On scorching summer days, ice cream from China is prominently displayed in the freezers of shops in Jakarta, Indonesia, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Chinese supermarkets in Dubai. The overseas ice cream market has long been dominated by international brands, coupled with objective challenges such as difficult storage of ice cream products, Chinese ice cream brands have rarely "appeared" in overseas markets before. Why are there more Chinese ice cream brands on the shelves of overseas supermarkets now? How is the current market sales? Let's take a journey of breaking the ice in the industrial and supply chains. In a restaurant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, selling 35000 Chinese ice creams a day, Chinese tourist Ms. Li noticed a large freezer as soon as she entered, with the words "Joyday" written in English on it. The weather is hot, so I thought about buying an ice cream stick to eat first. At first glance, isn't this a chocolate? When I picked it up and looked closely, I found that the packaging was all in English, so it turned out to be the export version of a chocolate. "Ms. Li said that seeing familiar ice cream products in a foreign land made her feel very familiar and surprised. On Chinese social media platforms, many consumers have shared their experiences of "encountering" Chinese ice cream overseas. Someone tasted chocolate in Dubai and sighed that this ice cream was more to their taste; Someone went to Carrefour Supermarket in Saudi Arabia and bought "corn flavored" ice cream; Someone also bought four different flavors of ice cream sticks from Yili in Tanzania in one go. Consumers are surprised because these overseas markets have long been dominated by international dairy companies or local enterprises in the past. For example, in the ice cream market in Indonesia, in 2017, the H&L brand held approximately 62% of the market share, while the local brand Campina held 14.2%, totaling over 70%. Nowadays, in markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Chinese ice cream is gradually gaining popularity among consumers through product innovation and other active attempts. In 2018, Yili's Joyday ice cream made its global debut in Jakarta, Indonesia. With its nutritious and healthy quality, rich and unique flavor combinations, and vibrant product image, it quickly gained recognition from local consumers. Yili's Cremo ice cream has seen an average annual sales growth of over double digits in the past three years, making it the fastest-growing ice cream brand in the Thai market; Cremo ice cream is not only popular among consumers in the Thai market, but also exported to 14 countries and regions including Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, France, and Australia. According to Yili's 2024 financial report, the main category of Yili's overseas business, the cold beverage business, saw a 13% increase in revenue. In the Gambier district of Jakarta, Indonesia, a small shop owner named Riana said that a customer recently purchased Chinese ice cream for their entire family. Maria, a distributor in the region, said, "The price and quality of Chinese ice cream are very competitive, and it has become one of the most popular ice creams on the market. At its peak, it can sell 35000 units a day." Ahmed, the purchasing manager of a supermarket in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, also gave a positive review: "The taste and quality of Chinese ice cream are very good, and it often sells out and needs to be restocked." Currently, Yili ice cream has exceeded 3000 sales points in Saudi Arabia, with monthly sales of nearly 500000 units. Cold chain upgrade to ice cream "escort" In Yangzhou, Jiangsu, staff from a food company are loading boxes of ice cream products onto cold chain transport vehicles. This batch of ice cream worth 1.26 million yuan is about to be sent to Vietnam. Ice cream products are extremely sensitive to temperature and are not easy to store. How to safely and efficiently deliver Chinese ice cream to overseas markets? It is understood that exporting ice cream from coastal areas to Southeast Asia mainly adopts land sea intermodal transportation. After the ice cream leaves the factory, it is loaded into a cold chain truck and transported to the port for container loading. During transportation, the temperature of the container must be strictly controlled to ensure that the ice cream does not melt; To travel from inland areas to the Middle East, one needs to take Shenzhen Shekou. To ensure the quality of the ice cream, it is necessary to use cold chain transport vehicles with high-power refrigeration units and higher sealing capabilities. In addition to temperature control, it is also necessary to shorten transportation time as much as possible, which cannot be achieved without the strong support of customs. In recent years, some local customs have taken the initiative to connect with export plans of enterprises, opened up "green channels" for inspection and clearance, minimized the operation time of each link, and reduced the risk of damage to cold drink products exported. The clearance time has been shortened from 6 to 8 hours to less than 2 hours. A person in charge of a related enterprise stated that with the China ASEAN Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin issued by customs, products exported to Southeast Asian countries can also enjoy a 30% tariff discount, further enhancing the competitiveness of Chinese ice cream products in overseas markets. Thanks to technological and policy support, the delivery time of Chinese ice cream to overseas markets continues to improve. In Changde, Hunan, a production workshop of an ice cream manufacturing enterprise has 7 production lines operating at full capacity, capable of producing over 40000 boxes of various types of ice cream per day. In early July, the first batch of 5712 kilograms of ice cream exported to the Middle East was shipped out. "With the help of a convenient logistics transportation system, it only took 15 days to leave the factory and reach the supermarket shelves in Saudi Arabia," said the staff of the company. With the increase of overseas market share, Chinese dairy companies have begun to build their own factories overseas. At present, Yili has established local chemical plants, efficient cold chain logistics systems, and a complete distributor network in Indonesia, Thailand, and other places, which can quickly deliver products to terminal stores. Cold chain logistics temperature management has always been a common challenge faced by the ice cream industry. Therefore, Yili Group's overseas subsidiaries have jointly conducted research and development, production, marketing, and other parties to optimize the formula, increase product stability and chemical resistance; at the same time, strengthen cold chain control throughout the production, warehousing, logistics, and terminal processes, so that consumers can taste the best quality and taste of newly produced products, "said a person in charge of Yili to our reporter. The reporter noticed that not only is Chinese ice cream popular overseas, but there has also been a significant increase in overseas orders for domestically produced ice cream machines. Jiangsu Taizhou Xinwang Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd. is an ice cream machine manufacturing enterprise. From January to July this year, the company's ice cream equipment production has exceeded 8000 units, a year-on-year increase of 30%; The overseas market order volume has achieved a 20% growth. Industry insiders believe that exporting domestic ice cream machines overseas also provides support for Chinese ice cream brands to further expand their overseas markets. Continuously promoting localized operations is highly attractive to Chinese dairy companies in young and dynamic overseas markets such as Southeast Asia and Africa. The relevant person in charge of Yili said that, on the one hand, with the promotion of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", trade barriers have been effectively reduced, and enterprises have a more convenient environment to carry out business in relevant regions. On the other hand, these regions have a huge population size, and the consumer group is showing a trend of youthfulness and is in the stage of consumption transformation and upgrading. The demand for high-quality ice cream from consumers is constantly growing, and there are significant market opportunities. But it should also be noted that this "ice breaking" journey faces many challenges. Going abroad requires adapting to complex market environments. Compared to the stable large domestic market, overseas markets such as Southeast Asia and Africa are composed of multiple different national markets with varying levels of economic development, cultural customs, and dietary habits. We also have to face the imperfect logistics system in the local area. Southeast Asia has numerous islands and Africa is vast, with some areas having outdated transportation infrastructure and an incomplete cold chain logistics system, resulting in high transportation costs, low efficiency, and product loss risks. We also have to face competition from international dairy giants. The Southeast Asian market is a key regional market for international dairy giants to focus on. With mature brand influence, advanced production technology, and well-established sales channels, these international dairy companies have taken the lead in the Southeast Asian market. Meanwhile, local dairy companies in Southeast Asia are very familiar with the local market, understand consumer preferences, and have certain advantages in terms of price and channels. How can Chinese dairy companies break the ice in the face of challenges? Clearly identify the target audience. After research, Chinese dairy companies have found that the Indonesian market exhibits distinct characteristics of youthfulness. Based on this, Yili accurately positions its core customer group as the young consumer group under the age of 35, with teenage students and young people as the main target audience. Yili endows Joyday with the brand personality of "passion, vitality, and happy sharing", by providing high-quality ice cream products, allowing them to enjoy delicious food while gaining pure happiness, and helping consumers embrace a better life. In order to better convey this brand concept, Joyday has comprehensively shaped its product design, packaging visuals, and other aspects. For example, in terms of taste, Yili fully utilizes the abundant tropical fruit resources in the local area and launches unique flavors such as durian and mango; On the packaging, bright tropical colors such as golden yellow, vibrant orange, and fresh green are used, and the pattern design incorporates local characteristic patterns and joyful cartoon images, bringing the psychological distance with local consumers closer. Carry out differentiated competition. It is reported that in the Indonesian market, in response to the dominance of local international brands, some Chinese ice cream brands have chosen to seek breakthroughs in small and medium-sized stores, winning a large number of retail terminals by providing free freezers to communities in more than 100 cities. While conducting international business, Chinese dairy companies actively integrate into local communities overseas and fulfill their corporate social responsibilities. In Indonesia, Yili has been carrying out child friendly public welfare activities for 7 consecutive years; In Thailand, support local sports events, carry out charitable activities such as donating funds to assist doctors and promoting campus safety education; In Myanmar, we are partnering with the China Rural Development Foundation to deliver nutrition and health to local schools. At present, Yili's public welfare activities in Southeast Asia have covered millions of people, further enhancing the local society's recognition of Chinese brands. According to expert analysis, from taste innovation to supply chain upgrading, from localization to social responsibility practice, Chinese ice cream is accelerating its "brand going global" pace, allowing the world to share the coolness and vitality of "Chinese flavor". (New Society)