After we spoke to Yeyo in July last year, the agency had simply launched its Tmall flagship retailer with a give attention to model constructing within the China market, with no offline shops to talk of. Lower than a 12 months on, it now has offline presence in about 200 shops nationwide, together with retailers comparable to MUJI and BHG.
“We’ve presence in many of the high-end supermarkets and also will be in ALDI shops quickly, and it gained’t be lengthy earlier than we hit the mass market retailers as properly,” Christiana Zhu, Co-Founder and CEO of Yeyo’s mom firm Marvelous Meals, instructed FoodNavigator-Asia.
“We began on-line to get the suggestions we wanted to tweak the product in response to client calls for, however on the finish of the day yoghurt is a chilly chain product and most gross sales will come from offline as the provision chain and distribution is far more environment friendly for it, so we’re seeing even sooner development with our offline growth.
“Along with stores, we’ve additionally been distributing to F&B channels comparable to salad bars – these are a really essential location for us as it’s the place plenty of our essential goal market go to for his or her workplace lunch, and being current in these locations means we will also be a part of their workplace lunch choices.”
Yeyo’s essential goal market is feminine shoppers between the ages of 25 to 39, because the agency believes that this group is most in tune with the traits driving the native plant-based dairy market.
“This group of shoppers are those which are most fashion-forward and stylish, and thus pay most consideration to worldwide traits comparable to better-for-you and more healthy meals choices,” mentioned Zhu.
“They’re additionally those who’re on Instagram and different social media shops in search of out these merchandise, so we have to innovate and create merchandise which are of worth to them, e.g. being low-sugar, high-vitamin, high-fibre in addition to enjoyable and novel.”
Marvelous Meals lately efficiently closed a US$1.2mn funding spherical, and in response to Zhu these funds can be centered on bolstering the agency’s product portfolio past its present spoonable coconut yoghurt vary to incorporate extra gadgets that might appeal to its essential target market.
“We’re issues like dairy-free drinks comparable to smoothies, in addition to different low-sugar, high-nutrition desserts that every one trip on the wholesome angle,” she mentioned.
“The main target will nonetheless be on the well being side as that is nonetheless the principle cause that Chinese language shoppers are selecting plant-based merchandise, not a lot sustainability or animal cruelty as is widespread within the west.”
The brand new product ranges will proceed to fall below the Yeyo model. Along with this, Yeyo will proceed to supply its core vary of Sugar-free, Strawberry Chocolate and Peach flavours however can even be working flavours primarily based on a rolling calendar in 2022, the place completely different seasonal flavours can be made accessible each two months.
“The purpose right here is to focus on the flavours to present native traits, so as an example, it’s spring now so we’ve launched a Espresso Berry and a Coconut Mango flavour to focus on prosperity (the phrase ‘mango’ in Mandarin Chinese language is a homonym with the phrase for ‘busy’) of the 12 months and in addition Shanghai’s love for espresso,” she mentioned.
‘Environment friendly’ development
In the meanwhile, Yeyo’s focus will stay on constructing its market up in China while increasing its product vary to scout one of the best areas for plant-based improvement.
“We very a lot need to develop as effectively as doable, so we’re specializing in development first with a giant push to place extra plant-based chess items on the board and gauge the recognition of every, so we’ll know the place we should always make investments extra effort particularly through the summer season when traits can grow to be very obvious,” mentioned Zhu.
“That is the explanation we’re centered on launching extra product traces this 12 months, in addition to on our distribution the place we’re working with a distribution associate that has 27 distribution factors all around the nation with chilly chain crops, and goes to develop this to 100 by 2027 which suggests Yeyo can be much more extensively accessible then.
“We can even proceed to make use of e-commerce to seek out probably the most present traits and hit the factors shoppers need so we are able to develop offline accordingly within the markets which have probably the most potential. As soon as we hit that maturity, we are able to begin wanting past however for now we need to preserve issues environment friendly.”
