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Fruit d’Or

We helped a Canadian berry processor expand into the Chinese market in 30 days.

Industry

Key Deliverables

The client

Fruit d’Or is a Quebec-based company that specializes in the processing of berries. A Canadian organization that has been in business for over 20 years, they rank first worldwide in growing organic cranberries, and second as an organic wild blueberry processor. 

With a product line-up that features dozens of different items, Fruit d’Or’s reach extends to more than 50 countries around the world. They sell berries in a variety of formats, including fresh, frozen, dried, juices, and in various snacks under their own brand called Patience Fruit & Co. 

In the spring of 2020, Fruit d’Or had heard about WPIC’s China E-commerce Accelerator Program and was interested in rapidly launching and expanding in the Chinese market, where they had heard that there was significant demand for fresh and dried produce on the country’s main B2C e-commerce platforms.

The challenge

Although online purchases of fresh and dried foods were already commonplace in China on platforms like Tmall, Hema grocery, Meituan, and more, the Coronavirus outbreak in Q1 of 2020 necessitated that even more consumers across China begin grocery shopping online. There was a massive shift in Chinese consumption patterns that Canadian food and beverage producers like Fruit d’Or were seeing in real-time. This presented an opportunity for those organizations.

In addition, the data was indicating that over the course of the outbreak, Chinese consumers had begun purchasing even more products that were focused on their health and “wellness”, which meant that organic fruit-based snacks would certainly resonate with the market.

While Fruit d’Or had heard that there was a tremendous appeal in Canadian produce among Chinese consumers, the organization needed to be sure that the products they brought into the market would be the ones that would resonate with consumers and grow revenues in the market.

Additionally, they wanted to be sure that they could launch in China as quickly as possible, reducing set-up time, and driving profitability from the get-go.

Our solutions

WPIC was able to launch Fruit D’or in the first cohort of its China E-commerce Accelerator Program in April 2020.

WPIC was able to execute the program for Fruit D’or as follows:

1. Launch strategy

-WPIC deployed Descripto® technology to provide market intelligence and competitor insights
-WPIC and Fruit D’or built targets and KPIs, as well as a marketing mix and channel plan to ensure a successful launch

2. Admin, legal and finance

-WPIC registered Fruit D’or with Alibaba’s Tmall platform
-Fruit D’or shipped products into the market, with the help of Alibaba’s Cainiao network
-WPIC handled administrative tasks, including deposits, merchant accounts, trademark registration and authorization, and more

3. Platform launch

-WPIC built a Tmall store for Fruit D’or (including conceptualization, store design and layout, SKU design, creative concepts, UX, and deployment)

4. Operations set-up and launch

-WPIC facilitated shipments of Fruit D’or’s products into the market alongside Alibaba’s Cainiao

Store launch

5. Revenue acceleration and growth

-WPIC activated the marketing plan, including social media, in-platform marketing, live streaming
-WPIC registered Fruit D’or for the 2020 6/18 shopping festival

6. Point of sale

-WPIC handled all finance, including settling money in merchant accounts, remitting VAT and taxes, foreign exchange and repatriation of capital to Fruit d’Or

Results

Thanks to WPIC’s China E-commerce Accelerator Program, Fruit d’Or was able to go from admin and set up to launch and transactions inside China in roughly 30 days.

Today, their products are some of the most popular dried fruits and snacks sold on Tmall, and their share in the market continues to grow.

Fruit d'or award

On October 18th in Hangzhou at the Tmall Headquarters, WPIC was pleased to have received Tmall’s coveted Global Specialized Health Award for its campaign for Fruit d’Or’s snacking brand, Patience Fruit & Co.

The prize was awarded on both qualitative metrics and sales and engagement data.

During the show, staff at Tmall remarked how popular the product line is with Chinese consumers, due a combination of effective marketing and a highly desirable product.

Do you have a similar project in mind?

We don’t just work with the biggest brands. Our clients include many small to medium-sized organizations, non-profits, and start-ups.

Just tell us what you want to achieve, and we’ll let you know how we can help you. You can also check out more of our work in Asia-Pacific.

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