Maybe you've ever drunk instant coffee, but have you ever drunk super instant fruit tea?
According to the "2021 China New Tea Products Report", in 2020, the market size of China's new tea industry is 77.29 billion yuan, and it shows a rapid growth trend, iResearch expects that by 2030, the overall market size will be close to 200 billion yuan. The new tea market continues to expand, new and old brands compete to exert their strength, however, under the fierce competition, there are also many voices of doubt: new tea has entered the bottleneck, innovation is very difficult, if the brand continues to bet, it will only fall into the quagmire of homogenization.
In this case, otter tons ton unique path, created a super instant fruit tea tea beverage category, officially launched in April 2021, in less than a year, has become Tmall and other multi-platform fruit tea subdivision category first, fan users accumulated 500,000 +, won the global food industry "Oscar" known as the "international top flavor medal".
Guest of The New Consumer Creator 052
"Otter Ton" COO Miss Mo
"New Consumer Maker" invited Ms. Mo, COO of "Otter Ton Ton", to take a look at the story behind the innovation of ultra-instant fruit tea.
01 Freeze-dried blocks + fruit tea
Achieve fruit tea "super instant"
The Creator:
What does "super-instant" ton of otter tons mean? How do you find the development opportunity of "super instant solution" in the 100 billion tea beverage market?
Miss Mo:
First of all, "super instant" dissolves faster than instant coffee or milk tea powder because it uses fresh lyophilization technology, so it dissolves more easily in water. Secondly, the emphasis on "super instant" is also different from the previous spray drying process of coffee, milk powder, etc., and we belong to a completely different production process.
Due to the influence of agricultural planting, logistics operations and other aspects, many foreign regions have long chosen to make different products into freeze-dried blocks, such as Japan's Miso soup, KFC's hibiscus fresh vegetable soup, the form of this freeze-dried block can reduce the damage to the product during transportation, but also greatly reduce the difficulty of production.
Because we are in Shenzhen, which is the place with the most and most "rolled" fruit tea shops, there are many consumers who like to drink fruit tea, so we want to use a simpler way for everyone to drink fruit tea, not just drink pure tea or drinks brewed with powder. Therefore, the freeze-dried blocks are combined with fruit tea to make otter tons.
The Creator: What is the target population portrait of the otter tontoon? What consumption scenarios are cut into?
Our positioning is very clear: the pioneering brand of ultra-instant freeze-dried fruit tea. Our goal is to think of otter tons and at the same time think of convenient, healthy and delicious fruit tea, and it is a good fruit tea that can be drunk at home using ultra-instant freeze-drying.
Because we are more based on consumption behavior to distinguish the target group, so the scope will be relatively large, as long as we like to drink fruit tea, willing to try new tea are our users.
In fact, the consumption scene of fruit tea and coffee just constitutes our day: a cup of coffee in the morning to wake up, a cup of fruit tea to relax in the afternoon. So our main consumption scene is in the afternoon of the office, a rest scene, everyone can choose us because of its convenient instant, low-calorie health and fresh raw materials and other product characteristics.
We hope that everyone can taste fruit tea more easily and happily, without being limited. If you find it a bit of a hassle to order takeout, or have health considerations in terms of calories, you can choose our products.
"Creator": Around the three core points of "convenience, health and high value", what has the brand done?
The first is convenience, three seconds of instant dissolution can be done without scene restrictions. In addition to the office scene of adults, in the visit to customers, we learned that travel and school are two scenes that are frequently mentioned: when going out or traveling, if you want to drink fruit tea but do not want to hold a heavy cup of water all the time, you can take our products out, camping or outdoor brewing are very convenient; for school students, especially some children who like to drink fruit tea but are younger, for health reasons, their parents will be more inclined to choose products like us.
In terms of appearance, when we screen fruits and make blends, we will take into account the overall aesthetics. Each fruit tea has its own color, and it will show a better effect through collocation. For example, our upcoming ballet series, the color is pink, will make everyone feel "spring has arrived".
Health is forged by the fruit's source and the process of making it. First of all, we can control the card, a cup of otter tons of calories in about 60 calories, equivalent to half an apple, only 1/8 of ordinary milk tea. Secondly, because the fresh extraction freeze-drying technology has not been fried and puffed, it can achieve zero additives, so as long as the raw materials are good, the products will be healthier and fresher.
02 Fresh extraction freeze-drying exclusive technology
Create an "online fruit tea shop"
"Creator": Where is the leading technology of fresh extraction and freeze-drying? What are its advantages?
Fresh extraction lyophilization technology is the exclusive technology of otter tons tons, mainly including fresh extraction and lyophilization. Fresh extraction technology can extract the flavor of the fruit while minimizing the damage, and the lyophilization technology is based on the temperature of the corresponding moisture sublimation point in the vacuum and under negative pressure, which directly makes the fruit lose moisture. It is not like drying, in the high temperature of the fruit has the risk of being roasted, baked paste, and nutrition will also be lost, this technology not only retains the flavor and nutrition of fruit tea, but also retains the original form of pulp and fruit slices, just can solve the taste and fruit shape of the double problem, which is also its advantage.
Although "freeze-dried" is only two words, there are still some complexities in actual operation: adding tea or not adding tea, the corresponding freeze-dried curve is completely different; because the fruit is greatly affected by the season, the time, temperature and pressure of the front-end fresh extraction need to be adjusted accordingly. Secondly, because sucrose is not added to the product, how to use sugar substitutes, how to choose healthier sugar substitutes, and how to blend out fresh flavors without an industrial sense also need to be constantly explored and tried. Because the sugar substitute flavor of each label is completely different, we need to search for a particularly good supply of raw materials, and in the future, we will also use naturally extracted sugar substitutes such as monk fructosides and apply them to the next product upgrades.
What is the product development logic behind the selling point of "3 seconds ready-made"? What are the links that need to go through the development of products? What difficulties have you encountered in the process?
In fact, "3 seconds ready to do" said two things: one is that the product can be dissolved in three seconds; the other is because the fresh extraction freeze-drying technology can make the food better lock fresh, so when brewing with water, it is to make a cup of fruit tea for yourself with the freshest raw materials, which can avoid the loss of flavor.
We attach great importance to product research and development, which does not only exist in the laboratory, but runs through the entire process of shipping, logistics and sales. Under some more mature systems, research and development is more based on actual needs to overcome each difficulty, such as how to adjust the product taste is not good, the output is too low, the loss is too large how to coordinate with the production department... We will put many requirements in the R&D stage, including basic investigation, confirmation of experimental protocols, tasting of intermediate products, and even subsequent packaging, etc. will be comprehensively considered, so the R&D stage is very important.
Of course, there are difficulties, because we are a foundry model, although it is a resident oem (every month the R & D personnel will have half a month in the factory), but in the middle of many R & D details if you can not communicate in place in advance, in the later stage these small flaws will be magnified, so we will prepare a lot of plans in advance. And because this product is relatively new, the research and development pressure will be relatively large, there is no "operation" can be "copied", so you can only slowly explore on your own. Before presenting the product to the consumer, I don't know how many times to change it, and the product after the market will also be adjusted according to the feedback of the consumer.
The Creator: What is the product matrix of otter tons? Are there new products planned to be developed?
It currently includes three series. The main is the fruit tea series, including passion lemon, oolong peach, pineapple and other eight or nine flavors, recently launched a new product suitable for the overall atmosphere of spring - Baleduoduo; followed by the "March 8th Festival" launched a new product hand-brewed tea series, this series also applies fresh extraction freeze-drying technology, the product volume is reduced to the size of mineral water bottles, while can brew about 350 ml of tea, without adding sucrose, flavor, very convenient, including duck feces fragrant oolong tea, jasmine tea, Ceylon black tea, etc The third is a special series, which is easier to carry than fruit tea, and can be mixed with coffee or sparkling water, which is more cost-effective, of which the best selling lemon black tea. Our products are mainly composed of these three series.
This year's goal is to build consumer-level brand recognition, and the brand is positioned as an "online fruit tea shop". This is not referring to the "online" sales method, but a supplement to the single scenario of drinking fruit tea and only ordering takeout or going to the store to buy. We hope that everyone can understand that Otter Ton Ton is an online fruit tea shop, where you can buy fruit tea, hot drinks, pure tea, which is our goal.
On April 15 this year, we expect to launch version 2.0 of our freshly extracted freeze-dried products. There are several differences with the 1.0 version, the first is the visual level, there will be a new visual release; the second is the technical level of upgrading and the optimization of the formula, we will visualize the concept of fresh extract freeze-drying, so that consumers can further understand why the otter tonnage is fresher and healthier; the third is the user experience, considering the overall logistics situation, we will move the warehouse to Shanghai, and soon will open the sub-warehouse mode, so that everyone can receive the product faster; fourth, in terms of product portfolio, in addition to the three series, We also launched a rainbow box and a super box, the rainbow box has six different flavors of products, so that everyone can drink the favorite taste without burden, the super box is hoarded, containing 7 flavors, a total of 28 pieces, cost-effective; fifth, this year we have entered many offline circulation channels, this year's offline proportion is about 20%-30%, online and offline joint efforts, thereby further expanding market share.
03 Source control + key point quality control
Hand-brewed tea enters the offline market
"Creator": How to achieve quality control of otter tons?
The first is the harvesting of raw materials, which have clear standards for the size, flavor, sugar, freshness and place of origin of the fruit; the second is the production link, which has about 10-20 key control points, and each control point will have professionals to conduct sampling inspections, which is equivalent to the output of the product under the control of the nanny production link. Therefore, we are carrying out multi-dimensional strict control at the source, as well as the assembly line production of quality control at key points in the intermediate links.
Creator: What are the advantages of the core team composition for the brand?
Miss Mo:
The current team size of Otter Tonn is around thirty people, the configuration is clear at a glance, and it is divided into three departments: Operations Department, Marketing Department, Product Branding and IMIS Department. The operating market focuses on how consumers perceive otter tons, and the product department focuses on what otter tons should look like.
If the product department can understand the market, the marketing department can understand the product, under the interaction of everyone, it will avoid producing some products that have no market. Therefore, our teamwork, on the one hand, is moving forward to adapt to more product systems in the future; on the other hand, combining the needs of current offline consumers and their own technical advantages, while making products in the early stage, integrate good ideas and needs of marketing.
The Creator: What do you think is the difference between online and offline marketing? How do tonnage of otters cut into the offline market?
If you see the corresponding product online, you will go online to check, go to see the feedback of other consumers, etc., so online, the information collection before consumers buy products will be longer and more complex; offline is different: the product is presented in front of consumers, and the impact on product awareness and price will be much greater than online. Therefore, we will also give different price combinations and product packaging forms for different sales channels.
In terms of cutting into the offline market, considering that the awareness of hand-brewed tea offline is relatively high, and we want to minimize the impact of freshly made fruit tea, so we will enter the offline category with hand-brewed tea, hoping that everyone can recognize us, and then gradually enter the fruit tea category.