"Foreign brands of fresh products face a series of challenges when looking to successfully enter the Chinese market. Chief among them is to get brand recognition. Merchants who popularize a brand need to consider carefully the differences between specific market conditions and brand culture. It is of particular importance to formulate a market strategy that is distinct and focused. It is necessary to spend a large amount of capital and energy to establish a brand in a new market, but if high quality products obtain overnight approval, they will crowd the market. It will accomplish a reshuffling of brands in the marketplace and it will form new consumer habits and brand loyalties among consumers," according to chief executive of Zhida Agricultural and Science Company in Beijing, Mr. Wang Chun.
Chief executive of Zhida Agricultural and Science Company in Beijing, mr. Wang Chun, receives the media at the Fruit and Vegetable Expo
Bolthouse is a hundred-year old company with a great lead in production and management. The core values of their baby carrots, such as taste, freshness, and moistness, are the result of a technological superiority that was gained over decades. Their product range includes the 340g Bolthouse baby carrot family bag, and the 85g Bolthouse baby carrot children's bag (convenience bag).
The 85g Bolthouse baby carrot children's bag (convenience bag)
"In 2016, after excellent contact with Bolthouse headquarters, we obtained the right to act as their agents on the Chinese mainland. In the early stages of development and marketing on the Chinese market, Bolthouse supported us with an exclusive gentleman's agreement. After one year of hard work, we've already obtained definite results in retail. At this stage, we've just entered negotiations with Bolthouse for the right to represent them exclusively and with full authority."
The 340g Bolthouse baby carrot family bag
"Baby carrots benefit one's health. They absorb fat and contain fibers, and are an excellent diet food. Therefore, there is not only a market for them among young women looking to live a high quality lifestyle, but there is also a market for them among young men who pay close attention to their own health. Apart from this, the obvious health benefit of carrots for one's eyesight makes this an excellent snack to protect the eyes of young people who spend their time on computers and mobile phones."
"The taste and the method of eating of Bolthouse baby carrots makes them more popular with children than the large carrots used in cooking. The baby carrots go through a mechanical cleaning process where the taste of 'dirt' is removed. In addition, the baby carrots are carefully selected and cultivated. The resulting long, thin carrots are crisp and sweet, and have an excellent taste."
High quality Bolthouse baby carrots
"We benefited from the qualities of this product and the novel shape of its bag when we entered the Chinese market. As soon as we introduced the baby carrots they attracted a stable consumer crowd. At the same time, this crowd generated public praise that attracted more and more consumers to taste and accept the lifestyle of eating baby carrots as a healthy snack. The hundred year old Bolthouse brand enjoys a lot of recognition among famous and fashionable people in China as well as exchange students who returned from overseas. They are our first and most loyal group of customers."
"We import Bolthouse baby carrots weekly by air transport to guarantee product quality. It is then divided between warehouses in Beijing and Shanghai. At present, the first-tier cities of Beijing and Shanghai are where we spend our main effort to open the market. As our marketing work takes effect, we will gradually move forward through the entire country. In this stage, our main marketing channels are online merchants, WeChat merchants (such as private businesses on JD.com, Meiri Youxian, private businesses in Tianmao Supermarket, and private businesses on Yiguo Shengxian), as well as high quality supermarkets in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai. The online retail accounts for 60-70% of the total sales volume. Feedback from our marketing channels and overall data show that the consumption of Bolthouse baby carrots steadily increases year after year."
Bolthouse baby carrots in the supermarket
"According to marketing channels and custom-houses the Bolthouse baby carrots are a kind of prepackaged food product. This packaged snack represents a step forward in fresh products. It is distinguished from the category of fresh vegetables, as fresh vegetables require extra work to prepare, and these small bags of baby carrots are healthy, break-time snacks. They represent a convenient eating style."
"Several domestic agricultural product businesses recognised the potential in the market and started to grow baby carrots. On the one hand, this indicates that the people in this trade already realise the enormous potential of light, luxurious, and fresh fruit and vegetables. On the other hand, false publicity and willful rumours upset market stability. For example, each bag of Bolthouse baby carrots undergoes a standardised process to guarantee their attractiveness for children. Only the sweetest and most nutritious baby carrots enter the bags. This finest tip of the carrot is rarely found in the domestic bags of so-called baby carrots."
Bolthouse baby carrots in the supermarket
"The main task of Zhida Agriculture is to manage the countrywide sales of high quality baby carrots. In this stage, we are just in the process of developing more world-class agricultural brands for sales in the Chinese market. The specialty of Zhida Agriculture is to find products with potential, and to operate and supervise the import of brands in the Chinese market. It is not a simple wholesale retail business. Our specialties and core activities are brand management and marketing. We look for brands with whom we can have long-term cooperation, for whom we can provide durable marketing and extend their product range."
Wang Chun - Chief executive
Zhida Agricultural and Science Company in Beijing
Website http://www.directa.cn
Telephone +86 10 8483 6888
+86 10 8372 0046
400 - 684 - 5927
E-mail address：yangyan@directa.cn