As health awareness grows, low-alcohol beverages are emerging as a new favorite in global consumption trends. In 2023, Kirin’s total revenue reached JPY 2.1344 trillion (approximately RMB 101.5 billion), with its alcoholic beverage segment contributing JPY 1.0451 trillion—over half of the company’s total revenue. Kirin has remained at the forefront of innovation in the global alcohol market. Since the launch of Kirin Ichiban Shibori, the brand has maintained a strong market presence with its refined taste and premium quality. Hyoketsu, featuring a unique frozen fruit juice process and iconic diamond-shaped can, has also garnered widespread consumer appeal. In 2023, after a 17-year hiatus, Kirin introduced a new beer brand—Hare-Kaze—which quickly captured attention with its distinctive "fifth-type" beer profile and smooth drinkability.

In this session, we are honored to welcome Mr. Sohei Takamiya, Director CEO of Kirin China, to share how Kirin leverages innovation and brand differentiation to strategically build and expand its footprint in the low-alcohol market.

In today's ever-changing landscape, the food and beverage market is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities:

· The trend toward health and consumers' demand for high-quality products are driving the industry to accelerate its transformation from traditional products to innovative directions.

· In 2023, the Chinese sugar-free tea market grew by 110% year-over-year (Nielsen data). Behind the explosive growth of this category, competition has intensified, homogenization has become more prominent, and brands are trapped in the dilemma of "competing on price" to boost sales.

· Chinese food and beverage brands are accelerating their international expansion, with total exports reaching $76.5 billion in 2023. However, the share of sales from independent brands abroad remains limited. Breaking out of the Chinese community and penetrating local markets remains a key challenge for brands venturing abroad...

Against this backdrop, Calbee achieved a V-shaped sales rebound for its fries, which were once on the brink of discontinuation, through "differentiated taste"; Amos secured a foothold in international markets with its fun gummy designs featuring "multi-sensory" appeal; Kirin's Seicha "broke through the siege" with a brand renewal, achieving over 100 million in sales in just seven weeks; House Foods redefined children's curry with a "mild-spicy formula," selling 82.4 billion servings globally (as of December 2022); Meiji successfully revived its dormant bitter chocolate after 17 years with the "cocoa polyphenols" concept; Brands like Wantwant, Jianlibao, and Baixiang have remained timeless, continually thriving in the tide of the times through strong brand building and product strength. These practices, transcending regions and periods, show how brands respond to market fluctuations through product innovation and reveal a product philosophy that transcends cycles: starting with deep consumer insights, blending technology and creativity, driving qualitative breakthroughs, and ultimately achieving growth.

This dialogue brings together representative brands of global product innovation to discuss how to achieve sustainable growth and breakthroughs in the rapidly changing market environment:

· The underlying logic of product innovation: How can we start with authentic insights to create truly globally appealing classic products?

· Building long-term brands: How can we build brand competitiveness that spans cycles and enables steady growth in the global market?

· Advancing overseas expansion strategies: Going abroad is more than just export—how can we deeply cultivate target markets, continue innovating, and achieve steady growth?

By reviewing classic cases that have broken through in challenging times and anticipating future industry trends, how can food and beverage companies learn in competition and co-create in cooperation? This dialogue will offer new directions for thinking and lead a new wave of global market growth.