Author: Snack Generation

Today's highlights

Analysis means that Pepsi snacks and beverage businesses are unlikely to be completely split

Latest trends

Chat Baidao low-key coffee

Recently, Cha Baidao launched freshly ground coffee products in some stores in Guangdong and Sichuan, and is still in the regional pilot stage. The products cover 10 types of American and latte series, with a focus on the flavor of fruit coffee and priced at RMB 6.9 to RMB 12.9. According to feedback from Guangzhou’s pilot stores, the average daily sales volume of coffee is about 40-50 cups; currently, coffee enjoys exclusive discounts, and new customers can buy it at 6.9 yuan or 9.9 yuan. This time, Cha Baidao has not made coffee layouts. It launched its sub-brand "Kahui" in 2023. This time, embedding coffee into existing tea beverage stores is another layout in its coffee track. (21st Century Business Herald)

Luo Yonghao offers a reward of 100,000 yuan to collect clues to pre-made Xibei dishes

Yesterday, Luo Yonghao posted several articles of content on a social platform to collect evidence of Xibei pre-made dishes, and said that "if there is real evidence such as videos and legally acceptable, a reward of 100,000 yuan." People close to Luo Yonghao responded to the reporter of The Paper, saying, "In everyone's opinion, the dishes from the central kitchen and food factories are all pre-made dishes. And there is evidence online that the dishes in Xibei's central kitchen are purchased pre-made dishes." (Upstream News, The Paper)

Luo Yonghao displays the public notice board for the division of Laoxiang chicken dishes

Luo Yonghao will broadcast live on multiple platforms tonight, and then talk about pre-made dishes. Luo Yonghao specifically mentioned Laoxiang Chicken, saying that Laoxiang Chicken's shop will indicate whether the dishes are pre-made. Luo Yonghao showed the public notice board for the processing grade classification of Laoxiang chicken dishes in the live broadcast, and said that he had not eaten Laoxiang chicken yet and was going to try it in the future. He said that it is not that you cannot make pre-made dishes, but you should set an example in the industry like Laoxiang Chicken, and indicate the freshly made and pre-made ones. (Sina Technology)

Xibei announced that all stores will be launched in "Luo Yonghao Menu"

Today, the reporter called the Xibei COFCO Xiangyun Town Restaurant where Luo Yonghao was dining. According to the staff, the store has launched the "Luo Yonghao Package". The clerk said that the "Luo Yonghao Set Meal" has a total of 13 dishes. Diners can communicate with the clerk when ordering, and can order the set meal directly, or add or delete dishes according to the set meal. Xibei announced that it will launch the "Luo Yonghao Menu" in all stores across the country from today, providing two major promises for this: First, "It's not delicious, it doesn't cost money", and customers can refund the order at any time; second, customers are welcome to enter the kitchen at any time and visit the entire process of making any dish. In the afternoon, Xibei’s official Weibo released a letter from all Xibei partners to customers, and disclosed the production methods of 13 dishes. (Southern+, snack generation)

Chairman Yu Donglai, Hua Yuhua speaks out

Last night, Hua Shan, chairman of Huayuhua Marketing Consulting Co., Ltd., posted on Weibo that Xibei is a company that tries his life to make good dishes, and Jia Guolong is a person who cherishes his feathers very much. He will definitely not be able to stand such slander from Luo Yonghao. Today, Pang Donglai CEO Yu Donglai posted on social media, saying: "Nothing is perfect... Thanks to brand companies such as Xibei and Haidilao for helping me find a place to eat with confidence!" (Daily Economic News)

The "Haidilao Urinal Gate Case" was sentenced

In March this year, a short video of someone "urinating to hot pot" in Haidilao hot pot restaurant attracted widespread public attention. On September 12, the court ruled that Tang and his parents, Wu and their parents apologized to a catering company in Sichuan and a catering company in Shanghai in designated newspapers and magazines; Tang and Wu's parents compensated 130,000 yuan for tableware loss and cleaning and disinfection expenses of a catering company in Shanghai, and compensated 2 million yuan for operating losses and goodwill losses of a catering company in Sichuan and a catering company in Shanghai, and 70,000 yuan for rights protection expenses, totaling 2.2 million yuan. (People's Daily Client)

Bearish Haidilao's bets are accused of a significant increase

Today, Bloomberg quoted S&P global data and said that Haidilao's short positions account for about 11%, close to the highest level in three years. This also makes it the third largest number of shorts in the Hang Seng China Enterprise Index. Affected by the takeaway war and weak consumer spending, Haidilao's six-year sales last month fell for the second consecutive year. However, most analysts remain optimistic about the stock, with the stock having a sell rating of zero and a buy rating of 32, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. (Bloomberg)

Zhenjiu Li Du through the Dazhen Alliance Commercial Rights Payment Plan

Recently, Zhenjiu Li Du issued an announcement stating that the company adopted the alliance commercial rights payment plan through its wholly-owned subsidiary Zhenjiu Trading, aiming to incentivize qualified alliance merchants, which corresponds to the Dazhen Wanshang Alliance project. The announcement shows that the total number of existing shares to be donated or purchased is initially set to not exceed 169 million shares. The Wanshang Alliance project was launched in May this year and was personally conducted by Wu Xiangdong, chairman of Zhenjiu Lidu Group. It is a "super organization" tailored to the newly launched "Dazhen Zhenjiu" super single product. (Daily Economic News)

RT-Mart responded to "company executives were taken away"

In response to the online rumor that RT-Mart Operations Chief Guan Mingwu was taken away by the police, today, RT-Mart responded to the reporter of The Paper: "About the company's senior executives being approved for detention by the public security organs in accordance with the law for suspected duty crimes, the case is currently under investigation, and everything is subject to the information and investigation results published by the public security organs." Public information shows that Guan Mingwu has served as deputy manager of the department store, deputy manager of the department store of RT-Mart Xiaoshan store, specialist of the department store of RT-Mart Beilun store, general manager of RT-Mart Shiqiao store, general manager of RT-Mart Xiaoshan store, general manager of RT-Mart Shanghai District, etc. (Pengpai)

Former Mars American employee pleaded guilty to stealing 200 million assets in the company

Yesterday, Paul Steed, a former global price risk manager at Mars Wrigley pleaded guilty to fraud and tax charges related to his stealing of $28 million from the company, according to U.S. federal prosecutors. He also agreed to pay Mars $28.4 million in damages and owed the IRS $10 million in unpaid taxes. The indictment accused him of stealing funds from Mars from various means since 2013, including transferring funds to the company he established. He has paid $5 million for bail. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of telecom fraud and one count of tax evasion. The case will be sentenced on December 9. (AP)

Analysis indicates that Pepsi snacks and beverage businesses are unlikely to be completely split

Today, the Wall Street Journal pointed out that PepsiCo's snack and beverage business is currently unlikely to be completely split. 10 years ago, Pepsi had fought against radical investor Trian Fund, and management persisted; and the split was not foolproof, Kraft Heinz just announced its split plan last week, but the share price has fallen by about 5% since then. This helps explain why radical investor Elliot is not asking much, it is not calling for the destruction of PepsiCo, but streamlining it. The newspaper agrees that PepsiCo should follow Coca-Cola to get rid of the interference of bottled and distributing beverages. (Wall Street Journal)

Investment and Financing

The relocation project of the Cargill Nantong factory officially started

Today, according to Cargill's official Weibo, its Nantong factory relocation project officially started in Haimen District, Nantong City. The total planned investment of this project is about US$500 million, covering an area of ​​about 400 mu, and it will take about 3 years to connect the front and back. The new factory is located adjacent to the Nantong Port and Seaport District, and has strong cargo distribution capabilities. The new plant's grain and oil processing system includes a soybean press plant with an annual processing capacity of 1.98 million tons, a vegetable oil refinery with an annual processing capacity of 825,000 tons, a special oil and fat refinery, phospholipid production lines, packaging, warehousing, etc., as well as related supporting facilities, and follows the "seamless connection" mechanism of the old plant area. (Released by the company)

Happy Family shareholder Maoxing Consulting intends to inquire and transfer 5.86 million shares

Yesterday, Huanle Foods Company issued an announcement that Suqian Maoxing Consulting Partnership (Limited Partnership) plans to transfer 5.86 million shares, accounting for 1.34% of the company's total share capital and 1.40% of the total share capital after excluding repurchased shares. The reason for this transfer is the transferor's own financial needs. The transferor is an employee stock ownership platform served as the company's vice president and financial director Weng Sumin, with a shareholding ratio of more than 5%. (Caizhongshe)

Kraft Heinz builds a factory in Portugal to expand European tomato supply

Recently, Kraft Heinz cooperated with Conesa Group, the largest tomato processing company in Europe, to build a new tomato processing plant with an investment of 15 million euros in Mora District, Évora City, Portugal. The factory will be put into production this summer, with a daily tomato processing of 4,200 tons, effectively ensuring the stable supply of Kraft Heinz tomatoes throughout Europe. (foodbev)

Black Rock Coffee Bar is valued at nearly 1 billion

Sometimes, the American coffee chain Black Rock Coffee Bar completed an IPO, offering 14.7 million shares at a price of US$20 per share, raising a total of US$294 million, with the issue price exceeding the original range. The company's valuation reached US$956 million. The coffee focuses on the "drive-free meal purchase" model. It currently has 158 stores in 7 states across the United States, and all stores support driving meal purchases. In the second quarter of this year, the company's revenue was US$50.4 million, same-store sales increased by 10.9% year-on-year, and a net loss of US$1.1 million. The company plans to open about 30 new stores in 2025, and aims to maintain an average annual store growth rate of 20%, and achieve a scale of thousands of stores by 2035. It is another American coffee chain that has entered the capital market after Starbucks and Dutch Bros. (Bloomberg)

The Indonesian version of "Luikkong" shareholders are accused of selling part of their equity

Today, Bloomberg quoted "sources" as saying that investors in Indonesian coffee chain Kopi Kenangan are considering selling some of their equity, including institutions such as Singapore's sovereign wealth funds GIC Pte and Peak XV Partners; Kopi Kenangan's valuation may reach US$1.2 billion to US$1.4 billion (about RMB 8.542 billion to RMB 9.966 billion), but there is still room for floating. Founded in 2017, Kopi Kenangan has more than 800 stores in 45 cities in Indonesia. In 2020, Kopi Kenangan raised $109 million in a round of financing led by Sequoia Capital. (Bloomberg)

R&D Innovation and Marketing

Mengniu Group and Huati Group reach strategic cooperation

Yesterday, Mengniu Group and Huati Group officially reached a strategic cooperation. This cooperation pioneered the breakthrough of traditional marketing models and fully integrated dairy nutrition services into the multi-dimensional scenarios of the sports industry. The two companies will jointly promote the upgrading of dairy products from basic nutrition to precise nutrition and functional nutrition through joint research and development, customized authorization and other models, and build a virtuous cycle of the healthy consumption market. (Released by the company)

Industry list

Draft amendment to the Food Safety Law passed

Today, the decision on amending the Food Safety Law was passed and will come into effect on December 1, 2025. There are 3 articles in total, involving five articles in the current Food Safety Law, mainly including strengthening the supervision of bulk transportation of key liquid foods and incorporating infant formula liquid milk into registration and management. Among them, the draft amendment clearly defines the regulatory positioning and institutional arrangements for infant formula liquid milk, and includes infant formula liquid milk in registration management, and stipulates that it cannot be produced by separate packaging. The same enterprise shall not use the same formula to produce different brands of infant formula liquid milk, and stipulates that the production enterprises shall organize production in accordance with the technical requirements of registered or registered product formulas, production processes and other technical requirements. (China News Service, Xinhua News Agency)

Tariffs may lead to a sharp increase in retail coffee in the United States

Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing that the price of ground coffee in US supermarkets hit a record high of $8.87 per pound in August, and the coffee CPI index rose 21% year-on-year, the fastest growth rate since 1997. Vizion data shows that Brazil's coffee exports to the United States have halved this year, a year-on-year drop of more than 75% in August. Imports from production areas such as Vietnam and Colombia have failed to fill this gap. Professionals pointed out that the previous excess coffee inventory was buffering this shock, and American consumers have not yet felt the full impact of tariffs and may not appear completely on retail shelves until October or November. (Financial Times, Cailianshe)

Internet+

Hema Fresh's first store opened in southern Shandong

Today, Hema Fresh's first store in Linyi was opened in Wanxianghui. This is Hema's first store opened in southern Shandong and the eighth city Hema Fresh entered in Shandong. Since the beginning of this year, Hema Fresh’s layout in Shandong has pressed the “accelerator”, and the store opening speed has continued to accelerate and its territory has continued to expand. At present, Hema has taken root in many cities such as Qingdao, Jinan, Weifang, Linyi, Heze, Yantai, Zibo (Dazhong.com)

Amazon and Google are under FTC survey for their search advertising business

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether Amazon and Google mislead advertising parties in terms of advertising terms and pricing on their websites. According to Bloomberg, a "people familiar with the matter" cited, the focus of the FTC's investigation is whether the two companies fully disclosed the advertising terms and pricing. (Bloomberg)