Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 126 Year-End Party (Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and continued reading)

On the other side, at the Singapore Sin Chew franchise bottling plant.

The production line for Pulse energy drinks is operating at full speed.

The upgraded production line is processing "Pulse" instant concentrate powder from Hong Kong Island.

After standardized dilution, blending, and bottling, bottles of light blue "Pulse" beverage are continuously produced, packaged, loaded onto trucks, and transported to sales networks throughout Singapore and Malaysia.

Factory director Xie Guodong looked at the production figures flashing on the production line, his face filled with undisguised excitement.

After nearly a month of debugging by the Chenji technical team brought by Zhong Qiang, the daily production capacity of the Xingzhou factory's pulse production line has stabilized at 100,000 bottles!
It is sufficient to cover Singapore and extend to parts of the Malaysian market.

Chen Bingwen's "movie + beverage" deep integration strategy has been perfectly validated in the Singapore market!
The popularity of "Drunken Master" was like the strongest east wind, instantly bringing "Pulse" into every household.

The accompanying growth in bottled syrups further proves that the Chen Kee brand has established strong brand recognition and goodwill among Singaporean consumers.

With the release of "Drunken Master" in Singapore.

Good news keeps coming from the Singapore market.

Ling Pei-yi and Li Ming-zhe's team successfully leveraged the marketing strategy of linking "Pulse" with the movie "Drunken Master".

Jackie Chan's advertisements were everywhere, with the slogan "Watch Drunken Fist, drink Pulse, and instantly regain your senses" resounding throughout Singapore and Malaysia.

With its three-pronged approach of offering movie theater packages, themed supermarket displays, and street tastings, "Pulse" sales have soared, exceeding 500,000 bottles in a single month.

The two bottling lines at the Xingzhou and Hongfa plants are operating day and night, yet they still cannot meet the demand.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Ling Peiyi launched pilot programs in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Penang, Malaysia, which were met with enthusiastic responses.

Looking at the fax sent back by Ling Peiyi, Chen Bingwen felt both gratified and moved by her achievements in Singapore.

Singapore's success has demonstrated the immense power of the "super IP + precise scenario + strong channel execution" model.

The box office success of "Drunken Master" and the sales of "Pulse" brought Chen Ji considerable sales revenue and became a strategic template that Chen Bingwen could replicate.

Chen Bingwen put down the fax and looked up at the location of North America and Japan on the world map on the wall.

The year 1978 was drawing to a close.

In the past year,
From a dessert shop in Sham Shui Po to a global food company, Chan Kee has taken every step with a nail in the coffin.

In the new year, Chenji will face a real tough battle.

In North America, in Europe, and in Japan.

There are more established giants, more discerning consumers, and higher barriers to entry.

It's time to let everyone see where Chen Ji has gone and where it's headed in the future.

Thinking of this, Chen Bingwen pressed the internal phone, "Ali, notify all department heads that the year-end summary meeting will be held on December 28th."

January 28, 1978, Hong Kong Island.

Conference room on the top floor of Weiye Building.

The long conference table was full of people.

Chen Bingwen sat in the main seat, his gaze calmly sweeping over each of the core members present.

Ling Pei-yi, Fang Wen-shan, Zhou Zhi-yuan, Gao Zhen-hai, Zhong Qiang, Li Ming, Wan Ying-ying, Gu Yong-xian, Zhao Gang, Isabella, A-sheng, and others, as well as Li Ming-zhe who rushed back from Singapore to report on his work.

The air was filled with a unique year-end atmosphere.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Chen Bingwen began, "1978 is about to pass."

Today, we gather here not to celebrate, but to see clearly the path we have traveled, and more importantly, to see clearly the direction we are heading.

He paused, picked up a briefing in front of him, but didn't open it; he already knew its contents by heart.

"Let's start with the grades."

Chan Ping-man's voice was steady and powerful, "At the beginning of the year, we only had one dessert shop in Sham Shui Po."

Today, we own four factories: Cheung Sha Wan, Kwun Tong, Sha Tin, and Fu Yuen.

Starting from scratch, the production line now boasts core production lines for bottled sugar water, Jinba energy drinks, and Jinba instant concentrated powder, with a daily production capacity exceeding 200,000 bottles/bags.

"In terms of the market," he looked at Ling Pei-yee and Li Ming, "in Hong Kong Island, bottled sugar water is available in more than 500 convenience stores, supermarkets such as Wellcome and ParknShop, as well as our own standard stores, franchise stores and mobile outlets, with annual sales exceeding eight million bottles."

"In the Singapore market, daily sales of Pulse energy drinks have remained stable at over 10,000 bottles, while sales of bottled sugar water have doubled, maintaining its leading market share among energy drinks."

Positive feedback from pilot sales sites in Malaysia and Indonesia lays the foundation for a full rollout next year.

The meeting room was quiet, with only Chen Bingwen's voice echoing in the background.

Behind these numbers are countless days and nights of hard work, sweat, pressure, and breakthroughs.

"Regarding product innovation," Chen Bingwen turned to Zhou Zhiyuan and Isabella, "the bottled sugar water process has been finalized, achieving stable industrial production."
The "Jinba" energy drink was successfully developed and its flavor was localized and optimized in Singapore, where it was upgraded to "Pulse".
Jinba's breakthrough in instant concentrated powder technology enables rapid dissolution in cold water with high flavor fidelity, clearing logistical obstacles for global expansion.

More importantly,” he emphasized, “we have successfully tailored exclusive flavor solutions for the North American and Japanese markets, and obtained FDA and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approvals.”

"Regarding channel development," Chen Bingwen's gaze swept over Fang Wenshan and Ling Peiyi, "we pioneered the 'franchised bottling model'."

The Singapore Xingzhou plant and the Malaysia Hongfa plant have completed technological upgrades and commenced production, establishing localized supply capabilities. Simultaneously, we have reached patent licensing and strategic cooperation agreements with three major giants: Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Suntory, paving the way for 'Pulse' to enter core markets in North America, Europe, Japan, and other countries.

"Regarding capital and team," Chen Bingwen looked at Fang Wenshan and Liang Qiming, "the annual revenue exceeded 20 million Hong Kong dollars, and the net profit exceeded 8 million."

They successfully secured nearly US$1.5 million in patent licensing fees and obtained a HK$3 million credit line from Wing Lung Bank. More importantly,

His gaze swept across the entire room. "We have assembled a core team capable of fighting tough battles, covering key areas such as R&D, production, marketing, finance, legal affairs, and security."

The addition of Vice President Li Mingzhe marks a new phase of independent operation for the Southeast Asia branch.

“Of course,” Chen Bingwen changed the subject and continued, “we also encountered challenges.”

The initial sluggish sales of Rimula Singapore exposed the inadequacy of localization adaptation.
The lawsuit from Lo Wei Pictures and the defamation by Business Express tested our legal capabilities.

The delivery of an order for two million bags of instant powder tested our production organization and quality control system.

We overcame these challenges and learned valuable lessons from them.

He put down the presentation and said seriously, "In 1978, Chan Kee completed its transformation from a dessert shop in Sham Shui Po to a food and beverage company with core products, patent barriers, and an initial international layout."

But this is just the beginning.

"In 1979," Chen Bingwen said, raising his voice and emphasizing his words, "we had only one goal: to sell Chen's products to the global market!"

"North American and European markets!" He looked at everyone and announced, "Coca-Cola's distribution channels are already open, and the flavor of the North American version of Pulse has been finalized."

"We aim to have our Pulse products officially launched and sold in supermarkets and convenience stores in major cities on the East and West coasts of the United States, as well as major cities in Europe, through Coca-Cola's bottling plant system by the end of the first quarter."

“Japan!” Chen Bingwen continued, “Suntory’s channel cooperation framework has been finalized.”

The marketing department plans to leverage our joint venture with Toho & Towa, and capitalize on the release of the film "Drunken Master," to boost Pulse's sales in Japan.

“Southeast Asia,” Chen Bingwen looked at Li Mingzhe, “the key is to ramp up the production capacity of the Xingzhou plant and Hongfa plant.”

We ensured an ample supply of both bouillon and bottled syrups, and our market share continued to increase.

Simultaneously, explore replicating Singapore's successful model in regions such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

"Understood!" Li Mingzhe nodded quickly.

"Research and Development Center."

Chen Bingwen arranged and implemented the key tasks for the next stage one by one.

After the arrangements were completed, Chen Bingwen looked around the room and said, "1979 will be the year when Chen's truly goes global!"
The road ahead will not be smooth. Giants are all around, and cultural differences and channel barriers are all obstacles.

But I believe that everyone here, and every employee at Chen's, has the ability and determination to deliver our products to consumers worldwide!

"That concludes today's meeting." Chen Bingwen stood up. "Seven o'clock tonight, at the Kwun Tong factory canteen, the company's year-end banquet. Everyone must attend!"

In the evening, the contracting center next to the Kwun Tong Food Factory was brightly lit and filled with a festive atmosphere.

Dozens of large round tables were covered with red cloth and filled with a sumptuous spread of Cantonese dishes.

Roast goose, poached chicken, steamed grouper, and communal hot pot.
The air was filled with the enticing aroma of food.

Nearly 400 employees of Chenji gathered together.

Executives including Chen Bingwen and Ling Peiyi sat at the main table.

Without a lengthy speech, Chen Bingwen simply raised his glass and said, "My brothers and sisters at Chen's!"
Thank you all for your hard work this year!
This toast is to everyone's hard work and dedication!
Eat well and drink well!
Next year, let's fight an even bigger victory together!

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

Cheers and clinking glasses instantly filled the cafeteria.

The fatigue that had been suppressed for a year was released at this moment.

Workers on the production line, technicians in the R&D center, salespersons in the marketing department, and field promoters in the grid teams—regardless of their positions, were all immersed in the delicious food and joyful atmosphere.

After several rounds of drinks, Gao Zhenhai, holding a wine glass, went from table to table toasting: "Brothers! This year, we've worked day and night, and it's all been worth it!"

Look at this food and this wine!
Mr. Chen is so generous!
Next year, we need to work even harder to fill foreign supermarkets with our products!

"Manager Gao is right! Let's do it!"

The workers responded enthusiastically.

Chen Bingwen, holding a wine glass, moved among the tables, occasionally stopping to clink glasses with his employees and exchange a few words.

The contracting center was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of people drinking and chatting.

Laughter, toasts, drinking games, and the clinking of dishes mingled together, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere.

This is a night belonging to Chen Ji, a celebration for those who strive.

In 1978, amidst the hustle and bustle of the year-end banquet, it came to an end.

The journey that began in 1979 had just started.

(End of this chapter)