|HosaYuki
Focused on soy products for 30 years: how do you grow a small soy-food business to approximately RMB 1.5 billion in annual revenue, and how will you drive product innovation and national expansion in the future?
Recently, Zuming Co. Chairman Cai Zuming appeared on Shanghai Securities News’ program “Face the Leader” to share the bittersweet journey of his three decades in the soy-products industry.
Chairman Cai Zuming, Zuming Co.
Care: Food safety above all
Host: 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Zuming Co. Over these 30 years, which events have left the deepest impression on you?
Cai Zuming: After 30 years in soy foods, my first feeling is “hardship.” From 1994 to 2024 we weathered many storms. In 1996, when others began imitating our products, we started registering trademarks—both graphic patents and names. In 2000 we expanded into Hangzhou; in 2009 we acquired a factory in Yangzhou; and in 2011 we completed a shareholding reform. In 2014, as we prepared to go public, we had to address environmental compliance. Our environmental system was managed by a third party at the time, but if something went wrong, they didn’t take responsibility. Back then, our Hangzhou plant was still the main production center. We shut it down for three months, shifted production to the Anji plant, and kept supplying the Hangzhou market so consumers could continue enjoying Zuming tofu. So 2014 was a major setback for us. An enterprise must learn from such episodes and take preventive action in advance—that’s the foundation for going the distance.
Host: The company is 30 years old, and you’ve been in soy foods for 30 years as well. Do you consider soy foods a good business?
Cai Zuming: You can say making tofu is doing business, but I’ve always insisted on not treating it merely as business—because making tofu requires love. From an agricultural perspective, we are a leading agricultural enterprise; from a commerce perspective, we’re part of the “vegetable basket” program and a supply-guarantee enterprise—indispensable to everyday life. Also, the industry’s degree of full automation is still not very high; most work remains manual. Zuming was the first to build its own cold-chain distribution system and the first to clean tofu crates. We must treat consumers with sincerity so that, from production to sales, they can see and feel the company’s care and good faith.
Host: Food safety directly affects consumers’ vital interests and is the area where food companies most easily “collapse.” How does Zuming control food safety, and what successful practices can you share?
Cai Zuming: We guard it on three fronts. First, raw-material procurement: we use domestically grown non-GMO soybeans. Second, the production process: we operate with “strict management,” tightly controlling food safety; we also formed a product quality task force to tackle internal technical issues. Third, product warehousing and cold-chain distribution: the entire process is traceable.
Sincerity: Products and channels one step ahead
Host: In the first half of this year, Zuming obtained the first low-purine food certification in China’s soy-products sector, drawing wide attention. Why did Zuming launch low-purine soy products?
Cai Zuming: For over a decade there’s been a rumor that people with gout or high uric acid shouldn’t eat soy products, so we’ve been researching how to reduce purine content in soy foods. Out of genuine care, we launched organic soy products and low-purine soy products, obtained certifications from professional institutions, and hope more consumers can enjoy soy foods that are both healthier and tastier.
Host: The soy-products industry is a “big industry of small companies,” with a fragmented structure overall. Compared with peers, what are Zuming’s core competitive advantages?
Cai Zuming: The industry is characterized by “small products, big market,” which is both an opportunity and a challenge. How do we stand out among many small enterprises? First, products must have advantages: whatever other brands offer, we not only need to have it—we need to do it better. Since 1996 we’ve consistently stayed ahead—opening specialty stores, setting up dedicated counters in wet markets, building cold chains, and doing cold-chain distribution. Since the second half of last year, we piloted a small-delivery model in Binjiang District, Hangzhou. The results are promising: we now have over 100 small-delivery routes covering more than 1,000 endpoints, ensuring that consumers can buy Zuming products that are safe, reliable, and well guaranteed.
Determination: Let more people enjoy trustworthy soy foods
Host: After years of development, Zuming has secured a significant industry position and is guiding the sector toward healthier products. Looking ahead, what are the company’s development plans and strategy?
Cai Zuming: “Do the Yangtze River Delta well, face the whole country, and go global” is Zuming’s strategic goal—but we must realize it step by step, passing the baton from one generation to the next. I believe soy foods is a long-term industry, not a short-lived one. This is a sector of inheritance: from a single tofu item to today’s rich and diverse product lines, and in the future we’ll have more in-depth specialty products. Because soy foods are an essential livelihood industry, we’re developing nationwide. As we expand, we still hope to move steadily and go far.
Host: How do you understand the spirit of entrepreneurship?
Cai Zuming: An entrepreneur must first possess virtue, and then love and responsibility—not only social responsibility, but also responsibility to employees. Whether a company earns more or less is not what matters most; what matters is doing things that benefit society and consumers. So we must steadfastly do our part and devote our lives to providing trustworthy soy foods for human health.
