Products are just the results. The first step of innovation starts with insights into new consumer segments, new scenarios, and new channels.

With the rise in commodity costs and the influx of e-commerce into the production end, a large number of OEM factories are stepping into the spotlight, facilitating the process of brand consumerization through channel borrowing. However, research and development are not simply about replacing big brands, and marketing is by no means equivalent to platform promotion. Supply chain brands lacking in R&D innovation and brand marketing capabilities will struggle to survive in the long term relying solely on "production" as their lifeline.

Keyang - the leader in cereal drinks. The growth rate in 2023 will exceed 150%, and it has been certified by Sullivan as the pioneer of the red bean and barley water category and the market leader in category sales! Zhonghe Food, a subsidiary of Keyang, has nearly 30 years of experience in red bean processing, and its annual filling production capacity is as high as 10W+ tons! From red bean processing to red bean barley water, how can Yang C-end successfully transform?

YUZU VALLEY set a good example from the beginning by creating the new category of double yuzu juice. However, the subsequent influx of low-priced imitations intensified competition. In response, YUZU VALLEY upgraded to the new "YUZU Juice" brand last July, moving from a category-driven approach to a dual strategy of category + brand. This innovation helped break the cycle of low-price competition, and within two years, sales exceeded 1.1 billion yuan.

Restaurant chains grew from 12% in 2018 to 19% in 2022, according to Meituan. The highest growth in chain expansion, 45% year on year, is seen in the 5,000-10,000-store band.

Starting from traditional catering channels, Hope Water achieved sales exceeding 500 million yuan within 4 years and is expanding into more dining scenes. XianMu Technology occupies 20% of the catering supply chain market, focusing on emerging leisure dining scenes and building a bridge between leisure dining enterprises and beverage brands.

Facing the continuous differentiation and upgrading of catering channels, Hope Water and XianMu Technology will interpret new opportunities for beverage brands from different perspectives.

There's no doubt that ginger remains a promising contender. Ginger flavor enjoys considerable acceptance worldwide. As early as 2017, Google's beverage trend report noted a 32% increase in searches for ginger drinks (including ginger tea, ginger beer, and ginger ale) across the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, and Mexico. Searches for categories like ginger water and ginger juice grew by 79%. According to Technavio's data, the ginger market is projected to reach $3.4 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.3% from 2021 to 2026. While ginger beverages have seen rapid growth in the Asia-Pacific market, they have yet to establish dominance as a flavor profile in the Chinese market.

For 64 years, Bundaberg, originating from Australia, has been committed to handcrafting "craft" sodas. Not only is it well-known in Australia, but it has also expanded its business to 60 countries worldwide, generating a revenue of 1.5 billion.

Entering China 8 years ago, Bundaberg started with its classic ginger beer, using its unique ginger flavor to tantalize consumers' taste buds. It then introduced a variety of colorful fruit-flavored sodas, gradually establishing an iconic brand image. Now, how can Bundaberg in China leverage rapidly developing emerging channels to enter more everyday consumption scenarios and unlock broader markets?

In order to explore the possibility of ginger flavor in the Chinese market, FBIF specially invited 5 top domestic and foreign ingredient companies as beverage flavor designers to select and send 2-3 groups of ginger-themed flavor innovation works, and conduct on-site scoring through evaluation in various dimensions. Enlighten the perfect use of ginger flavor in beverages and the innovative development of ingredient design. In this interaction, creators can not only freely play around the theme, but also choose their favorite brands to create targeted creations, thereby gaining explosive exposure and cooperation opportunities. Don’t miss it!

Everyone loves the taste of lemon! From classic drinks like Sprite and iced tea to upgraded options like cold-pressed lemon juice and hand-crafted lemon tea, lemon, with its balance of tartness and sweetness, brings endless possibilities for beverage innovation. The Lemon Republic, founded three years ago, has achieved sales of over 300 million yuan with an overall repurchase rate of 25%. The freshly made lemon tea brand, Lemon Right, offers consumers the experience of tasting "three types of lemon in one sip" and has surpassed 150 stores within two years of its establishment. Mengtai Biotechnology is rooted in the industry, pushing Tongnan lemons into broader markets...

How did lemon become a classic flavor in the beverage industry? Currently, what other opportunities are there for innovation based on lemon?

The growth of unsweetened tea has been evident to all, but the competition in this popular category is particularly fierce. In this highly competitive track, inikin Fresh Tea from Yili Group, as a uniquely distinctive new product, has achieved a top 30% ranking in average daily single-store sales within part of the convenience store system, compared to overall beverage sales.

In today's market, where value for money is paramount, the juice industry, with its relatively low barriers to entry, must be especially wary of homogenization and the risk of bad money driving out good. Facing a complex competitive landscape, Huiyuan Juice, a company with 30 years of experience, has chosen a dual strategy of "focus and innovation." Between 2022 and 2023, after reducing its SKUs by 80%, Huiyuan Juice achieved a 167% increase in profits. Innovative products like prune juice and cilantro juice have also opened new opportunities for the company. A more focused strategy and more grounded innovation may be the key for Chinese juice companies to grow bigger and stronger in the future.

From "Tastes Great" to "Remind Every Day", from the iconic coffee bean ICON to the agile little red bird, Nescafé, which holds the largest share of China's retail coffee market, "recreated" itself this year with a new Nescafé: From brand mindset to innovative products, what insights are behind Nescafé's new moves? And what trends will it lead in the Chinese retail coffee market?

When personalized and aesthetic upgrades became the "standard rhetoric" for new consumer brands, it focused more on cost-effectiveness. When cost-effectiveness became the "consumer's first choice", it wanted to become a more story-driven, unique brand—Tasogare Coffee  seems to always take a different approach. Since starting with online sales of drip coffee, Tasogare Coffee, founded 9 years ago, has sold over 1.3 billion cups of coffee as of December 31, 2023, and has amassed over 10 million fans across all channels. In an increasingly competitive coffee industry, how can Tasogare Coffee, which does not aim for first place, find its niche and continuously create more value for consumers, the company itself, and society?

On the vast land of China, a rich and diverse food culture has flourished. Countless locally distinctive beverages have accompanied generations as they grew up: apricot kernel tea, butter tea, Asia Sarsae, Haibao tea (kombucha)... Some originated locally and became hits overseas; others came from abroad and eventually took root in China. Regardless of where they come from or where they go, they are all closely tied to our culinary culture and forever carry the mark of life here.

The "Wow Drinks" hidden in the map.

Based on social media insights and TMIC data, regional flavors are becoming one of the key labels for beverage innovation. Why can regional flavors become the next growth point for beverages? How can beverage brands seize the growth opportunities brought by regional flavors?

Asia Sarsae has an annual sales volume exceeding 200 million bottles, originating from Fujian and eventually listed in Singapore by Yeo Hiap Seng. Guhe sour plum soup can sell tens of thousands of cups a day... More and more local specialty beverages are gradually being accepted by the public. In the current era of "small is beautiful" that is approaching, how can local flavored beverages, which no longer blindly pursue "flagship products", become more and more "beautiful"?

Regional flavor beverages have endless potential, but they still face various challenges in the actual sales process: How can specialty products integrate into the dietary culture of other regions? How can product packaging retain its uniqueness while appealing to a broader audience?...

We have invited guests from Ries Category Creation Strategy & Consulting, Intuivia & TMICto lead us in analyzing specific problems and finding new growth strategies.

UMAMI COLA adopts an upside-down cola can packaging, offering consumers a unique opening experience. However, UMAMI COLA's uniqueness doesn't stop there: founder Mr. Takahisa Yamada drew inspiration from the long history of sake brewing techniques in Japan, "brewing" UMAMI COLA using herbal plants. It substitutes sugar with Sweet Koji Rice from the Hakkaisan, and its ingredients include elderflower, tulsi, citrus depressa hayata, as well as components commonly found in energy drinks such as arginine, niacin, BCAAs, GABA, and vitamin B, etc. 

Let's explore together on-site: how does the upside-down UMAMI COLA cans overturn the traditional cola market?

（Source: UMAMI COLA website）