---
title: "The Secret Behind a 20-Year Best-Seller: A Bottle of Steamed Fish Soy Sauce"
description: "A recent court ruling on the imitation of Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce packaging has drawn attention. The court found that the combination of dark green background and steamed fish image on the new packaging serves to identify the product and brand, and that Baijiawei and Baijiaxian companies constituted infringement. This article explores why this infringement occurred in the steamed fish soy sauce category and why Lee Kum Kee was targeted, and how companies can avoid imitation and build their own brand."
author: "李相如"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2023-03-30"
language: "en"
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original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/muILJvVHVchzazcW-ccB2A"
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# The Secret Behind a 20-Year Best-Seller: A Bottle of Steamed Fish Soy Sauce

> A recent court ruling on the imitation of Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce packaging has drawn attention. The court found that the combination of dark green background and steamed fish image on the new packaging serves to identify the product and brand, and that Baijiawei and Baijiaxian companies constituted infringement. This article explores why this infringement occurred in the steamed fish soy sauce category and why Lee Kum Kee was targeted, and how companies can avoid imitation and build their own brand.

Recently, a court ruling regarding the imitation of Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce packaging caught my attention. In this case, the court held that since its launch, Lee Kum Kee's newly packaged steamed fish soy sauce has been produced in large quantities and has undergone extensive promotion and sales over a long period. The combination of elements such as the dark green background and the steamed fish image on the packaging serves to identify the product and brand. Baijiawei Company and Baijiaxian Company were found to have constituted infringement, and the court ruled against them, ordering them to bear compensation liability. This article will use this as a starting point to deeply analyze and explore why this infringement occurred in the steamed fish soy sauce category, why Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce was targeted for imitation, and how companies can avoid imitation and ultimately establish their own brand image and value, creating unique market competitiveness.
**Multi-functional and Delicious**
**The Steamed Fish Soy Sauce Market Has Huge Potential** According to Euromonitor data, from 2012 to 2021, China's soy sauce market size grew steadily from 41.099 billion yuan to 88.895 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.95%. On the other hand, with the accelerated upgrading of the soy sauce industry, functionality and healthiness are two major trends in soy sauce product upgrades. For example, steamed fish soy sauce, as a functional soy sauce, means that no other seasonings (such as regular soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine, MSG, etc.) need to be added during cooking. It can shorten cooking time, improve dish standardization, and reduce kitchen operating costs, making it popular among chefs. Because of these characteristics, many condiment companies have joined the steamed fish soy sauce track.
**Building a Moat with Product Strength**
**Standing Out in Market Competition** When it comes to steamed fish soy sauce, it is impossible to avoid Lee Kum Kee, the "pioneer" of this category. After more than 20 years of development, Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce has become a leading single product in this category. According to Nielsen data1, Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce has maintained a market share of over 40% for many years, holding a long-term leading position in this sub-category.
So what is the secret to the enduring popularity of Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce?
**1. The Originator Holds the Authentic Classic Recipe**
It is understood that as early as 1997, Lee Kum Kee invented the steamed fish soy sauce category. At that time, Mr. Lee Man Tat, then Chairman of the Lee Kum Kee Group, after in-depth research on the ancestral steamed fish dishes and cooking secrets of a fisherman's family, led his team to develop the first professional steamed fish soy sauce seasoning.
Lee Kum Kee's original steamed fish soy sauce recipe features a rich soy aroma, complex flavor, salty and fresh with a hint of sweetness, and the ability to remove fishy odors and enhance freshness. In the catering channel, the chopped pepper fish head dish made with Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce has caused long queues of diners in Changsha every day. Master Lu Yongliang, inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Wuchang fish and a world-renowned Chinese cuisine chef, said: "The biggest characteristic of Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce is its rich soy aroma and delicious taste." In the view of Master Luo Bingfu, a Fujian cuisine master, the taste of Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce is not only a classic flavor of twenty years, but also, more importantly, it is resistant to high temperatures, not easily volatile, and the flavor can be well retained in dishes.
**2. Adhering to High Quality** In the condiment industry, it is not uncommon to use various additives to reduce production costs, but behind low costs, there may be reductions in craftsmanship and quality, resulting in products that are no longer naturally fresh and fragrant. Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce always adheres to higher-quality raw materials (non-GMO soybeans, high-quality wheat flour, white sugar), adheres to the traditional Cantonese-style fermentation and brewing process, and does not add MSG or flavors, allowing the product to maintain a natural and mellow umami taste without causing thirst after consumption.
**3. Versatile for Steaming and Stir-Frying, with Greater Cuisine Inclusivity** Only natural flavors can meet the demanding requirements of various cuisines. Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce can be used not only for steaming fish but also skillfully incorporated into various dishes such as stir-fried meat, cold dishes, and various fried, braised, steamed, and stir-fried preparations, achieving true inclusivity. For this reason, Master Zhao Zhixin, a Sichuan cuisine master, stated that in Sichuan cuisine, which emphasizes distinct flavors in each dish, Lee Kum Kee's steamed fish soy sauce not only adds layers of flavor but also brings out the natural freshness and aroma of the ingredients, creating a unique flavor for the dish.
**Continuous Brand Innovation Nurtures Successful Products** In recent years, we have observed that Lee Kum Kee has successfully launched multiple innovative products in the market. Under the health trend of "low salt and less sugar," Lee Kum Kee's innovative thin salt series soy sauce has gained favor among consumers for its "reduced salt without reducing freshness" feature. According to Nielsen data, Lee Kum Kee's thin salt series soy sauce holds a market share of over 60% in the light salt market2. In response to the trend of smaller urban households and young people's lack of cooking skills, Lee Kum Kee launched the "One Move Wins" recipe-style compound seasoning series. Upon launch, its convenience and ability to rival restaurant flavors made it a sales dark horse on e-commerce platforms and Hema Fresh... The century-old Lee Kum Kee continuously innovates, bringing consumers a richer selection and more convenient experience, achieving market share in sub-segments and brand mindshare. Lee Kum Kee's "One Move Wins" series is deeply loved by young consumers.
**Conclusion**
Products are the starting point of brand strategy, and innovation is the driving force for enterprise and brand development. This is also Lee Kum Kee's corporate philosophy and development advantage. Homogeneous imitation and copying will only trap enterprises in a price war, making it difficult to surpass the original creator's product strength barriers and attract customer attention. Only by dynamically grasping the commonalities of industry trends and consumer demands, and extracting product features and innovation directions from these commonalities, can enterprises continuously inject momentum into their development. *Notes:
1 Nielsen data time and scope: Retail tracking research report for China's soy sauce market as of December 2022, covering national urban and rural areas (excluding Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Hainan)
2 Nielsen light salt market definition: soy sauce products with keywords such as light salt/thin salt/low salt/light taste/reduced salt/salt-restricted/less salt in the product description


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