Chapter 347: The Hot-Selling Herbal Tea Beverage
"Alright, let's get a sample out and adjust the flavor as needed," Zhou Haoran replied.
Food products often seemed simple. A minor change in the formula might not seem like much, but creating the perfect taste took a lot of time. Everyone had different preferences, and it was hard to settle on one that pleased all.
Yang Wendong continued, "Let's leave it at that for today. Watsons will coordinate with Carrefour to finalize the new factory plan based on demand. Other departments should cooperate as needed."
"No problem / Understood," the group responded.
After the meeting, Yang Wendong invited everyone downstairs to Changxing Plaza for lunch. They had dumplings together—the shop's flavor was quite good.
While waiting for the food, Yang Wendong turned to Zhou Haoran and asked, "The herbal tea under the 'Uni-President' brand is launching soon, right?"
"Yes, the tests on the canning line are basically done," Zhou Haoran replied with a smile. "In a couple of days, we'll be putting the product in three Carrefour stores to see how it performs on launch day."
"Alright, we'll judge based on the results," Yang Wendong said. "Going forward, 'Uni-President' will be the flagship brand under Watsons for food and beverages. That includes instant noodles, ham sausages, and anything else we make.
The name 'Watsons' is well-known in Hong Kong, but it doesn't mean much overseas, and it's harder to promote. We need a brand name that's easy to remember."
Even Sony, despite being powerful now, struggled to break into the U.S. market under a Japanese name. It was only after a rebrand that things took off.
A simple, catchy name was crucial. Coca-Cola's original Chinese name, "蝌蝌啃蜡" (literally "tadpoles gnawing wax"), was utterly off-putting. No one would've bought a drink with that name.
"Understood," Zhou Haoran nodded. "The name 'Uni-President' is much simpler, and it's already a real word. Easy to translate into English, too."
Yang Wendong added, "Food and beverages will be one of the group's core industries moving forward. I want you to start gathering information on major overseas food conglomerates."
Food and drink were fundamental human needs. No matter how much the internet evolved, it couldn't replace them—only change how they were bought and sold.
Clothing, food, housing, transportation, healthcare, energy, and entertainment—these were the core sectors that would never go out of business. The challenge was gaining a strong foothold in them. Entrepreneurs weren't stupid; they, too, constantly looked to enter these industries.
May 18, 1963 — Saturday
Causeway Bay, Carrefour Supermarket
A couple with a child walked into the store and immediately noticed a huge advertisement near the entrance. It featured a large, oddly-shaped metal can, with bold characters beside it: "Bring Herbal Tea Home — Uni-President Herbal Tea".
"Bring herbal tea home?" the husband read aloud. "Are they selling herbal tea as a drink now?"
The wife nodded. "Looks like it. But aren't drinks usually in glass bottles? Why is this one in a can? Herbal tea in a tin can? That feels a little weird."
"I want herbal tea! I want herbal tea!" their young child suddenly wriggled free and ran over to stare at the colorful advertisement.
The man laughed. "Alright, let's go check it out. As long as it tastes good, I don't care if it comes in a can. We'll just pop the top and drink it."
"Yeah," the wife agreed. "With the water shortage lately, we've been relying on Carrefour's bottled water. Even soft drinks have gotten expensive—we haven't had one in ages."
The man said, "No kidding. The water shortage is a real pain. I heard it's that Post-it Note King, Yang Wendong, who's been buying water in bulk. If not for him, Hong Kong's situation would be even worse."
A 10% drop in water supply didn't mean prices would rise 10%. Without replenishment, a 100% increase was nothing. Water wasn't just for drinking—industries needed it too. Factories and residents competed for every drop.
Thanks to widespread media coverage, most Hongkongers knew it was Yang Wendong who, when the drought first began, dispatched dozens of ships to transport water and pressured the government into prioritizing household water use. He also funded free water distributions in multiple low-income neighborhoods. His efforts had eased the crisis significantly.
But human power was limited. Not even Yang Wendong could deliver water every single day. If several days passed without a supply, ordinary people struggled. All they could do was hope he'd bring more soon.
Meanwhile, capitalists never passed up a chance to make money. As soon as water became scarce, prices of all goods began to soar—especially beverages.
The family reached the beverage section, where a round table stood at the center, stacked with cans.
Curious, the husband walked over and noticed a pull-tab on top of the can.
A store employee stepped forward. "Hello, sir. This is our new Uni-President Herbal Tea, just launched by Watsons. Would you like a sample? This one's fresh from the fridge."
She held out a tray of paper cups, offering one to the child.
"Ruizhi, say thank you to the lady," the mother quickly told her son.
"No worries. He's adorable," the employee said with a smile.
Ruizhi sipped his sample quietly, then quickly downed the rest. "I want more," he said.
"Sure thing," the staffer laughed and poured him another.
The parents also finished their samples, and a wave of cooling freshness shot from their mouths straight to their stomachs. It was genuinely refreshing.
"This herbal tea tastes even better than the stuff at the street stalls," the husband said in surprise.
"That's because," the employee explained, "Watsons spent months developing this recipe. We visited hundreds of herbal tea shops across Hong Kong to collect the best flavors, then optimized the formula.
Plus, herbal tea stalls rarely have big fridges. At most, you get room-temperature drinks. But with our canned herbal tea, you can put it in your fridge at home and enjoy it ice cold whenever you want. It's much more effective for cooling down."
"That's true," the husband nodded. "Nothing better than an ice-cold herbal tea at noon on a hot day."
The logic was obvious: the hottest time of day was the best time for herbal tea. But who wanted to step outside under the blazing sun to get it? Even if you paid someone to deliver it, it would arrive lukewarm at best.
The wife asked, "So this can—do we need a can opener at home?"
They had only tried a sample from a paper cup, so they didn't know.
"No need," the employee said. "It uses a pull-tab. Just pop the ring and it opens right up. Anyone can do it."
"That's convenient," the husband said. "How much is one can?"
"Only twenty cents per can. There's a launch promotion—buy five and get one free."
"Not bad. Let's get a dozen," the wife said. "It'll help us get through the heat."
"Great choice. We're stocking them in the fridge just down this aisle," the employee said as she led them over.
By the time the family left the store, they had three full bags of herbal tea in hand.
And they weren't the only ones. Within a few hours of the new herbal tea hitting shelves, the display had to be restocked multiple times. Customers across Hong Kong, tired of expensive or unavailable drinks, were all willing to give the new canned herbal tea a try.
And just like that, Uni-President's first drink became a surprise hit—far beyond anyone's expectations.
Since the taste was good, the next obvious question was about the packaging.
The sales assistant explained, "No need for a can opener. You can open it with your finger. It's a pull-tab can—just like the name says. Look, like this."
As she spoke, she casually opened the can with a crisp pop.
"That's so simple. Easier than a glass bottle!" the man said in surprise.
The assistant smiled. "Exactly. The structure is very straightforward. Any adult—and even older kids—can open it without tools. This is the latest American technology. Watsons is actually the first beverage company in Hong Kong to use canned packaging."
Swire Group might be big, but their efficiency was clearly lagging. They had investigated canned drinks even earlier, but their process was too slow. Watsons had beaten them to market.
"So this herbal tea is 50 cents a can?" the man asked again. "That's more expensive than cola."
The assistant chuckled. "You can't really compare different beverages directly. Our herbal tea doesn't just contain sugar—it also has various medicinal herbs and nutrients. And if you compare it to traditional herbal tea shops, our price is actually similar.
Plus, with this product, you can drink it anytime you want. And another thing—this metal packaging is recyclable. Watsons will be offering can collection services in the future."
"I know glass bottles are recyclable," the man said with curiosity. "But glass either shatters or stays intact. These metal cans—how do you recycle them? What if they're dented?"
Glass is fragile but rigid, so it's commonly reused in beverage and beer packaging.
The assistant smiled. "These cans are recyclable too. The metal is strong. The walls are thick enough that they won't deform unless you intentionally try to crush them."
"How much can I get for returning a can?" the man asked.
"I'm not sure," the assistant admitted. "That would depend on company policy. But you'll definitely get something back."
"Alright then. I'll take a six-pack," the man said finally.
HKD 3 wasn't a big deal for his family. They didn't drink it daily, and he often went out to herbal tea shops anyway—taking time and energy. Now, being able to enjoy a ready-made herbal tea at home? Much more convenient.
The assistant smiled. "Certainly, I'll pack that up for you."
Throughout the afternoon, a crowd continued to gather near the Uni-President herbal tea display. The new canned packaging intrigued many customers.
Not far away, Yang Wendong stood with Liu Huayu and Zhou Haoran, watching the crowd with satisfaction.
"Looks like our first beverage product is doing quite well," Yang Wendong said, smiling.
Zhou Haoran laughed. "Yes. Our cost is about the same as traditional herbal tea stands, but our flavor is better—people naturally prefer it. Especially those with refrigerators at home—chilling the tea and drinking it in the summer? That's just perfect."
While century-old herbal tea shops might have unique flavors, those were rare exceptions. Most shops couldn't match the R&D capabilities of a modern company. Unless it was something that had to be freshly made and couldn't be preserved, corporate versions usually won.
"Mm," Yang Wendong nodded. "Keep tracking customer feedback. Once we're done with the Hong Kong launch, we'll move into Taiwan, then Southeast Asia."
The Hong Kong beverage market could only sustain a small company. To grow bigger, they had to go global.
Before cans, glass-bottled drinks had prohibitively high shipping costs. Local production was the only option. Even Swire, with its own fleet, found it expensive to ship Coca-Cola to Southeast Asia. If not for the poor industrial base in the region, Coca-Cola wouldn't have chosen Swire as their Southeast Asian partner.
Now, the timing was right. More importantly, there were no herbal tea beverages in the Southeast Asian market. This was their golden opportunity. If they entered early, they'd hold a massive first-mover advantage.
"Got it," Zhou Haoran said.
Liu Huayu added, "I'll make sure all Carrefour stores promote Uni-President Herbal Tea prominently. But when it comes to overseas channels, I can't really help much."
"No problem," Yang Wendong said with a smile. "Carrefour might be expanding overseas sooner than we think. At the very least, we can already consider launching in Taiwan."
Although Hong Kong was Carrefour's home base, and Yang Wendong hadn't completely conquered the market yet, that didn't mean they had to wait before testing the waters elsewhere. Early overseas expansion didn't require heavy investment. It was mostly about market research and laying the groundwork. One store would suffice.
The key was results—success would attract local partners, which was the real long-term solution.
"Understood," Liu Huayu nodded. "Taiwan's market is very similar to Hong Kong's. Its economy is doing well. It's definitely one of the best targets for outbound investment."
"Then start a basic market assessment," Yang Wendong instructed. "Taiwan will be a strategic priority for our group's future investments."
If this were 15 years later, Yang Wendong would've chosen the mainland as both production base and major market. But it was still too early. Manufacturing couldn't all be based in Hong Kong. Taiwan was a strong alternative, especially in areas where Hong Kong couldn't compete.
In the future, of course, the mainland would be essential. But for now, Taiwan was a good place to establish roots.
"Alright," Liu Huayu agreed.
A Few Days Later — May 22
The biggest promotional campaign for Uni-President Herbal Tea kicked off. Major newspapers like Oriental Daily, Hong Wah Daily, and Ming Pao all ran large ads, proclaiming: "Now You Can Bring Herbal Tea Home — Uni-President Herbal Tea."
Public interest spiked.
The distribution channels were already in place—from upscale supermarkets and malls to neighborhood corner shops. Even rival supermarket chain Yifeng couldn't resist stocking the product.
May 23 — Morning
Zhou Haoran walked into Yang Wendong's office with a grin plastered across his face.
"Yang Sheng, we got the full-day sales numbers from yesterday. We sold 37,000 cans of herbal tea."
Yang Wendong nodded. "37,000? That's one in every 100 Hongkongers buying a can? Not bad at all."
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