---
title: "Moutai is turning itself into cooking wine"
description: "With two co-branded products in a month, netizens joke that Moutai is turning itself into cooking wine, adding a drop to anything to boost its value. The latest Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates cost nearly 20 yuan each, ten times more than regular Dove chocolates, making them unaffordable for many. Unlike the sauce-flavored latte that went viral earlier this month, this collaboration has not sparked much buzz on social media."
author: "让商业更具价值"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2023-10-31"
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# Moutai is turning itself into cooking wine

> With two co-branded products in a month, netizens joke that Moutai is turning itself into cooking wine, adding a drop to anything to boost its value. The latest Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates cost nearly 20 yuan each, ten times more than regular Dove chocolates, making them unaffordable for many. Unlike the sauce-flavored latte that went viral earlier this month, this collaboration has not sparked much buzz on social media.

_With two co-branded products in a month, netizens joke that Moutai is turning itself into cooking wine, adding a drop to anything to boost its value. The latest Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates cost nearly 20 yuan each, ten times more than regular Dove chocolates, making them unaffordable for many. Unlike the sauce-flavored latte that went viral earlier this month, this collaboration has not sparked much buzz on social media._

### **Moutai collaboration multiplies value by 10**

"Knowing I can't afford a whole bottle of Moutai, they started selling it drop by drop." On September 16, Moutai and Dove jointly launched Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates, which sold out instantly across multiple channels. What drew the most criticism was not just the scarcity marketing but also the price. "Too expensive. Two pieces for 39 yuan, so one piece costs the same as a sauce-flavored latte (19 yuan)." Unlike the previous Moutai ice cream and the sauce-flavored latte with Luckin, this collaboration with Dove has sparked more diverse opinions.

Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates come in two flavors—classic and sugar-reduced—each with three specifications. The classic flavor is available in 20g (2 pieces), 60g (6 pieces), and 120g (12 pieces) at prices of 35 yuan, 99 yuan, and 169 yuan respectively. The sugar-reduced flavor is priced at 39 yuan, 109 yuan, and 179 yuan for the same sizes. The product page states that "sugar-reduced" means the sugar content is reduced by at least 50% compared to the same brand's dark chocolate products. According to Moutai, the classic flavor has an energy value of 2194 kilojoules per 100g, while the sugar-reduced version has 1990 kilojoules. That works out to about 17.5 yuan per piece (10g) for the classic and about 19.5 yuan per piece for the sugar-reduced. "It's really unaffordable. I must not be working hard enough," one netizen joked. Compared to Dove's best-selling chocolates, Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates are much more expensive. For example, Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate 252g is priced at 30.9 yuan on JD.com, and with about 18 pieces in the pack, each piece (14g) costs about 1.7 yuan. One is more than ten times the price of the other. So, where does the extra cost come from? For Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates, the official introduction states that "each piece contains 2% of 53% vol Guizhou Moutai liquor." According to Moutai, the partner purchases Guizhou Moutai liquor and processes it, buying 500ml of 53% vol Guizhou Moutai at the official guide price. By weight, each piece contains 2% Moutai, which is 0.2g. To put that in perspective, the small cup that comes with Feitian Moutai holds about 7.5g when full, so the Moutai in one piece is less than 3% of that cup. This is truly selling by the drop.

Based on the official guide price of 1499 yuan per bottle of Feitian Moutai, the cost of Moutai in each piece is less than 0.7 yuan. Moreover, this is calculated at the retail price. When the ex-factory price of Feitian Moutai is 969 yuan, Guizhou Moutai's gross margin is already around 90%. Therefore, if calculated at the actual cost of Moutai, the cost of Moutai in this chocolate is even more negligible. In fact, liqueur chocolates have existed for a long time and are even a childhood memory for many. Other baijiu brands have also launched co-branded liqueur chocolates before, but they didn't make much of a splash. The Moutai-Dove collaboration has sparked some discussion, but compared to the sauce-flavored latte, it's not as lively. Several baijiu industry insiders and consumers told 'Market Insights' that when the sauce-flavored latte was first launched, it flooded social media feeds for two days, and it felt like everyone was consuming and discussing it. But since the Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates hit the market, related content on social media has been "far less."

"The soft center tastes like regular chocolate with a faint hint of alcohol," said Wang Yang. When she saw the Moutai-Dove collaboration, she wanted to try it out of curiosity. She had eaten liqueur chocolates as a child and didn't like the taste then, so she wanted to see what was special this time, but it seemed nothing special. Wang Yang is a devoted chocolate lover. Having studied abroad, she has tried various chocolates in the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, and other countries. Her verdict on Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates: "They taste similar to other liqueur chocolates, and the price is indeed high." Two weeks ago, Wang Yang also tried the sauce-flavored latte. "The first sip was okay, but after a while, when the ice melted, the taste became weird, and I threw away the rest of the cup." With Moutai's collaborations coming one after another, many netizens jokingly call Moutai a "player." Wang Yang said it feels like everything is being infused with Moutai, "such a high-end liquor is turning itself into cooking wine."

### **Not enough young people**

i Moutai, Guizhou Moutai's digital marketing platform, is one of the first channels for Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates. On i Moutai, the product page prominently states: "A sense of ritual for young people." Yes, young people again.

From Moutai ice cream—"the first bite of Moutai for young people"—to the sauce-flavored latte—"the first cup of Moutai for young people"—and now Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates—"a sense of ritual for young people"—Moutai is frequently trying to win over young people. However, Luckin is a brand with high buzz among "office workers," and many young workers start their day with a 9.9-yuan Luckin coffee. So, the Moutai-Luckin collaboration generated high discussion and participation, with daily sales exceeding 100 million yuan. But Dove and the chocolate market are different. Chocolate is often associated with love in marketing, and gifting is the primary consumption scenario. According to a report by Zhiyan Consulting, the Chinese chocolate market is dominated by foreign brands, with foreign companies holding over 90% of the retail market share. Mars, the parent company of Dove, Snickers, and M&M, has always held the top spot in the chocolate market, followed by Ferrero in second and Nestlé in third. As a leading baijiu brand, Moutai tends to collaborate with leaders in other industries, as with Luckin and now Dove.

The Chinese chocolate market can be divided into three tiers: the first tier includes high-end brands like Godiva, Lindt, and Baci; the second tier includes mid-range brands like Dove, Ferrero, Hershey, and Mondelez, characterized by marketing-driven success; the third tier includes low-end products like Hsu Fu Chi, Yake, and Golden Monkey. Despite the many brands, the market is not large and has almost stagnated. According to OC&C Strategy Consultants, since 2014, the Chinese chocolate market has stalled at around 20 billion yuan, with consumption volume declining. In 2021, chocolate sales in China were approximately 251,600 tons, compared to 256,500 tons in 2016. Even the leading brand Dove has not been immune. Euromonitor data shows that from 2018 to 2021, Dove's market share in China declined from 22.8% to 22.4%, while Ferrero's fell from 8.7% to 7.6%. The Zhiyan Consulting report analyzes that the overall decline in Chinese chocolate sales is due to two factors: on one hand, the increasing variety of snack brands has diverted some of the chocolate market; on the other hand, as people become more health-conscious, they are cautious about chocolate, which often contains excessive sugar, calories, and fat. For many young people, chocolate has become a "bitter sweetness." As for the Moutai-Dove collaboration, it's hard to judge. Moreover, the main consumers of chocolate are women, and a significant proportion are minors. Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates contain alcohol, and the packaging advises against consumption by minors. Some product managers have also admitted that this kind of traffic dividend can be addictive, and while product collaboration innovation should be encouraged, it must be done with moderation to avoid backlash.

Looking at these two collaborations, whether it's the "sauce-flavored latte" with Luckin or the "Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates" with Dove, Moutai has avoided using the word "Moutai" in the product names. "Sauce-flavored" is a type of baijiu, and "Moutai Xiaoling" is the IP image of Moutai ice cream.

At the launch ceremony for Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates, Ding Xiongjun, chairman of Guizhou Moutai, stated that the cooperation with Mars is a brand alliance between a Chinese time-honored brand and an internationally renowned brand. With this, Moutai has completed the extension of peripheral products for drinking, eating, tasting, and carrying, and the development of "+Moutai" peripheral products will come to an end.

The baijiu industry is competing in a stock market, and Guizhou Moutai has been trying every means to "embrace" young people in recent years. In fact, whether it's Moutai ice cream, the sauce-flavored latte, or Moutai Xiaoling liqueur chocolates, their contribution to Guizhou Moutai's performance is currently negligible. What matters is that Guizhou Moutai wants to connect with young people and gradually turn them into consumers of Moutai liquor. Ding Xiongjun has previously said that cultivating the sauce-flavored taste of Moutai among young consumers and promoting the brand's youthfulness and fashionability is key: "Catching young people means catching Moutai's future." Moutai is trying hard to "please" young people, but they may not necessarily buy it. Wang Yang said bluntly: "For loyal chocolate lovers, there are too many choices, and liqueur chocolates are just an occasional treat, not a high-frequency purchase. I feel this collaboration might be a flash in the pan. Didn't the sauce-flavored latte's popularity fade quickly?" Some young consumers who have tasted Moutai's flavor have lost their curiosity about Moutai. "I used to hear about how great Moutai is, how hard it is to get, and how noble it is. I even tried to grab it on e-commerce platforms but failed, and I never drank it, so I was always curious. From the sauce-flavored latte to the liqueur chocolates, after tasting them, I feel it's nothing special, and my curiosity is gone." (Wang Yang is a pseudonym.)


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