"Small commodity, big brand"—in China's national brand arena, Laoganma leads the way, but it's not alone. Born in Zhumadian, Henan, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices is a similar type of enterprise: 32 years dedicated to one industry, zero tolerance for counterfeits, flat management structure, product excellence, no financing, no listing, no loans, no debts, and family-run. Similarly, its "rustic" image rivals Laoganma: a yellow poker-style box packaging, the founder Wang Shouyi's portrait, handwritten "Thirteen Spices" lettering, and a market price of around 3 yuan... Yet it is precisely such a low-margin small commodity that has been shaped into a national brand, creating the corporate legend of Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices Group.
Tracing the Origins of "Thirteen Spices" The history of "Thirteen Spices" dates back to 1959. That year, Wang Shouyi, originally from Tongxu County, Kaifeng, driven by livelihood needs, used a family secret recipe with over 20 pure natural Chinese herbal spices to create a new seasoning, naming it "Thirteen Spices." To build trust, he stamped each package with a square seal reading "Thirteen Spices" and sold them in nearby towns around Tongxu County. At the time, each pack sold for just 1 jiao, with thin profits, yet it gradually won the favor of the common people. Ten years later, as rural areas began the so-called "cutting capitalist tails," production of "Thirteen Spices" was interrupted. It wasn't until 1984, when Wang Shouyi, who had moved to Zhumadian with his children, was persuaded by his son Wang Yinliang to revive the business—father and son obtained a business license, started with 100 yuan, and established a family workshop-style Thirteen Spices seasoning factory. Regardless of cold or heat, Wang Shouyi rose at around 4 a.m. daily and never missed a market stall. His strategy of small profits and high turnover made his business increasingly prosperous. He couldn't have imagined that his "Thirteen Spices" would pioneer a new trend in the seasoning industry. In September 1999, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices Group Company applied to register the "Thirteen Spices" trademark. Since then, "Thirteen Spices," popular in the Central Plains, gradually opened markets nationwide—establishing sales points in over 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, building a sales network covering the entire country. From the alleys of southern Henan to nationwide fame, the success trajectory of "Thirteen Spices" can be summarized in three points: First, it defined and opened up a new product category. After Wang Shouyi and his son registered the "Thirteen Spices" and "Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices" trademarks, they also applied for 46 design patents, vigorously promoted them, and became synonymous with a product category. This approach not only drove out various "five-spice powder" and "eight-flavor" products from the market but also created a trend toward pure natural seasonings that competitors found hard to counter. Second, it seized the golden age of TV advertising. In the era when channels ruled, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices presented itself to consumers through TV ads, not only heavily advertising on CCTV's economic channel but also airing before the daily "Five Minutes of Food" segment on economic brand programs, thereby popularizing the product category and features, making viewers familiar with it. Third, it operated with a Muslim-like devotion to product integrity. Wang Shouyi was a devout Muslim who placed great importance on product quality and integrity. Over the years, he continuously improved the product, integrating the culinary characteristics of various ethnic groups and regions, finalizing the "Thirteen Spices" formula as a professional seasoning. Among the raw materials, Sichuan pepper comes from Sichuan, Angelica dahurica from Zhejiang, pepper from Hainan, tsaoko from Yunnan, star anise and cassia bark from Guangxi, cardamom and kaempferia from Guangdong, cumin from Gansu, and hawthorn from Henan... A supplier revealed, "The manufacturer is very strict about raw materials, adopting a 'subcontractor evaluation system' for suppliers, with annual assessments; any failure to meet standards results in immediate disqualification." Within the group, there is an independently developed large-scale pure natural seasoning processing line, using computer technology for quality management and dynamic production quality monitoring. At that time, in Zhumadian, Henan, the Wang family was known to all. The Big Ledger of a Small Commodity Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices has long been surrounded by a "myth" that outsiders find puzzling. —Since its establishment, the company has never borrowed a single cent from outside, relying entirely on its own funds for rolling development. Even since 2015, the 800 million yuan needed for building new modern factories and importing equipment was entirely self-raised. Several provincial bank executives admitted in interviews that they had repeatedly tried to persuade Wang Yinliang to take loans, but he simply ignored them. This "aloofness" is puzzling because, from a product perspective, 1000 grams of "Thirteen Spices" yields a profit of 2 yuan, and each small box contains 40 grams, meaning each box generates only 0.08 yuan in profit. It relies entirely on this tiny 0.08 yuan per box margin. In terms of scale, at the time, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices had total assets of less than 600 million yuan, over 1,200 employees, and covered only about 270 mu of land. But when you look at the sales revenue, taxes paid, and profits, you'll find that this small-product company "hides" a big ledger: When the group was established in 1998, registered capital was 80 million yuan, with sales exceeding 400 million yuan; around 2003, sales reached 500 million yuan; in 2008, sales hit 700 million yuan; In 2011, sales, taxes paid, and profits reached 1.04 billion yuan, 80.02 million yuan, and 69.23 million yuan respectively; by 2014, these figures had grown to 1.5 billion yuan, 170 million yuan, and 120 million yuan, with seasoning output exceeding 60,000 tons; In 2015, sales were 1.6 billion yuan, with taxes paid reaching 260 million yuan. It's clear that Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices' output value or sales growth rate has maintained above 10% annually, with tax and profit growth rates exceeding 20%. Where does this explosive counter-trend growth come from? After over three decades of development, mentioning "Wang Shouyi" naturally evokes "Thirteen Spices." "Wang Shouyi" and "Thirteen Spices" have become a golden combination in the seasoning industry. Such recognition was fine in the past, but today it's incomplete. Nowadays, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices has evolved into a comprehensive seasoning enterprise primarily engaged in the production and sale of halal spice seasonings, while also operating in auxiliary businesses like color printing and packaging materials. Taking 2015 performance as an example, besides the well-known "Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices" spice, other product lines also contributed significantly. In the seasoning business alone, beyond "Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices" seasoning, the company produces over 100 specifications of halal seasonings, including compound seasonings like "Mala Fresh Seasoning" and "Chicken Essence," compound spices like dumpling and steamed bun seasoning, stew meat seasoning, and curry powder, as well as single spices like pepper, Sichuan pepper, and cumin, and dried goods like star anise, Sichuan pepper, and cumin. The product development of Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices series mainly revolves around five categories: Thirteen Spices, Mala Fresh, Chicken Essence, Dried Goods, and Others. To meet market demand, the group has fully developed multiple specifications and flavors for each category, and even carefully designed various packaging forms such as bottles, cans, gift bags, and gift boxes, striving to satisfy consumers' needs through multi-level and multi-interface approaches. From initially focusing solely on the single spice of Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices to now covering a wide range of seasoning products, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices has successfully achieved comprehensive development and sustained performance growth through a multi-category strategy. The Family Business Dilemma "Once you enter the door of Thirteen Spices, you're family." As a traditional family business, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices faces the eternal challenge of succession and transformation. But at the same time, the advantages of a family business are undeniable; inherent decisiveness makes industrial adjustment and upgrading relatively easier, at least in terms of execution speed. During Wang Shouyi's management era, major decisions relied on his prestige and ability; whether at home or in the company, Wang Shouyi was the "patriarch." This approach continued into Wang Yinliang's tenure, but he didn't simply inherit it. He recognized the backwardness of productive forces and relations in the family business, and then explored and improved this outdated management style, undergoing three painful family system reforms. He first had his wife and siblings-in-law step down from management, and hired professional managers to reshape a modern corporate management model. When the third generation of the Wang family entered the group, Wang Taibai and his cousin, younger cousin, and brother-in-law were listed as key training targets, overseeing important departments like procurement, production, sales, and accounting. Basic matters were decided by their group, then reported to the chairman for approval. But under this structure, some adapted, and some left. A realistic situation is that grassroots entrepreneurs who rose around the 1980s today mostly face transformation difficulties, and many heirs are reluctant to get involved. Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices is no exception. One of the third-generation successors, Wang Taibai, though still a director, chose to start a business in Shanghai a few years ago. He had advocated for listing and entering real estate, but the outright rejection by his second uncle Wang Yinliang and father Wang Tieliang made him realize that the company's internal "rules" are not easily broken. Of course, this might be understood as value inheritance, as the older generation's steady management and honest conduct are worth learning from. But in fact, as a rare single-industry enterprise, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices has developed to this point, and Wang Yinliang has not been without thoughts of diversification. Because there was a profound lesson in the company's history: in 2009, Wang Yinliang announced entry into the catering industry, planning to open 500 doulao (a type of hot pot) restaurants nationwide to boost seasoning sales and achieve interactive growth between catering and seasonings. But unfortunately, the new doulao restaurants closed after just two months, and the several million yuan invested went down the drain. Since then, Wang Yinliang has abandoned any thoughts of diversification. Seeing other leading enterprises diversify, Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices' "smallholder management" state, besides the company not lacking funds and insisting on steady development, is more due to conservatism and a desire not to stumble. Of course, Wang Yinliang has his own "philosophy of life." "Don't randomly start projects, don't randomly launch products, don't randomly expand, and don't force yourself to make more money. Follow the company's model, step by step, knowing what to do and what not to do, and nothing will be affected." However, with the advent of the era of overcapacity, under intense market competition, the space for enterprise survival and development faces increasingly severe challenges. Especially with the wave of "Internet+" transformation, many traditional enterprises, even those with certain competitive advantages, have gradually suffered setbacks or even been crushed during transformation and upgrading. In such an era, can Wang Shouyi Thirteen Spices, which advocates "the greatest truth is the simplest," truly maintain its evergreen foundation amid change? Source: Deng Yixi (ID: dengyixi_love) -END- China's best learning platform for FMCG distributors Dedicated to providing professional, practical, and actionable tutorials for enterprises 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 Boost 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 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]