China’s Mengniu Dairy Buys Australia’s Lion Dairy From Kirin

Two weeks after Australian authorities conditionally approved Mengniu Dairy’s (China) acquisition of infant formula producer Bellamy, the company has agreed to buy Australian Lion Dairy & Drinks from Kirin Holdings for $407 million. The deal includes all white milk, milk-based beverages, yogurt, juice and water ice brands and assets, as well as Dairy & Drinks’ licensing agreement for the Yoplait brand. Mengniu will own Lion’s beverage unit’s international business and its share of the joint ventures with Vitasoy Australia Products and Capitol Chilled Foods Australia. The deal does not include Lion’s alcohol businesses in Australia and New Zealand, nor its Lion Little World Beverages firm.

"Mengniu makes $407m offer to acquire Lion Dairy & Drinks", FoodBev Media , November 25, 2019

Mythical Chinese Emperor Inspires New Range Of CBD-Infused Teas

Connecticut-based start-up Sh’nnong Beverage Company, co-founded by former PepsiCo exec Jill Beraud, has introduced a range of plant-based and CBD-infused iced teas in more than 500 Vitamin Shoppe stores in the U.S. Each Má Functional Iced Tea with CBD+ Natural Botanicals “elevates” the benefits of CBD infusion by combining it with nearly 20 herbs and spices “inspired by the original Má brews of Emperor Shennong,” a mythological deity in Chinese folk religion. The drinks, naturally sweetened and containing fewer than ten calories, are available in three CBD variants: focus, with ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, and rhodiola rosea; relax, with caffeine-free bai mudan tea blended with chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, elderflower, and passionflower; and detox with green tea, lemon, chamomile, schisandra berry, and dandelion root. Each flavor is available for $4.99.

"Sh’nnong Beverage Company releases CBD-infused iced teas", FoodBev Media Ltd, November 26, 2019

Chinese Coffee Company Debuts Smart Vending And Coffee Machines

Beijing-based Luckin Coffee Inc. announced it has launched unmanned smart vending and coffee machines. The Luckin Pop vending machines will be placed in office buildings, bus terminals, airports, on college campuses, and at other locations. The smart vending machine and the Luckin Coffee Express machine are new channels in the "unmanned retail network" that Luckin is building. The company says the innovations eliminate payroll and rental costs, as well as other expenses. At the end of 2019, Luckin Coffee had 4,507 self-operated stores. Luckin stock has nearly doubled – up 96.3 percent – over the past three months. 

"Luckin Coffee launches smart vending machines, Luckin Pop", MarketWatch, January 08, 2020

Chinese Study Links Longer Life, Less Heart Disease, With Tea Drinking

A recent study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found an association between tea consumption and reduced risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, especially among consistent, habitual tea drinkers (i.e., three or more times a week). Habitual tea drinkers had 1.41 more years than nondrinkers free of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and lived 1.26 years longer. Of the 100,902 Chinese adults in the study, 31.6 percent drank tea three or more times per week at baseline. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect data on tea consumption. The median follow-up was 7.3 years.

"Study links tea to longer life expectancy", Food Business News, January 15, 2020

Wahaha Set To Enter Bubble Tea Market In China

China’s largest beverage maker, Hangzhou Wahaha, announced it is entering the already crowded milk bubble tea market in the near future. Wahaha's sales have slid since reaching a peak in 2013, and the company is desperately in need of new products. The Chinese bubble tea market has tremendous potential: the expected market size could be as much as $72.6 billion. There are thousands of players in the market, each offering different ingredients, prices, marketing, and product design. Meanwhile, Chinese consumers are said to be shifting from low-quality tea to new tea products with better ingredients or design. 

"Chinese beverage giant Wahaha enters bubble tea market", Cgtn.com, January 15, 2020

Coke Partners With Chinese Online Retailer JD.com To Explore Innovative Recycling Methods

Coca-Cola and China’s largest online retailer JD.com have partnered in a search for new plastic recycling technology. The Chinese company will apply its nationwide logistics system in a pilot project to help collect used beverage bottles from households. The collected bottles are being sent to recycling facilities in partnership with Coca-Cola, where they’ll enter the circular value chain. JD.com launched its Green Stream Initiative in 2017 to reduce the environmental impact of logistics activities. Between June 2017 and December 2019, the company cut use of disposable packaging by nearly 30,000 tons, saving a million tons of paper. Coca-Cola unveiled its World Without Waste initiative two years ago to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of its packaging globally by 2030. The recycling partnership was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"Coca-Cola, JD.com to launch recycling program in China", JD.com, January 22, 2020