Chapter 516 "Asian Sugar King"

Chapter 516 "Asian Sugar King"

Chapter 516 "Asian Sugar King"

Zhou Haoran replied: "With the help of Mr. Lin, we have sent dozens of flavors of beverages to the United States and Europe in large quantities. According to the current feedback, three of them are more effective and can be sold at a high price in European and American bars. Many people like to drink our beverages after drinking alcohol and say that they have a hangover-relief effect."

"This can be considered a small effect of Red Bull." Yang Wendong said with a smile.

Red Bull or other functional drinks can't actually sober you up, but they can still make you feel more comfortable and alleviate the discomfort of being drunk;
Zhou Haoran said: "But this is a very considerable market. With this name, it can attract many people who like to drink. In Europe and the United States, these people are a large group."

"No, we can have this market, but we can't advertise it like this." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "Once it is advertised like this, it may be considered as a hangover cure. If that happens, it will be over. We won't be able to have other markets.
Therefore, in the future, our promotions must not include words such as "the effect of sobering up" and should focus on relieving fatigue. As for rumors, we can promote them appropriately, so as to maximize the benefits."

The thing a brand fears most is being positioned. It is fine if the positioning is relatively broad, but once it is positioned in a niche, it is over.

"Understood. I will definitely pay attention to the promotion." Zhou Haoran said, "Mr. Yang, how long do we need to test this flavor before we can decide?"

Yang Wendong thought for a while and said, "Wait a little longer. There's no rush for the taste. You still have a production line here. Can you leave it for Red Bull?"

Zhou Haoran said: "We are already preparing. We asked Germany to purchase four production lines at one time. Red Bull will have one of them first. The mold for the beverage bottle is also being developed. It is estimated that all will be in place in November."

"Okay, we'll test it in Europe and America for another two months, and by October, we'll decide on the most popular flavor, and then start small-batch production." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Next year, we'll gradually launch it into the market. Once we're sure there are no problems, around 70 years, I'll use a lot of resources to promote it."

The food and beverage industry is most afraid of quality issues, not just the public "food poisoning". If there are too many allergy patients, it also needs extra attention.

If you want to know these things, you can't test them out just by a small amount of testing in the early stage. Therefore, you have to operate on a small scale before large-scale promotion. The channels and production capacity are also insufficient in the early stage, which is a good match.

And there is another advantage, that is, Li Xiaolong will run into obstacles in Hollywood in the next two years, and at that time he will have no choice but to rely on me. I will also do my best to make him a global superstar in a very short time, and then have him endorse Red Bull. That would be perfect.

Red Bull itself is a sports drink, and Li Xiaolong is a global kung fu superstar, so it is very suitable.

"Okay, I'll get ready as soon as possible." Zhou Haoran agreed.

Yang Wendong asked again: "What's the situation in Malaysia?"

Zhou Haoran replied: "We have already invited several local professional companies to carry out ecological treatment on the farm we purchased. They will first cut down a large number of original plants on top, and then build some basic roads;

After that, we will divide the area into different areas, gradually introduce water, renovate the land and apply fertilizers. We expect to have the first crops in 70 years.”

"This is indeed not something that can be rushed. What about our raw sugar factory?" Yang Wendong asked.

Zhou Haoran replied: "The factory is already under construction, because there are many sugarcane fields near Perlis, and many local farmers make a living by selling sugarcane. After we have the factory, we can purchase from them.
The transportation cost is higher, so it will be higher than if I had my own farm in the future.”

"That's fine. It's also a good thing to boost the income of some farmers around here." Yang Wendong said, "In the future, when our farm needs people to work, we can also look for local people. As long as they are willing to work hard, we will not reduce their wages."

Even though the local farmers are not necessarily Chinese, since they have invested there, they need to have mutual benefits with the locals, especially since Malaysia will also be an industrial base of its own in the future, but it will be biased towards raw materials.

Zhou Haoran said, "Okay, and there is one more thing. In addition to us, there are many large sugar factories in the local area, including Malaysia's famous sugar king Guo Henian. He came to me some time ago and said that he hopes to cooperate with us and supply us with their own refined sugar."

"Refined sugar? Is he stealing business from our own factory?" Yang Wendong asked back.

Zhou Haoran said awkwardly: "Yes, but later I calculated with him, even if they are both refined sugar, with similar quality, Guo Henian's cost is actually much lower than ours, which is very tempting to me."

"Guo Henian? I know this guy too. He's very capable. I guess he's much better than us in the entire sugar industry chain." Yang Wendong analyzed.

Whether it is Wang Yung-ching of Formosa Plastics or Kuo Ho-nian of Malaysia, it can be said that the Chinese elites who rose to prominence in the turbulent second half of the 20th century, throughout their lives, definitely did not rely on luck to succeed;

In this world, except for a few innovations, most traditional industries actually compete on technology, quality and cost-effectiveness, or a balanced combination of the three. Whoever can achieve the ultimate will become the king.

Although Yang Wendong is a time traveler and knows the future, it is difficult to compare with the several people who emerged from the Asian Monster House in terms of the detailed management of many industries.

Zhou Haoran said: "Yes, Guo Henian himself is a Malay, and he has run the sugar industry to the extreme in the local area. Even Taikoo has begun to purchase their sugar on a large scale because the price is much cheaper than in Hong Kong;

The problem now is that if we don't use Guo Henian's sugar, the cost will be a little higher than Taikoo. It's okay for our own industry, but if Pepsi knows about this, it may put some pressure on us." "You really can't crack this open conspiracy." Yang Wendong nodded and said.

Cost-effectiveness is the most formidable industrial weapon. As long as you can achieve the best cost-effectiveness, others will have no choice but to give up. For example, the industrial capacity of the mainland in the past life swept away all other countries.
The problem other countries face is that if you don’t buy from us, the cost will be high, your competitiveness will decline, and your people will have a hard time. If you buy from us, your industrial chain will be ruined, and you will become more and more dependent on others in the future.

Wait until your domestic industrial chain completely collapses and can never be rebuilt. If the other party's industrial products increase in price again, you can only accept it. There is no other way. It is impossible to rebuild the industrial chain. Even if you can, if you build it, the other party will lower the price. There is no solution at all.

Moreover, after a few years, if there is a talent gap, it will be impossible to succeed even if you have money.

Zhou Haoran said: "Yes, so it is difficult for me to decide now. Once we use Guo Henian's sugar, our sugar factory in Hong Kong will be in danger. Swire has already begun to reduce its production capacity."

"In the short term, we can maintain it, but it definitely won't work in the long term. The production cost in Hong Kong is definitely higher than in Malaysia or Thailand," said Yang Wendong.

Zhou Haoran said: "Then wait until later, after we have built an industrial chain in Malaysia or Thailand, the refined sugar factory can also be moved to Malaysia."

"Sure." Yang Wendong would not force some industries to be in Hong Kong. If they were not suitable, they were not suitable. Market principles could not be violated. He then asked, "Has Guo Henian's company been listed?"

Zhou Haoran replied: "No, Malaysia is just like Hong Kong more than a decade ago. There are very few listed companies in Malaysia, and most of them are British-owned. If there were not so many Chinese people there, I'm afraid many industries would still be in the hands of British capital."

"It's a pity. I am quite optimistic about Guo Henian." Yang Wendong said with a smile.

Zhou Haoran asked, "Does Mr. Yang want to invest in his company?"

"Do you think it's possible?" Yang Wendong asked back.

Guo Henian is not only capable, but also patriotic. He started trading with China in the 70s to ensure the country's sugar shortage, and after the 80s, he also made large investments in China;

Although he may also participate in these businesses in the future, due to various domestic demands or too much investment after the reform and opening up, the participation of more people will not have much impact; and in the field of sugar, he really cannot compare with cutting-edge entrepreneurs like Guo Henian. Being able to become the "Sugar King of Asia" is not a false reputation.

Zhou Haoran thought for a moment and said, "I'll go discuss it with Guo Hanian. I'm not sure if it will work."

"Okay, let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, forget it." Yang Wendong nodded and said.

It doesn't matter if it doesn't work out today, as long as Guo Henian's company goes public in the future, he will naturally have a chance;

However, if the investment can be successful now, then in the future the beverage industry and food industry on our side will buy sugar from him and more or less be able to recover some of the profits, which will also be helpful for the development of the food and beverage industry.

A week later, Zhou Haoran came to Yang Wendong's office in Changxing Building and said, "Mr. Yang, Guo Henian rejected our investment request, but he said that we can develop sugar agriculture in Malaysia together and cooperate in this regard."

"He has a nice idea. He wants us to invest and help him expand the scale of his sugar farm?" Yang Wendong said with a smile.

In the past few days, he has also collected information about Guo Henian;

Guo Henian started his business during World War II. After Malaysia successfully gained independence in 1957, he began to engage in the trade of wood boards, sugar and food. The export volume of wood boards he controlled ranked among the top five in Malaysia. The other four are very old companies, which is enough to show his strength.

As for sugar, he started building a sugar factory in Malaysia in the early 60s and invested in farms. However, investing in farms was too expensive, so progress was relatively slow.

Zhou Haoran said: "His idea is actually in line with our interests. After all, he is a Malay, has good connections in the local area, and has the ability.
Our funds and his ability are perfectly matched, so the cost of the sugar we produce will be much lower, which is also beneficial to us.”

"You're right." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's talk to him and see how we can cooperate. If it's beneficial to us, then we can cooperate."

"Okay." Zhou Haoran added, "But Guo Henian wants to come to Hong Kong to meet you. What do you think, Mr. Yang?"

"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded and agreed.

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(End of this chapter)