Uni-President is a household name in the food industry, with 2015 sales reaching 22.1 billion yuan, and its every move sets industry trends. Its products have sparked wave after wave of trends. However, what don't you know about this seemingly familiar company?
Founded 49 years ago, brand influence spans Asia Growth
On July 1, 1967, Uni-President Enterprises Corporation was officially established in Yongkang District, Tainan City. It enjoys high recognition in East and Southeast Asia and is Taiwan's largest food and beverage group. Currently, it employs over 50,000 people. Besides food, Uni-President has ventures in finance, foreign trade, commerce, entertainment, advertising, and electronics.
Five brand logos used over the years
Phase 1: Wheat Ears (1967–1970) This was the company's founding logo, with the stylized characters for "Uni" in the center, surrounded by two wheat ears. At its inception, the company produced only feed and flour, closely tied to wheat. The corporate slogan at the time was "Food is the first necessity of the people." The wheat ear logo highlighted the raw material "wheat" as the main motif, with symmetrical circular wheat ears representing the company's focus on flour and feed, and its commitment to quality and consumer rights.
Phase 2: Pod and Oil Drop (1971–1979) The outer circle "○" is a variation of the character "一" (one), meaning "unified," and represents broad inclusiveness: internally symbolizing unity, externally symbolizing encompassing similar products and the global market. The center represents the five grains: rice, wheat, beans, sorghum, and millet. Lines rising from the center symbolize seeds sprouting and growing, indicating the company's upward development and product improvement, and that Uni-President started with grains. The ring also symbolizes connection, with all employees united, high integrity, and impartiality.
Phase 3: Adding the Company Name (1980–1983) The original logo was placed on a rounded rectangular background, reversed to white, with a "happiness bird" in the upper right corner symbolizing peace, communication with the public, and combined with "Uni-President Enterprises" to form a color block, making the visual softer, more refined, and richer.
Phase 4: Happiness Bird (1984–1989) In 1984, Uni-President was listed among Taiwan's top ten enterprises, and its products reached every household. Uni-President wanted to bring liveliness, warmth, and happiness into people's lives, so it added a square frame around the circular logo for stability, and a ribbon in the upper left to highlight the happiness bird, symbolizing the happiness its products bring to families. For the first time, the corporate slogan "Creating a Healthy and Happy Tomorrow" was incorporated into the logo, forming a complete system.
Phase 5: Wings of Tomorrow (1990–present) To adapt to internationalization and diversification, and to prepare for the coming 21st century, the company fully updated its logo, enhancing visual identity and its role in products, marketing, and social responsibility.
23 years to form 8 regions and 46 branches Layout
On January 13, 1992, Uni-President Enterprises Group invested in its first factory in mainland China—Xinjiang Uni-President Foods Co., Ltd.—was officially established.
Initially, Uni-President adopted a "T-shaped" strategy in mainland China, investing in factories in coastal special economic zones and along the Yangtze River development zones, and deciding on investments based on each region's income, consumption capacity, preferences, and competitive advantages.
In 1998, the mainland operations headquarters was established in Shanghai to manage all mainland investments. In the future, it will gradually establish a production base and sales company in each province for intensive market cultivation.
On December 17, 2007, Uni-President China Holdings Ltd., which oversees mainland operations, was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Currently, Uni-President has 8 regions in mainland China: Northeast, North China, Central Plains, Central China, East China, South China, Greater West, and Xinjiang. It includes 46 branches, such as Uni-President Asia Holdings Ltd., Uni-President Enterprises (China) Investment Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Uni-President Enterprises Co., Ltd. It has factories in all provinces except Tibet and Qinghai, covering the length and breadth of China.
41 product series, early 2016 layout for 10 yuan+ beverages Products
Since 1992, Uni-President has launched 41 food and beverage series in mainland China, including Uni 100, Tang Daren, Yin Yang Si Ji, and Assam Milk Tea.
In 2016, to continue upgrading products to adapt to consumption trends, Uni-President maintains its product innovation capability. As of now, it has launched over a dozen new products in 2016.
From the new products, we see Uni-President's continued strategy of high-priced beverages. Experts say that Uni-President's frequent launch of high-priced drinks is closely related to the success of previous high-margin products like "Xiao Ming Tong Xue" and "Tang Daren." Additionally, Uni-President can use these high-priced products to re-establish profit-generating products.
Three major leadership changes, new mainland chief sets age record Personnel
Uni-President is full of talent, and new talents emerge at any time; entering Uni-President is like buying a ticket to Disneyland—you can experience different industries. Every employee is ready to leave their current position to take on another challenge.
This year, the most attention has been on leadership changes at Uni-President. So, what are their resumes?
Chairman of Uni-President and legal representative—Lo Chih-hsien
Lo Chih-hsien was born in 1956 in Tainan, Taiwan. He met Kao Hsiu-ling, daughter of founder Kao Ching-yuan, in high school and married her at 29, entering Uni-President's international department as a section chief. After a 10-year assignment in the U.S., he returned as an assistant manager, was promoted to deputy general manager three years later, then became vice chairman for business expansion in mainland China, where he made his mark. At 51, he became general manager and group director, and five years later became chairman of affiliated enterprises, officially succeeding as head of Uni-President Group. On June 22, 2016, Lo Chih-hsien turned 60 and officially stepped back from the front line!
General Manager of Uni-President Enterprises—Hou Jung-lung
Hou Jung-lung, 51, is the youngest general manager of Uni-President China. Hou joined Uni-President Enterprises Corporation in February 1993, serving as branch manager of Guangzhou Uni-President Foods Co., Ltd., deputy general manager and sales director of Zhuhai Kirin Uni-President Brewery Co., Ltd., general manager of Beijing Uni-President Beverages Co., Ltd., and HR director and marketing planning office general manager of Uni-President Enterprises (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uni-President China). In September 2011, Hou was appointed general manager and executive director of Uni-President China, taking charge of mainland operations. On June 22, 2016, Hou succeeded as general manager of Uni-President Enterprises.
General Manager of Uni-President China—Liu Xinhua
Liu Xinhua, 45, joined Uni-President Group in July 1994 and has been involved in marketing and business planning. From November 2006 to August 2008, he served as general manager of the Sichuan Food Sales Company of Chengdu Uni-President Foods Co., Ltd.; from August 2008 to September 2014, he was general manager of the Food Business Group of Uni-President China.
Source: Food Business (ID: tyjzksp)
-END-
The best FMCG distributor learning platform in China Dedicated to providing professional, practical, and actionable tutorials for companies and distributors Committed to helping Chinese FMCG distributors grow rapidly
The most professional and practical knowledge base in the FMCG industry Reply with the red number below to get corresponding content Reply with number 1 to view the complete knowledge base | 001 Excellent article selection | 002 Distributor market operations | 003 Terminal visit management | 004 Sales supervisor skills | 005 Sales improvement techniques | 006 Channel expansion | 007 Managing distributors | 008 Distributor development | 009 Distributor internal operations management | 010 Team management | 011 Efficient distribution techniques | 012 Sales manager's 18 skills | 013 KA operation methods and strategies | 014 First lesson for new salespeople | 015 Internet, brands | 016 Distributor B2B transformation | [Long press QR code to follow]