Thirty years ago, milk tea was made by mixing colorful powder with crystal clear pearls and adding water, which became a phenomenal drink in the streets.

       A cup of steaming fragrance meant everything to many people in that era.

Thirty years later, milk tea brands have sprung up and gradually integrated into people's lives. All kinds of drinks have become the extension of young people's self-expression. People have more requirements for milk tea. Choosing a brand is also an accepted lifestyle.

More refined packaging, healthier drinks, lower sugar formula, more social brand

       The new demand is sweeping, and the people on the way respond to the change with change.

       Healthy wave

       In June this year, China Consumer News released the Survey Report on Consumers' Cognition of 2022 Existing Milk Tea and Milk Raw Materials after investigation. The report showed that more than 70% of the interviewed consumers were very concerned about the quality of milk raw materials in milk tea products.

       72.99% of the surveyed consumers said that they would pay special attention to the milk raw materials of milk tea and hope to buy nutritious products; Only 4.75% of the consumers interviewed said that "they will not pay attention to the milk raw materials of milk tea, just want to drink happily".

       With the upgrading of consumption, people's consumption concept has also changed. They pay more attention to health while pursuing taste. They hope that the sugar, fat powder, caffeine, sodium and other ingredients in the drinks are less and less, and high-quality raw materials are used.

       In the douban milk tea group, there was a post updating the pure milk tea without fat powder on the market, which was welcomed by many members of the group. Someone commented below that "it is impossible to give up milk tea, and only more healthy milk tea can be found."

       In this context, many beverage brands have made efforts to upgrade healthily.

       Two days ago, Xiangpiaopiao announced that it had reached cooperation with the beverage company Ouli (Shanghai), and the two sides would set up a joint venture to jointly develop prepackaged plant-based drinks with their Lanfangyuan and OATLY INSIDE.

       Lanfangyuan was founded in Hong Kong in 1952. Its founder, Limihe, created silk stockings milk tea and mandarin duck milk tea, which have been popular for more than half a century. It is an old taste in the minds of many Hong Kong people.

       In 2016, Lan Fangyuan, the founder of Xiangpiaopiao Hong Kong style milk tea, launched cup packed milk tea, bringing authentic Hong Kong milk to retail shelves, so that consumers from all over the world can drink authentic Hong Kong style milk tea anytime and anywhere.

       Many of Lanfangyuan's drinks were loved by consumers once they were launched, and many e-commerce platforms wrote on the evaluation page: authentic, strong tea flavor, old Hong Kong milk flavor.

       OATLY, originated from Sweden, is a leading brand of oat milk in the world. The wave of oats launched by OATLY has made traditional cereal oats a synonym for health, environmental protection and sustainability.

       Now, Xiangpiaopiao has chosen to cooperate with OATLY INSIDE to reshape Lanfangyuan's genes with healthy and environmentally friendly oat milk, precisely because it has seen the general trend of healthy upgrading of the industry.

       It is reported that Xiangpiaopiao will jointly launch new oat based products under the brand of OATLY INSIDE and Lanfangyuan. Among them, two new products, namely, camellia flavor Tieguanyin oatmeal milk tea and duck dung flavor oatmeal milk tea, are already on sale. The two products use OATLY oatmeal milk, and carry out an innovative upgrading practice of ready to drink milk tea category from the dimensions of product, formula, concept, etc.

       This cooperation is the collision between national brands and new species, as well as the integration of classics and the times, which reflects the firm layout of Xiangpiaopiao in the health strategy.

       Capture and meet requirements.

       Grab that cup of "plant milk"

       In the food industry, "plant based" refers to new food and beverage products mainly made of plants, and animal protein is replaced by plant protein. The common applications are artificial meat, plant milk, etc., and on this basis, food and beverage with rich flavors and forms are developed.

      In the 2020 Innova Consumer Survey, it was mentioned that the four major reasons for considering the use of plant substitutes are health, dietary diversity, sustainability and taste.

      Plant based products are in line with consumers' demands for health and sustainable development. Among many plant based products, plant milk is a category that has developed rapidly and received much attention. For example, drinks made from coconut, oats and soybeans are often seen by the public.

Data shows that in 2015, the global market size of vegetable milk substitutes has reached 21 billion dollars, and it is estimated that by 2024, its sales will exceed 34 billion dollars.

      There is no doubt that the vegetable base is a wind outlet, but there is still much room for growth in market penetration and market saturation. At present, the market share of vegetable protein drinks only accounts for 7% of the soft drink market.

      Xiangpiaopiao's innovation attempt, focusing on the market development of oat plant based products, can further expand the target customer population and bring new growth space.

      On the one hand, consumers pay attention to "health" when choosing food, and plant based food can balance the diet, which naturally has health, nutrition and other attributes.

      On the other hand, plant based drinks are suitable for lactose intolerant people. Research shows that 70% of Asians suffer from different degrees of lactose intolerance due to the lack of lactase in their intestines. In China, the figure is as high as 80%.

      However, 4.8% of milk is lactose. After drinking milk, lactose intolerant people may have abdominal distension, bowel ringing, diarrhea and other symptoms to varying degrees.

      In contrast, oat milk 0 lactose is more suitable for the Chinese stomach, which can not only provide the taste and nutrition of dairy products, but also avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.

      Through the new concept of plant based, Xiangpiaopiao can also re-establish category awareness on oatmeal milk tea, cultivate consumption habits, and let the brand glow with new vitality from the originator of cup packed milk tea to the leader of healthy milk tea.

      Grasping the trend of "plant based" is an important attempt of the overall implementation of the healthy strategy of Fragrant Fragrance.

      Determination to change

      In June this year, Xiangpiaopiao said on the investor relations platform that the company is firmly promoting the road of transformation and innovation and adhering to the "two wheel drive" strategy.

      Among them, it is mentioned that one of the important measures for fragrance is to promote the innovation and upgrading of brewing products around health and youth. This can be confirmed by the fragrant product iteration in recent years.

      Last year, Xiangpiaopiao launched a new product, Bobo Milk Tea, whose core selling point is to use New Zealand milk powder to achieve zero fat powder and zero trans fatty acid.

      This year, Xiangpiaopiao launched the domineering coconut milk tea, black oolong milk tea, and Qinxiang oolong milk tea, focusing on good tea, real milk, and low sugar formula. Its Meco Migu brand has also launched new products such as real tea and fruit juice, zero fat lychee flavor fruit juice tea, mango guava fruit juice tea, etc. Lanfangyuan also launched PET bottled frozen lime tea and salted lime seven with 0 sucrose, 0 fat and real lime juice.

Ripple Foods, a food startup in Silicon Valley of the United States, once said: high-quality food needs to satisfy people's taste buds, nourish people's bodies and reduce carbon footprint.

      From this, we can see the general trend of the market and the common direction of the brand in the future.

      Over the past three decades, the meaning of milk tea has gone through several iterations. It used to be a warm drink, a space for rest, and a social currency that symbolizes fashion.

      Young consumers hope to find childhood memories in a new cup of milk tea. As the industry leader, Xiangpiaopiaopiao actively seeks innovation, and is committed to providing consumers with more diverse choices to bring healthy and delicious drinks.

      From zero fat powder, zero sucrose, zero fat to plant base, an upgrade war focusing on health has begun. Xiangpiaopiao is tearing off the old labels of "too sweet", "not too healthy" and other inherent labels, and standing in front of consumers with a new look.

      The brand that once accompanied the growth of a generation is also growing with an era.

      Be persistent and firm.