Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 107 Lion City Storm (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations to continue reading)
Next to a refrigerated display case in a supermarket near Chinatown, Singapore.

Ling Peiyi stood to one side with a marketing staff member, her eyes never leaving the refrigerated display case.

At Chen Ji's bottled sweet soups, mango pomelo sago, red bean soup with tangerine peel, and coconut milk sago occupy prime locations, with stock flowing in and out, and the staff's hands are almost constantly restocking.

In stark contrast is the Jinba energy drink next to it.

The ice-blue bottle was particularly eye-catching, but very few people took it.

Occasionally someone would pick it up, glance at the price tag, put it back, and ultimately choose the familiar soft drink or juice.

Ling Peiyi's heart sank little by little.

The feeling is more jarring than the data.

Upon arriving in Singapore, in order to quickly gather more consumer information and find the root cause of the slow sales of Jinba, they set out to investigate.

For the past three days, Ling Peiyi, along with Li Ming, A Qiang, and the research specialist, have been investigating supermarkets, convenience stores, and grocery stores, following the distribution channels of Nanhua Trading Company.

They visited high-end supermarkets on Orchard Road, bustling stalls in Chinatown, convenience stores in industrial areas, and small shops on the ground floor of HDB blocks.

Ling Peiyi personally stood by the freezer to observe, stopped customers who were buying sweet drinks to chat, and even changed into a sales promoter's uniform to hand out sample cups at the cashier.

"Miss, would you like to try our newly arrived Jinba energy drink?"
"Refreshing and invigorating!" Ling Peiyi handed over a small glass of icy blue liquid.

A young office worker took it, took a sip, and frowned slightly: "Hmm, the taste is a bit strange?"
Not sweet enough?
I still can't explain it.

A middle-aged worker next to me tried it and smacked his lips: "It's alright, it's cool."

But after drinking it, I didn't feel anything special? It wasn't as refreshing as a can of cola.

At a convenience store, the owner pointed to a few bottles of Jinba (a popular Chinese energy drink) in the corner and complained, "Ms. Ling, it's not that I don't want to promote it."

Look, the sweet soup is kept here; we restock it several times a day.

Jinba? It's been sitting here for two days, and only a few bottles have been sold.

Customers ask many questions, but buy few.

Everyone says it's worth trying, but paying for it doesn't seem worth the price.

Under the blazing sun, Ling Peiyi, along with Li Ming and A Qiang, squatted in a tea restaurant opposite a large convenience store in the Jurong Industrial Area.

A prominent Jinba (a popular electric vehicle brand) poster hangs at the entrance of the convenience store, and the freezer is also stocked with many Jinba products.

They observed for two hours.

Workers came and went in a constant stream, buying soda, beer, mineral water, and even bottled sugar water from Chenji to cool off.

Only Jinba remained untouched.

"Qiang, go buy a few bottles of different brands of soda and juice, and our Jinba," Ling Peiyi instructed.

Ah Qiang bought it back quickly.

Ling Peiyi unscrewed a bottle of locally popular orange soda, took a sip, and the sweet taste instantly filled her mouth.

She took another sip of Jinba.

The cool liquid, with its minty kick and subtle fruity acidity, flows in, and its sweetness is noticeably lower.

"The sweetness difference is huge!" Li Ming tasted it too and immediately noticed the difference. "Singapore's soft drinks are so sweet they make your throat ache!"
The sweetness level of Jinba (a popular Chinese herbal tea brand) makes it taste rather bland here!

A-Qiang, a key technical staff member, is more concerned about the taste: "The flavor is also a problem."

The menthol's coolness is too prominent, masking the fruity and sweet flavors, creating an unbalanced effect.

Singapore's hot weather means they prefer a richer, more robust flavor, so Jinba's current refreshing approach doesn't quite hit the mark here.

Ling Peiyi put down the bottle of Jinba, her brows furrowed.

Ah Qiang's words, "Not enough," were like a key, instantly unlocking the confusion that had been building up in her mind for days.

Singapore's humid air clings to the skin, and the distinctive smell of machine oil from the industrial area mingles with the aroma of food wafting from the food courts—everything carries a rough, gratifying quality.

Consumers here don't want the refined and refreshing taste of Hong Kong Island; they want something like "Dalibao," a flavor that explodes on the taste buds and dispels fatigue with just one bite!

Thinking of this, Ling Peiyi looked at Li Ming and said, "Li Ming, contact Boss Lin. We need to organize a more in-depth consumer survey immediately."

This time, it's not just Jinba, we're going to add Dalibao, high-sugar lemon tea, cola, and even Milo!
Let consumers compare directly and express their most intuitive feelings and preferred taste!
We need to quantify the word 'powerful'!

Ling Peiyi realized that relying solely on herself, Li Ming, and A Qiang to run around the vast Singapore market like sprinkling pepper was too inefficient and had too narrow a reach.

The findings of the survey cannot necessarily represent the true preferences of the vast majority of Singaporean consumers.

She needs to weave a larger, denser net.

Soon, with Lin Wenxiong's assistance, a temporary investigation team of more than 30 local university students was assembled.

They come from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, and include Chinese, Malay, and Indian descendants. They are familiar with the local language and culture and are full of youthful energy.

Ling Peiyi's questionnaire design was concise and clear.

List all the mainstream beverage brands and types on the market, and ask respondents to select the three they drink most often and briefly explain why.

Meanwhile, a separate issue was addressed regarding Jinba energy drink:

Have you tried it?
Taste review?

Why not buy?

Would you like to try the improved version?

More than 30 university students, like well-trained scouts, were assigned to various corners of Singapore: the bustling Orchard Road shopping mall, the crowded Chinatown, the HDB flats, the noisy industrial area, the bus interchange, and the area around the school.
They politely stopped pedestrians and handed them questionnaires. Ling Peiyi herself was also busy.

She led her core team to focus on tackling the toughest challenges.

Industrial workers, long-distance bus drivers, students studying late into the night, and stall owners busy at the food court.

She needs to hear the most direct and unvarnished voice.

In less than a week, Ling Peiyi collected nearly 5,000 valid questionnaires.

Having obtained firsthand information on Singaporean consumers' beverage preferences, Ling Pei-yi didn't waste a moment. She immediately flew back to Hong Kong Island with all the raw data and her core team.

Conference room on the top floor of Weiye Building.

A thick stack of questionnaires and analysis reports was placed on the conference table.

Chen Bingwen, Zhou Zhiyuan, Fang Wenshan, Li Ming, Gao Zhenhai and others are listening to Ling Peiyi introduce the investigation results of the slow sales of Singapore's Jinba electric vehicle.

"Mr. Chen, the market research in Singapore is complete."

4987 valid questionnaires were collected, covering consumers of different ages, occupations, and ethnic groups.

The core data is all here.

Ling Peiyi opened the report and went straight to the point:
"First, Singaporean consumers' preference for sweetness in beverages far exceeds expectations."

We sampled and tested the twenty best-selling soft drinks, juices, and energy drinks in the area, and found that the average sugar content was as high as 8.2 grams per 100 milliliters.

Jinba currently contains only 4.8 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters, almost double the amount!

She pointed to the data charts: "Among consumer feedback, 'not sweet enough,' 'bland taste,' and 'not flavorful' are frequently mentioned."

This is especially true among manual laborers and young people, who account for over 65%.

Zhou Zhiyuan looked at the data, his brows furrowed: "8.2 grams? This...this is almost twice ours!"
No wonder consumers find it bland!

Ling Peiyi continued, "Secondly, flavor acceptance."

Jinba's minty coolness was praised as a "summer cooling weapon" during the initial taste tests in Singapore's hot and humid environment.

However, after purchasing the product, some consumers reported that it was "too cold and pungent", "it masked the fruit flavor", and "it was too sweet after drinking a lot".

In contrast, the locally popular "Dalibao" energy drink, while having a less effective energizing effect, is more popular due to its high sweetness and rich fruit flavor.

Li Ming pointed to another set of data and added, "Chen Sheng, we've also discovered a key point."

Singaporean consumers' perception of 'function' leans more towards the physical satisfaction brought by 'quickly replenishing energy' rather than simply 'refreshing and invigorating'.

The 'sweet satisfaction' derived from high sweetness is a key criterion for them in judging whether a beverage is 'powerful enough.'

After listening to the report, Chen Bingwen glanced at everyone and said, "The data is very clear."

The core issues are twofold: insufficient sweetness and a flavor balance that does not align with local preferences.

This isn't a product failure; it's a problem with localization.

He turned to Zhou Zhiyuan: "Professor Zhou, adjust the formula immediately!"
Target: Increase sweetness to 7.5-8 grams per 100 ml!

By using sodium saccharin and cyclamate in combination with sucrose in a gradient formulation, we can control costs while simulating a high-sweetness taste!

At the same time, the concentration of menthol is reduced to highlight the tropical fruit flavors, and the complex fruit aromas of mango, pineapple, and grapefruit are made richer and fuller!

I need to see a sample of the new formula within 72 hours!

Chen Bingwen knew that the sugar content in beverages was almost never entirely made from sucrose.

First, the price of sucrose is high, and using only sucrose to increase the sugar content would significantly increase the production cost of beverages.

Secondly, excessively high sucrose concentration can result in a cloyingly sweet taste, which can mask the product's natural fruity aroma and refreshing sensation. It can even leave the mouth feeling sticky and unpleasant after drinking.

Therefore, the sugar content is generally adjusted by using a combination of additives and sucrose.

At that time, although aspartame had already been introduced, it was still a chemical substance and not within the scope of permitted food additives.

To reduce costs while increasing sweetness intensity, the only way is to use high-intensity sweeteners such as sodium saccharin and cyclamate, combined with a portion of sucrose.

"Understood!" Zhou Zhiyuan immediately replied. "I will strictly control the amount of sodium saccharin and cyclamate added within international safety standards to ensure that while enhancing the sweetness, there are absolutely no safety hazards."

"I personally oversaw the complex blending of fruit flavors!"

Chen Bingwen nodded and looked at Ling Peiyi: "Director Ling, the Singapore team will remain on standby."

As soon as the new formula sample was ready, it was immediately airlifted over to organize a second round of large-scale blind testing!
The focus of the test is on sweetness tolerance and flavor preference!

At the same time, contact Lin Wenxiong to prepare new packaging labels and promotional materials.

Once the blind testing passes, we'll immediately begin the repackaged and market-ready rollout!

“Yes!” Ling Peiyi nodded solemnly.

"In addition," Chen Bingwen added, "the research and development of Jinba instant concentrated powder cannot be stopped."

Once the new formula is finalized, the flavor parameters of the powder will be adjusted accordingly.

For future global market expansion, localization of flavors is a core competency that must be mastered as soon as possible!

As soon as Chen Bingwen finished speaking, Fang Wenshan asked with a hint of doubt, "Mr. Chen, since the core issue is sweetness and flavor, can't we just adjust the recipe?"
Why emphasize a 'makeover' and even prepare new packaging, labels, and promotional materials?

This will significantly increase costs.

(End of this chapter)