Good chocolate in the eyes of chocolate lovers and good chocolate in the eyes of the public may be far from each other. However, as big brands such as Dove and Hershey are no longer easy to sell, Godiva and Lindt are becoming more and more popular, and this distance is shortening.
36Kr once reported on high-end chocolate entrepreneurship projects Heisheng and Reindeer. The former focuses on healthier black chocolate categories and emphasizes independent research and development. The latter uses suppliers to make chocolate selections around the world. The FoxStore introduced today is based on the selected imports and independently developed the Bean to Bar with excellent quality (refined chocolate). Lin Yu, founder of FoxStore Fox Firm, is a senior chocolate researcher. He not only wrote a column for the "Foodie Research Institute" of column of Guokow.com, but also signed a contract with CITIC Publishing House to popularize chocolate culture and common sense. At the end of 2012, while studying in Italy, he had the opportunity to come into contact with top chocolate brands such as Amedei, Swedish Akesson, and began to import their products and sell them on Taobao.
From 2015, he imported and sold 33 brands (including Swiss brand Orignial Beans, Ecuadorian brand pacari, and Vietnamese brand Marou have exclusive agency rights in China), accounting for more than 80% of Taobao's sales, with annual sales exceeding 4 million.
FoxStore Fox Firm is also the main supplier of imported refined chocolates on vertical e-commerce platforms such as Enjoy, Youchi, Linglong Salon, Liangcang, Heating Life Beauty Academy, Penguin Eating and Drinking Guide. Guokr.com, Taiwan’s cosmetic brand Niu “Erqinyan”, Flower O2O “Flower Game”, and Short Video Platform Second Update are all their corporate users.
In addition to directly selling chocolate cubes from big brands, they have also launched selected gift boxes with the brand "Fox Firm". The best-selling one is the "Global Fox" global gift box - composed of 14 small pieces of refined chocolate from around the world, 8 of which have been certified by multiple international medals, and the cocoa content has increased from 0% (i.e., Bai Qiao) to 100%. The gift box also comes with a tasting instruction manual, introducing the background and story of each brand.
But FoxStore does not want to stick to an import business with stable cash flow. They hope to create their own Bean to Bar products with the help of professional image shaped in the minds of consumers.
Bean to Bar, literally translated in English as "from beans to plastered pieces", commonly known as "refined chocolate". It means that every link of the entire chocolate production is controlled by the producer, rather than using large-scale industrial production methods, using raw chocolate processing (Hershi uses raw materials from Balla Garibo). The product positioning of refined chocolate is similar to craft beer or fine coffee.
Lin Yu told 36Kr that from the selection of bean production areas, to the fermentation control, and then to the selection of conch machines (a conch-shaped equipment), the processing strength, temperature and time will directly affect the flavor of the finished chocolate.
In addition, the producer will also improve the flavor by guiding the cocoa estate to graft or mix with fruit trees. The deep bean to Bar brand will build its own cocoa planting estate. For example, Akesson bought nearly one-third of Madagascar's land for planting brand-specific cocoa bean .
Therefore, the supply of high-quality cocoa beans, as well as the corresponding processing technology and processing flow constitute the technical barriers of Bean to Bar. With the stable purchase relationship established with the Bean to Bar brand, the Fox has gained a deep dive into the cocoa estate around the equator and learns the craftsmanship from cocoa planting to chocolate making. Emma Wu, the product director of Fox Firm, once studied under Swiss chocolate masters Chef urs Meichtry and Chef Nicole Beckmann.
"It is also difficult to get the channels for getting good beans. Akesson and Orignial Beans promise to provide us with high-quality cocoa beans," said Lin Yu.
Currently, FoxStore is committed to the research and development of Bean to Bar. On the one hand, they cooperate with big brands such as Marou to develop formulas with oriental characteristics, and on the other hand, they will actively acquire high-quality and distinctive chocolate workshops abroad to improve equipment and technology. Before the Bean to Bar product was formed, freeze-dried fruit jelly chocolate snacks and meal replacement chocolate bars were first released.
In the future, FoxStore plans to build the first chocolate factory and a themed chocolate hall in Hangzhou to sell its own chocolate products and derivatives. If it is ideal, it will embark on the road of chain expansion.
Other founding members include former FlowerPlus Marketing Director Dai Lingna, import logistics expert Xiao Lei and senior advertising person Zeng Zeng.
FoxStore Fox Firm is in demanding financing for equipment introduction and site construction.
