---
title: "Selling Beverages in Rural Areas: The Most Profitable Move!"
description: "Hello villagers, I'm the village chief. This week, a friend from Shili Village whom I've known for three years came to Hangzhou and visited my company. He previously worked as an assistant to a boss at a leading e-commerce platform, and after the platform went public, he spent nearly a year developing beverages. Recently, riding the new consumer goods wave, he secured funding and is expanding in Henan, Anhui, Hebei, and other regions. During our chat, I shared an alternative approach to selling beverages, which I'd like to discuss here for fresh perspectives."
author: "村长住在十里村"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2022-06-10"
language: "en"
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---

# Selling Beverages in Rural Areas: The Most Profitable Move!

> Hello villagers, I'm the village chief. This week, a friend from Shili Village whom I've known for three years came to Hangzhou and visited my company. He previously worked as an assistant to a boss at a leading e-commerce platform, and after the platform went public, he spent nearly a year developing beverages. Recently, riding the new consumer goods wave, he secured funding and is expanding in Henan, Anhui, Hebei, and other regions. During our chat, I shared an alternative approach to selling beverages, which I'd like to discuss here for fresh perspectives.

Hello villagers, I'm the village chief.
This week, a friend from Shili Village whom I've known for three years came to Hangzhou, and I happened to meet him at my company.
He previously worked as an assistant to a boss at a leading e-commerce platform, and after the platform went public, he spent nearly a year on beverage R&D.
In the past couple of years, riding the new consumer goods wave, he secured some funding and is currently expanding in Henan, Anhui, Hebei, and other regions.
During our casual chat, I shared another approach to selling beverages, and I'd like to discuss it here, hoping to offer a different angle.
Because his beverages are still mass-market drinks, not mid-to-high-end, and affordable for everyone.
So, regarding sales channels, I suggested he **focus on the rural market, or even create a down-market product specifically for rural areas—no need for a brand, just a product name.**
This suggestion stems from my own observations and thoughts.
**The consumer market is large enough**
**1. The beverage consumer base still exists**
Many might think that with fewer young people in rural areas, no one drinks beverages anymore.
That's true for some sparsely populated, remote mountainous regions.
But in China, many towns and villages still have stable populations, so the total consumer numbers aren't vastly different.
In fact, as living standards have risen, beverage consumption in rural areas has increased. Some think ice cream doesn't sell in rural areas, but that's not the case.
Indeed, every time I go home, my family and my uncles' families stock up on beverages.
**2. Year-round consumption**
I'm optimistic about my friend's choice of the beverage sector, and in rural areas, beverages are consumed all year round.
In spring, consumption spikes during farming, planting, and tea picking; in summer, for fruit and vegetable harvesting and cooling off; in autumn, for bulk grain harvests; and in winter, for visiting relatives and gift-giving.
In rural areas, milk, Red Bull, herbal tea, and similar drinks are must-haves for gifts.
**Rural areas have no brands—and don't need them**
I'm not sure about your shopping habits in rural areas, but do you refuse to buy if a specific brand isn't available?
At least my friends don't. For example, I go home frequently this year, and when buying beer, I never insist on Tsingtao or Harbin.
When buying beverages, I don't demand Sprite, Coca-Cola, or Minute Maid Pulpy Orange; I just buy whatever's available.
In my hometown, the brands of beer, juice, milk, and peanut milk I drink change almost every visit.
Because in many rural areas, consumers care most about whether the product is usable and edible, not the brand.
**This is a huge advantage for new brands: there's no education cost; consumers don't need to be educated.**
Another key reason is that a large part of rural consumption is trust-based—trust in the shop owner.
Consumers don't care about a new brand appearing; they focus on whether it's the category they want and the price.
**Competition is actually less intense in rural areas**
For an unknown beverage brand, getting shelf space in urban convenience stores or supermarkets is nearly impossible.
**First, high costs**—listing fees, entry fees, etc.
**Second, long cycles**—many go through dedicated supply channels or supermarket procurement, with settlement periods.
**Third, poor visibility**—small brands rarely get good positions, and in inconspicuous spots, users won't notice them.
**Fourth, difficult choices**—even if you get listed, without promotions, many consumers have strong purchase intent and go for their preferred drinks.
But consider a different approach: in towns and villages, there are almost no chains; most are independent shops.
**First, zero fees**—usually, just negotiate with the shop owner, and you can place your products.
**Second, immediate payment**—some owners, to test, will pay cash for three to five boxes if your price is attractive and the product is a common category.
**Third, easy exposure**—you don't necessarily need shelf space; you can bring a small display rack or a roll-up banner, and even if it's not in the beverage section, it's fine.
Because many village shops are small, products are visible almost anywhere.
And since the owner is present, decisions are immediate.
In cities, you'd need to find resources for chain stores, and store visits are impossible.
**Lower promotion costs in rural areas**
In cities, to hire a salesperson, you need someone with beverage sales experience and access to chains or supermarkets; such people with resources are expensive.
But if you recruit in counties and districts of Huangshan, you can find many salespeople for a fixed salary of 3,000 yuan plus commission.
Local salespeople often have relatives and connections, making it easy to promote in their assigned counties or towns.
In cities, a salesperson might cover only a few stores a day by foot.
In counties and towns, a salesperson can cover several towns in one day.
**What matters most for rural beverage consumption?**
So, what should you focus on to succeed in rural beverage sales? The village chief lists four points:
**1. Product**
Prioritize dairy and juice products, like coconut milk, peanut milk, orange juice, etc. Drinks like Sprite and Cola are less popular.
Why? Because people perceive dairy and fruit as nutritious and healthy.
So, you can produce several common categories; there's no technical difficulty, and some places in Henan even offer OEM services.
**2. Price**
Beverages under 50 yuan can sell in rural areas; the key is packaging, so don't think mid-to-high-priced items won't sell.
Generally, single items under 10 yuan sell well; for example, the orange juice I often buy costs 8 yuan.
**3. Quantity**
Win on quantity or volume.
During the May Day holiday, I bought local Huangshan beer: 8 bottles of 500ml for only 12 yuan.
This product fits the bill for a hit: large quantity, big volume, and low price.
**4. Packaging**
A small detail: prefer plastic, then glass, and finally paper for packaging.
Because rural farmers often work and have various local specialties.
Large bottles can be reused to store seeds, carry water up the mountains, hold rapeseed oil, or store pickled chili.
**If your beverage uses large plastic bottles, consumers will be more inclined to buy.**
**How to sell alcohol in rural areas?**
The above five points are just part of the rural beverage market analysis; I'll share more later. Another important product in rural areas is alcohol.
We'll dedicate a special topic to rural alcohol sales, but let me share a real case.
Alcohol can definitely sell in rural areas, but many are reluctant to spend on expensive liquor, and regular bottled liquor may not taste good.
So, homemade baijiu (white liquor) sells well in rural areas—moderate price, and you can buy as much as you want.
But not every village shop can brew liquor, so what to do?
One team focuses on small supermarkets in towns within a single county, placing a free barrel of liquor in each store, settling only after it's sold.
Since these shops are run by local villagers year-round, there's no risk of them disappearing.
They've already expanded to several counties and towns, and business is booming.
That's all for today; I look forward to your shares, comments, and likes.
Source: Shili Village (ID: shilipxl)
**-END-**
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