million yuan to build a fully automated dairy factory and established the premium yogurt brand Oarmilk.
In this session, Fabio Wang will share his personal experiences as a serial entrepreneur and discuss how he has consistently broken new ground across different fields, achieving multiple significant milestones in his life.
In the new consumer era, the development of Chinese-style light health drinks is unstoppable. As a pioneer in this field, Keyang has accumulated rich experience and successfully transitioned from B2B to B2C. This session will focus on the practical cases of Keyang's full-ecological layout, with an emphasis on strategies and results in channel development and expansion. In the domestic market, Keyang has achieved rapid brand penetration through online e-commerce platforms, WeChat ecosystem, and offline channels like Costco. In the international market, Keyang is actively expanding, promoting Chinese-style light health drinks globally.
Through these practical cases, Keyang has summarized a full-chain growth methodology suitable for the new consumer era, aiming to provide valuable insights and references for industry peers.
The approach of 90s-born second-generation entrepreneurs in taking over family businesses has markedly evolved from that of the previous generation. They are no longer confined to traditional channels but are leveraging social media and building their own brand momentum to connect with the market and streamline operations more agilely.
Eric, a second-generation leader at Jiale Dairy, once embraced a 'lying flat' attitude. However, a chance event led him to post a video on Xiaohongshu, unexpectedly unlocking significant business opportunities. Today, he has successfully introduced Jiale Dairy's products into major channels such as Hema, Aldi, and ReQi Bingdian, achieving annual single-product sales in the tens of millions and marking his transformation from 'second-generation heir' to 'top salesperson'.
This success is not solely due to the empowerment of social media but also stems from Jiale Dairy's meticulous refinement of its single-farm model. How does the company ensure consistent product output through comprehensive industry chain control? How can social platforms highlight the value of premium milk sources? Eric's journey exemplifies how the new generation of entrepreneurs is redefining business through innovative models.
What challenges do regional specialty products face when building a brand? How can we integrate unique local culture with modern design to amplify the beauty of a place—again and again?
Pufine Design has drawn inspiration from nature and culture to build memorable regional brands: from the natural form of the lotus root in their creation of Honghu Lotus Root Wine; to the joyful scenes of tea-picking and dancing in their “ethnic pop” Youyang Camellia Oil; and even mapping grape leaves into a 3D topography for the Pazhu Ice Wine.
These designs tightly link local products to their land, culture, and people—amplifying the unique charm of regional goods and giving them a stronger emotional and cultural resonance.
In 2022, at just 36 years old, Yang Zou became Party Secretary and Chairman of Haihe Dairy, stepping into leadership at a critical turning point for the company. Faced with stalled new factory construction, outdated management practices, and an aging brand image, Zou saw not only challenges—but also the opportunity for bold transformation.
Guided by the philosophy of “consumer-first, team-driven,” he broke away from conventional state-owned enterprise thinking and redefined Haihe’s strategic trajectory. Internally, he overhauled organizational mechanisms, fostered a culture of innovation, and re-energized his team. Externally, he zeroed in on market segmentation and led the creation of the “flavored milk strategy”—launching headline-grabbing products like cilantro avocado milk and Tianjin-style pancake milk. By combining unique flavors with cultural resonance, Zou captured the attention of younger consumers and carved a distinct identity for Haihe in a competitive market.
Through creative marketing, including cross-industry collaborations with Tianjin Museum and comedy troupe Deyunshe, Zou successfully positioned Haihe as a brand that blends taste with fun and emotion.
In just three years, Haihe Dairy rose from a regional name to a national symbol of innovation. The brand’s value surged to RMB 15.375 billion, with annual revenue growing from RMB 680 million in 2021 to RMB 1.1 billion in 2024—ranking #1 in flavored milk sales nationwide.
In this conversation, Yang Zou will share his personal journey—from a young executive in a traditional industry to a transformation leader—demonstrating how vision, bold moves, and strategic focus can fuel unexpected success.
In today's fast-paced professional world, career gaps often evoke anxiety among professionals, fearing interruptions in their career trajectories. However, Annie's journey offers an alternative perspective on navigating such intervals.
As a founding member of Innova Market Insights' China team, Annie joined in 2014 and later became the China Regional Manager, leading cross-functional teams to provide the food and beverage industry with innovative trend insights that combine international perspectives with localized understanding. In August 2023, she embarked on a six-month self-curated journey: She studied Product Manager Marketing Strategy courses at Audencia Business School in France, and joined a safari in Kenya, witnessing survival dynamics on the savannah and engaging in discussions about business and life's possibilities under the stars.
This blend of professional development and cultural immersion not only reshaped her business mindset but also facilitated her promotion to Vice President of the China region upon her return.
Through real-life examples, this session aims to explore the value of non-linear growth paths and seek a dynamic balance between work and life.