In the food sector, brand rejuvenation is a clear trend, and cereal is no exception. Having been in the Chinese market for years, cereal has shed its image of being single-flavored and troublesome to cook, becoming not just a "senior breakfast" with health benefits but also a top choice for "meal replacement" that is both delicious and healthy, a staple grain food in young people's homes. Relevant data shows that the domestic cereal market has a stable existing space and huge potential, attracting many new brands. GoldRoast cereal, under Singapore's Viz Branz Group (hereinafter referred to as Viz Branz), as a veteran brand that has stood firm in the Chinese market for 30 years, completed the formation of a new management team earlier this year, making further clear plans for the brand's future development, making an innovation imperative. 1 Product Upgrade: Healthier, Tastier, More Convenient In 1992, GoldRoast's individually packaged instant cereal was launched and quickly gained popularity among consumers, filling the gap in the domestic instant grain food market. With the classic original instant nutritious cereal, GoldRoast continuously expanded its market share, achieving the top sales in the hot instant cereal category in four core cities—Hainan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian—in 2019, and holding about 30% market share in China's leading economic provinces, making it a true industry leader. GoldRoast cereal on supermarket shelves It can be said that GoldRoast's classic nutritious cereal series is an "unbeatable legend," bringing steady annual growth to the company. However, to capture more market opportunities and win over young consumers, transformation and innovation are urgently needed. In the traditional instant cereal field where the brand has advantages, GoldRoast's first step is to upgrade core products with a focus on nutrition, adding calcium, fiber, and iron to the formula while reducing fat and sugar, aligning with current health trends. On this basis, GoldRoast launched the Zhenxuan series instant cereal for those with higher nutritional needs, fully available in April this year, including four flavors: black sesame, chia seeds, prebiotics, and original. All use Australian imported oats, rich in protein and dietary fiber, with features like 0 sucrose, 0 trans fatty acids, and individual packaging to cater to consumer needs. GoldRoast Nutrition Zhenxuan Series Oatmeal If a bowl of hot instant cereal is more suitable for winter, then new categories like fruit cereal and baked cereal, which have become popular in recent years, fill the off-season limitations of hot cereal, suitable for all seasons. For consumers, manufacturing processes like fruit cereal have a more snack-like attribute, with more casual eating scenarios and greater convenience. GoldRoast Fruit Cereal Series Under the fast-paced lifestyle, GoldRoast has insight into the "both quick and convenient, and healthy and nutritious" needs of Generation Z, recently launching the fruit cereal series, combining fruits, nuts, dried fruit and vegetables, and oats to provide consumers with new flavor choices, revitalizing the old brand. According to Zhou Bin, General Manager of Guangdong Weichi Food Co., Ltd., GoldRoast will also prepare to launch a new sub-brand "Jin Xiaowei," continuing to expand into snack-type cereal categories, with an overall younger brand positioning to further open up market space. Although GoldRoast cereal has long established its solid market advantage through the classic series, it has not chosen to rest on its laurels, but rather keeps up with market changes and consumption trends, continuously breaking through in product innovation and product matrix expansion. 2 Channel Reach: Let More People Taste GoldRoast Cereal With a rich product matrix, laying out channels that reach consumers in all aspects is equally important. Since February and March this year, GoldRoast has begun to layout e-commerce business, including traditional e-commerce channels like Taobao, as well as new social shopping platforms like Douyin and Pinduoduo. Under the pandemic, GoldRoast also tested the O2O community group buying model, effectively alleviating pressure on offline sales. The accelerated layout of online business channels has opened up greater profit growth space for GoldRoast. In 2021, online sales accounted for less than 2% of GoldRoast's total, and it is expected that this number will reach 5% by the end of this year. At the same time, General Manager Zhou Bin stated that in the new fiscal year starting from July, GoldRoast cereal is expected to achieve a "small goal" of 40% sales growth. Under the good development momentum, GoldRoast plans to fully introduce Viz Branz's coffee, tea, and other products from Southeast Asia and other overseas markets both online and offline in the future, allowing more consumers to taste high-quality beverages with Southeast Asian flavors. Viz Branz overseas imported products On the other hand, to adapt to different consumption scenarios and reach various groups, GoldRoast has made packaging improvements for specific sales channels, such as launching cup-packed cereal products for convenience store channels, and individually wrapped strips suitable for traditional small shops, providing convenient and healthy nutritional consumption solutions. GoldRoast Nutritious Cereal - Cup Pack GoldRoast Nutritious Cereal - Strip Pack As an example of an overseas brand deeply cultivating and nurturing the Chinese market, GoldRoast is undoubtedly successful. In 2020, Viz Branz was acquired by the Asian Food Growth Fund (AFGF), further focusing on the Chinese market. From product innovation and upgrading, product matrix expansion, to the full integration of online and offline channels, GoldRoast has achieved a considerable sales growth of 30% year-on-year in the first half of this year through a series of rapid strategic adjustments. And GoldRoast cereal's continuous deep exploration of the consumer market is believed to create more win-win opportunities for the industry. *Reference: AVCJ "Portfolio: Investcorp and Viz Branz" (https://www.avcj.com/avcj/analysis/3026946/portfolio-investcorp-and-viz-branz)