Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 53 The Advertising Man (Third Update of 10,000 Words Daily)
Sacmi's hot filling production line will not be in place for another month.

Chen Bingwen didn't want to just wait around during this period.

He plans to use the factory's existing equipment and temporarily modified bottling line to produce small batches of bottled sugar water samples before launching them on the market for trial sales.

The laboratory's success is just the first step.

Products that haven't been tested by the market, no matter how good the technology, are just castles in the air.

Whether bottled sugar water will be accepted by consumers, whether the pricing is reasonable, and whether the packaging is attractive are all questions that need to be answered through small-scale, controlled trial sales.

This is far more reliable than working in isolation or being blindly confident.

Chen Bingwen absolutely would not allow the bottled sugar water project to fail at the last minute.

The first batch of trial products selected three of the most popular and bottled sweet soups: Tangerine Peel Red Bean Soup, Coconut Milk Sago, and Mango Pomelo Sago.

In order to obtain the most authentic feedback from consumers.

Chenji Foods has fully stocked its five standard stores and thirty mobile sales points.

Kwun Tong Food Factory, Temporary Bottling Area

"Brother Wen, the first batch of five hundred bottles, all three flavors are available."

Gao Zhenhai wiped his sweat and pointed to the neatly stacked cardboard boxes.

Chen Bingwen randomly picked up a bottle of mango pomelo sago, unscrewed the diamond-shaped non-slip cap, and with a soft "click," it opened easily and smoothly.

He took a bite, and the cool texture, the sweetness of the mango, and the slight tartness of the grapefruit blended perfectly, with very little difference from the freshly made dishes served in the restaurant.

"Good!" A hint of satisfaction flashed in Chen Bingwen's eyes. "Ahai, arrange delivery immediately, make sure all the points are covered! Five standard stores and thirty mobile points, not one can be missing. Tell the staff to keep the prices the same as for dine-in!"

"The same as dining in?" Gao Zhenhai hesitated. "Brother Wen, the bottled version costs more, plus the cost of the bottle."

"During the trial sales phase, the price must be affordable, and consumers must feel it's worth it!" Chen Bingwen said firmly. "What we need to see is whether consumers are willing to pay for the convenience of bottled products, not scare people away from the start."

Once mass production reaches a certain scale and costs are clearly calculated, adjustments can be made based on the actual situation.

Remember to meticulously record sales figures and customer feedback at every location, especially taste reviews! This is the most important thing!

"Understood!" Gao Zhenhai said no more and immediately ordered his men to load the truck.

A modified refrigerated truck from Shunda Logistics, fully loaded with the first batch of bottled Chenji sweet soup, drove to various corners of Kowloon Island.

Instead of launching a large-scale publicity campaign, Chen Bingwen adopted a near-silent trial sales strategy.

There were no advertisements and no salespeople.

His goal was clear: to observe the most authentic consumer behavior.

Without any guidance or interference, who would notice it?
Who would be willing to pay for this "easy-to-take-away" sugar water?

Will the taste stand the test?

Is the packaging attractive enough?
Is the pricing reasonable?

These issues definitely need to be understood before large quantities of bottled sugar water are put on the market.

Chan Kee Dessert Shop, Causeway Bay

Before the lunch rush.

Shop assistant Lü Shanshan placed several bottles of sugar water in the most conspicuous position on the counter.

On a specially customized display shelf next to the cashier.

The chilled bottle is covered with fine water droplets that refract an alluring luster under the light, and the "Chen Ji" logo and product name embossed on the bottle are clear and eye-catching.

"Huh? Chen's has bottled sweet soup now?" A white-collar lady wearing a beige business suit and carrying an elegant handbag had just entered the store when her eyes were immediately drawn to her. She curiously picked up a bottle of coconut milk sago pudding and examined it. "It looks pretty good, and it's clean."

"How much is a bottle, Shanshan?"

"Hey beautiful, it's only three and a half dollars a bottle, chilled, perfect for cooling down right now!"

With a beaming smile, Lü Shanshan enthusiastically introduced, "This is our newly launched bottled series, which is convenient to take away, so you can enjoy the authentic Chenji flavor anytime, anywhere!"
Look at this coconut milk sago pudding! The coconut flavor is rich, the sago is chewy and bouncy, and it tastes amazing chilled!

"Three and a half dollars? The same price as dining in?" The woman was a little surprised, but then thought it was reasonable. "It's not expensive."

"Give me a bottle to try! It'll be perfect for a meeting this afternoon to perk me up." She readily paid, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and her eyes lit up: "Mmm! It tastes really good! Almost the same as what you get in the store, but even more convenient!"
"I won't need to make a special trip here for afternoon tea anymore."

Mobile food truck stalls in Youtang Industrial Zone

Line leader Li Jiahua had just finished work, his head covered in sweat.

My eyes lit up when I saw the newly placed bottled sugar water on the food cart.

"Ah Ping, look! Chen's has bottled milk!"

Ah Ping leaned closer: "Really! Red bean paste comes in bottles? How much does it cost?"

"One dollar, the same price as dining in."

The waiter replied, "It's chilled, you can drink it right away, no need to wait."

"Great! Give me two bottles of red bean soup!" Li Jiahua immediately took out his money. "It's so hot today, and you have to queue up for a bowl of sweet soup. This is so much more convenient!"

She learned to unscrew the bottle cap, and it was just as easy.

"This lid is well-designed; it's not slippery."

Li Jiahua gulped down several large mouthfuls, then sighed contentedly, "The taste is just as good! I'll bring a bottle with me to work from now on, perfect for drinking during breaks!"

Aping also bought a bottle of red bean paste and sipped it slowly: "Mmm, it's so refreshing and so nice."

The bottle can still be kept to hold water.

That afternoon.

Office at Kwun Tong Food Factory.

Gao Zhenhai practically burst in, waving a stack of sales reports in his hand, his face beaming with barely suppressed elation. "Brother Wen! Five hundred bottles! Sold out in less than two hours! Not a single bottle left!"

Chen Bingwen was reviewing Ling Peiyi's franchise proposal when he heard this. He looked up and asked, "Tell me the details?"

Gao Zhenhai said: "The five standard stores sold out the fastest, especially the Causeway Bay and Central stores, which sold out in less than an hour!"
Feedback from the distribution points indicates that many workers, after buying a bowl of food for dine-in, also want to take a bottle with them!

Everyone says it's convenient, the cap is easy to open, and the syrup tastes almost the same as in the store!

He took a breath and continued, "Several store managers called to urge us to deliver more goods, asking if we could get a larger quota!"

Ah-Shan, who works at the Mong Kok store, said that a white-collar worker bought five bottles of mango pomelo sago in one go, saying she wanted to take them back to the office for her colleagues to try!

"What about customer feedback?" Chen Bingwen put down his pen and looked at Gao Zhenhai, as this was the core issue he was most concerned about.

"Great! Excellent!" Gao Zhenhai flipped through the notebook. "Ninety-five percent of the customers said the taste was authentic, no different from what you get in the store!"

The remaining complaints were mainly about whether the drinks were chilled enough or whether the bottles were too heavy to hold.

But that bottle cap, Wen Ge, the anti-slip textured bottle cap you designed has been praised to the skies!
Everyone says it's incredibly easy to open, not slippery at all, and even girls with little strength can easily unscrew it!

"Loss rate?" Chen Bingwen pressed.

"Zero loss! Not a single bottle leaked!" Gao Zhenhai stated decisively. "Perfect sealing! Professor Zhou has also confirmed that the samples tested in the accelerated aging test still meet the sealing standards!"

Chen Bingwen smiled with satisfaction.

The market gave him the most powerful response in the most direct way.

The path of bottled sugar water has been successfully paved!

"Notify Zhong Qiang," Chen Bingwen instructed, "increase the daily output of the small-batch trial production to one thousand bottles, and continue to supply the trial sales points. At the same time, closely monitor the quality, pay attention to customer feedback, and ensure that not a single problem occurs!" "Understood!" Gao Zhenhai responded loudly, turning around to make the arrangements.

“Wait,” Chen Bingwen called out to him, “how long until the delivery date for Sacmi’s production line?”

"Three and a half weeks to go, Wen-ge."

"Keep pushing! Keep pushing! Tell them that if they can deliver a week earlier, we'll give them an extra 1% bonus!"

Chen Bingwen knew that time was money and market enthusiasm was fleeting, so he had to quickly build up large-scale production capacity.

"Yes!" Gao Zhenhai accepted the order and left.

Inside the office, Chen Bingwen was filled with excitement.

The successful trial of bottled sugar water signifies that Chenji Foods has truly taken a crucial step in its transformation from a traditional sugar water shop to a modern fast-moving consumer goods enterprise.

Next comes the tough battle of ramping up production capacity, expanding distribution channels, and promoting the brand.

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

It is Wu Siyuan.

"Mr. Chan!" Wu Siyuan's voice was filled with excitement, "The 'Drunken Master' crew will be filming a major scene tomorrow at Clearwater Bay, a few action scenes of Wong Fei-hung's youthful spirit and early display of skill. Jackie Chan is in excellent form!"

We'd like to invite you to visit the set and see how the product placement for Chen's Dessert Soup you requested looks. Would you give us your feedback?

Chen Bingwen's heart stirred.

The bottled sugar water product was an initial success, but the effectiveness of product placement in movies still needs to be verified on-site.

“Great! Mr. Wu, I’ll definitely come.” Chen Bingwen readily agreed. “Perfect timing. I’ll have the factory prepare some chilled bottled sugar water to take over and help the crew cool off. It’ll also be a good way to warm up our new product in advance.”

"Oh! That's wonderful! Mr. Chen is so considerate!" Wu Siyuan was overjoyed. "On behalf of the crew, thank you in advance! We'll be waiting for you at the Shaw Brothers Studio in Clearwater Bay tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM!"

The following day, at the Shaw Brothers Studio in Clearwater Bay, on the set of "Drunken Master".

It was the hottest part of the afternoon, and the sun was scorching the simple set up.

Jackie Chan had just finished filming an intense fight scene and was sitting on a small stool, panting heavily.
Director Yuen Woo-ping stared at the monitor replay, checking the footage from just now, occasionally exchanging whispered conversations with the action choreographer next to him.

Wu Siyuan stood to the side, wiping his sweat with a towel.

Just then, a refrigerated truck bearing the "Shunda Logistics" logo slowly drove into the film set and stopped not far away.

The car door opened, and Chen Bingwen led Gao Zhenhai out.

"Mr. Wu!" Chen Bingwen called out loudly, a warm smile on his face, as he strode over.

Upon hearing the voice, Wu Siyuan looked up, his face immediately breaking into a warm smile, and quickly stepped forward: "Oh dear! Mr. Chen! In this awful weather, I'm so sorry to have troubled you to make the trip!"

He gripped Chen Bingwen's hand tightly.

Not far away, Yuen Woo-ping also temporarily put down his monitor and nodded with a smile to Chen Bingwen.

Cheng Long also looked over curiously.

"Mr. Wu, you're too kind. It's the crew who's working so hard," Chen Bingwen replied with a smile, his gaze sweeping across the set before finally settling on the makeshift teahouse.

The red sign with gold lettering that reads "Chen's Sweet Soup" hanging at the entrance of the tea house is particularly eye-catching.

He nodded in satisfaction: "Mr. Wu, the location of this signboard is well chosen; it's very eye-catching!"

"Haha, as long as Mr. Chen is satisfied!" Wu Siyuan's face showed a smug look. "In the next scene, after the young Wong Fei-hung finishes fighting, he will be thirsty and point to our signboard and say: 'After the fight, my mouth is dry and my throat is parched. Let's go to Chen's and have a bowl of sweet soup to moisten my throat!' See? That's natural, isn't it?"

"Brilliant!" Chen Bingwen exclaimed sincerely. "This line is perfectly placed, fitting the context while also highlighting the brand. Mr. Wu is indeed a professional!"

"Action!" Yuen Woo-ping gave the order, and filming resumed.

The camera focuses on the young Wong Fei-hung, played by Jackie Chan.

He had just finished "playing around" with a few thugs, and with a witty and efficient move, he knocked them down, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

He wiped his sweat, glanced at the teahouse next door, pointed to the "Chen's Sweet Soup" sign, and said loudly in a slightly mischievous yet self-righteous tone, "After the fight, my throat is dry. Let's go to Chen's and have a bowl of sweet soup to moisten our throats!"

After saying that, he exaggeratedly licked his lips, his actions and expressions so vivid and natural that several extras next to him couldn't help but stifle their laughter.

"Cut! Great! That take is a hit!" Yuen Woo-ping rarely smiled, clearly very satisfied with Jackie Chan's performance.

"Great!" Chen Bingwen couldn't help but applaud softly. "Jackie Chan's performance was superb, and that line was the perfect finishing touch! The effect far exceeded expectations!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Chen!" Cheng Long, having shed his on-screen persona, walked over with a smile, his face still glistening with sweat, looking exceptionally sunny and healthy.

Chen Bingwen then gestured to Gao Zhenhai, "Ah Hai, bring down our sweet soup and let the crew members cool off!"

"Alright!" Gao Zhenhai immediately told the workers to open the back door of the refrigerated truck.

Boxes of bottled sugar water bearing the eye-catching "Chen Ji" logo were quickly unloaded.

Wow! There's a sweet drink!

"It's still chilled! Mr. Chen is so generous!"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

"Great! It's so hot!"

The entire set erupted in cheers!
The staff, actors, stuntmen, and even Yuen Woo-ping, who had just been checking the camera, all happily gathered around.

Cheng Long curiously picked up a bottle of chilled mango pomelo sago. The condensation on the bottle wet his fingers, bringing a refreshing sensation.

He examined the diamond pattern on the bottle cap closely: "Huh? This cap has a very unique design."

"This is our Chenji's newly launched bottled sweet soup, which is convenient and ready to drink," Chen Bingwen said with a smile. "The lid has a non-slip texture, so it can be opened with a simple twist, saving effort and making it convenient."

Cheng Long did as instructed, grasped the bottle cap, and with a slight force, the cap popped open with a soft "snap".

Wow! It's so easy to use! It's not slippery at all!

He exclaimed in delight and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of the icy mango pomelo sago.

The perfect coolness slid down my throat instantly, dispelling the heat inside my body.

"Mmm! Delicious! Icy and sweet, so thirst-quenching! Perfect!" He exhaled contentedly and gave Chen Bingwen a thumbs up.

His exclamation of praise and expression of enjoyment were undoubtedly the best advertisement.

Those around who hadn't yet received the sweet soup were even more envious and reached out their hands.

"I want mango pomelo sago!"

"Give me a bottle of red bean paste!"

"Coconut milk sago pudding! Thank you!"

Gao Zhenhai and the workers busily distributed the bottles, and the set was filled with the "pop pop" of bottle caps being opened and satisfied sighs and exclamations of praise.

The bottled sugar water brought by Chen Bingwen instantly became the most popular "luxury item" on set.

Just then, a small commotion arose at the entrance to the film set.

A sleek black sedan slowly drove in and stopped at the edge of the film set.

The car door opened, and a young woman dressed in a light purple silk dress, wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat and sunglasses stepped out gracefully.

She has a slender figure and a gentle and quiet temperament. Even though sunglasses cover most of her face, her aura instantly attracts everyone's attention.

　Today's daily target of 1.08 views has been achieved. Thank you so much for your subscriptions and support! Thank you!

　　Don't stay up late tonight, everyone. I'll post it after I finish coding and making revisions, but it will probably be past midnight. You can check it tomorrow morning. Don't let it interfere with your rest. Thanks again!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)