Dragon Sun
CEO, Yonghong Food
I have worked in the FMCG industry for more than two decades and have served as the COO and General Manager of Budweiser, Master Kong Beverages, Nippon Paint and other enterprises. My preference for companies with renowned brands stems from my belief that high quality and reliable products are more competitive in the consumer market. Joining Yonghong was a natural step in my career, and I am excited to roll up my sleeves and work with the business to achieve its full potential and become the #1 Chinese beef jerky brand in the market.
In China, food safety is no longer just a conceptual issue. It is now deeply rooted in consumers’ minds, and consumers are increasingly willing to pay higher prices for safer food. With more than 30 years of brand history, Yonghong has upheld its principles of quality control and food safety, making the brand a reliable “first choice” for consumers. In addition to sourcing raw materials from our own cattle farms, we tirelessly evaluate and select the best quality materials from our long-term suppliers, with the goal of creating delicious products that are sold under the “Bullhead” brand. We take extensive food safety control measures to ensure food quality during the production process.
The “Bullhead” brand has historically been very well received by the Central-Western region of China, while sales in other regions have been relatively stagnate. To grow and expand the business, we have successfully developed processes to address the distinct regional preferences in China, driving market share growth in areas that had historically been weak for the brand. In order to control growth and development in each province, we have segmented China into different “characteristic” zones – core, high-potential and developing markets, based on GDP, beef jerky market capacity and local “Bullhead” market share. Within these zones, we have adjusted product distribution channels based on our analysis and findings.
We often closely monitor and analyze new points of sale. In China, residential areas, universities and factories are gradually relocating to the rural-urban peripheral zones, leading to an increase in the number of supermarkets and convenience stores in those new, previously undeveloped areas. China’s young consumers value convenience, leisure and reliability, and demand that products are accessible at various points of purchase, as well as online. In light of these trends, we continue to focus and “fine tune” our distribution expansion efforts from nationwide and regional chains to town supermarkets, convenience stores and e-commerce channels such as Tmall and JD.com.
We believe companies should be consumer-focused and grow their brand value through quality, safety and reliability. As a result, we target e-commerce platforms to capture demand from young consumers and concurrently launch new products through convenience stores to connect with the new generation of consumers and meet their evolving needs. Brand building is a long and delicate process and we continue to improve our philosophy and strategy while fine-tuning our brand positioning with new products at varying price points. Our goal is to uphold Yonghong’s image of quality, safety and excellence, while energizing the brand with young, interesting and modern elements. Our dedication to quality and safety, complimented with product and channel innovation, will drive Yonghong to achieve strong growth in the coming years, setting itself apart as a clear market leader in in the Chinese jerky snacks market.
