"Most companies see China as a huge market with huge opportunities for expansion. That's certainly true, but it's not entirely straightforward when it comes to the food market. Bayn's EUREBA® chocolate contains no added sugar and is one of Bayn's main products. We have received several inquiries from China over the years, but due to differences in legislation and difficulties in implementation, we have not yet been able to export to China," says Patrik Edström, CEO of Bayn Europe. "Our partner Honsea Biotech Co. Ltd. has shown great production skills in scaling up our EUREBA® solution. This has enabled a full-scale production test at the local chocolate manufacturer Cocoa-Linna Ltd, a Chinese manufacturer with deep market insight."
From being a rather exotic product, the Chinese market is now ready for chocolate. According to data from the Association of Chinese Chocolate Manufacturers, Chinese consumers eat around 70 grams of chocolate a year per person. Multiply this by the 1.3 billion population and the market has an impressive potential of 4.6 billion SEK.
"The big international chocolate manufacturers have so far dominated the Chinese chocolate market. We are a smaller player with a strong focus on innovation and change. The Chinese people have embraced the chocolate culture and see it as a lifestyle and status. There are many sugar-free options on the market, but the taste does not meet expectations," said Xiaowei Zhou, VP Marketing and Sales at Cocoa-Linna. "We are so happy to work with Bayn and their total chocolate solution that actually maintains the taste when the sugar is removed. The solution is easy to use and the healthy ingredient options allow for profit during the commercialization process."
