Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 89 Boasting Without Thinking! (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations to continue reading!)
The following day, the Oriental Daily News published its major news on its front page in bold boldface:

Global beverage giants gather in Hong Kong to vie for the patent on a dessert shop in Sham Shui Po!

The subtitle is even more impactful:

"Coca-Cola and Pepsi secretly meet with Chen Ji, vying for a mysterious bottle cap at an exorbitant price; a small dessert shop stirs up global turmoil!"

The report detailed the information revealed by "reliable sources": Swire Coca-Cola President Thompson personally led a team to secretly meet with Chen Bingwen, the owner of Chen Kee, and it is rumored that he asked for a sum of millions of US dollars.

PepsiCo International Vice President David Ross also arrived in Hong Kong discreetly and held a closed-door meeting with Chan Ping-man;

Chen Ji's patent for an anti-slip design for sugar water bottle caps has attracted the attention of two world-class beverage giants, whose commercial value is immeasurable!
One stone caused a thousand waves!

The entire Hong Kong Island was in an uproar!

Tea restaurants, office buildings, factory workshops, and street corners—everyone is buzzing about this explosive news.

Fat Zhang, the owner of the tea restaurant, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at the newspaper and couldn't help but sneer.
"Crazy!"
He brags without thinking!
Is a sugar water vendor making bottle caps worth millions of dollars?

Why are Coca-Cola and Pepsi fighting over it?

Do you think the whole world is stupid?
It must be Chen Ji spreading rumors and creating hype to inflate the price!

"Fatty Zhang, you can't say that."

A regular customer nearby countered, "Chen Kee's desserts do sell well; the title of 'Dessert King' at Victoria Park's Lunar New Year Fair is well-deserved."

Look at their bottled sugar water, the lid is so easy to open, even my mom praises it! Maybe it really does have a unique feature?

"Uncle Zhang, you can't say that!" A young white-collar worker reading a newspaper nearby retorted, "Do you know how popular Chen's Sweet Soup is right now?"
It is said that bottled sugar water has been sold in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia!

"They're really skilled; maybe that bottle cap actually has some special features?"

"Exactly! Coca-Cola and Pepsi are scrambling for it, it must be good stuff!" another diner chimed in. "The owner of Chan Kee is amazing, a world-class business has emerged from Sham Shui Po!"

"Sharp? I think it's just a lucky break!" Some people sarcastically remarked, "It's just a broken bottle cap. Once the giants figure it out themselves, let's see how arrogant Chen's will be!"

The top floor of the Shaw Brothers Studio Building in Kowloon Tong.

Run Run Shaw put down the Oriental Daily News in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly. "Yihua, this Chen Bingwen is no simple man."

Fang Yihua put down her teacup and said seriously, "Sixth Uncle, do you also think there's something fishy about this report?"

“Strange?” Run Run Shaw shook his head. “It might not be fake. Giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi don’t get up early for nothing.”

The fact that they were willing to lower themselves and secretly come to Hong Kong to find a young man selling sweet soup speaks volumes.

That bottle cap might actually be very valuable.

"Sixth Uncle, this young man has a sharp eye and is very bold."

Now they've come up with this bottle cap patent that's causing global giants to scramble for. Uncle Liu, what about the Japanese copyright issue?

After a moment of silence, Run Run Shaw slowly said, "Let's wait and see how this 'bottle cap battle' goes."

If he can truly carve out a piece of the pie from these giants, then this person is someone the Shaw Brothers should take seriously.

At Chan Kee Old Shop in Sham Shui Po, Chan Kwok-fu and Wong Hau-chun were surrounded by neighbors who rushed over after hearing the news.

"Ah Fu! You've struck it rich! Your Ah Wen is now famous all over the world!"

"Qiaozhen, you've done a great job raising your son! Chen's is going to expand beyond Asia!"

Chen Guofu smiled憨厚ly, while Wang Qiaozhen's eyes were slightly red as she kept thanking the neighbors around her.

Top floor of the Swire Group Building, Central, Hong Kong Island.

Thompson, president of Swire Coca-Cola Company for Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asia, looked at the report in the Oriental Daily News, his face ashen, and slammed the newspaper on the table:

"Fuck! Who leaked the information? Chen Bingwen? Or someone from within our ranks?"

He never expected that his meeting with Chen Bingwen yesterday would be reported in the newspapers today, which enraged him immensely!
The assistant cautiously said, "Sir, the source of the information is still under investigation."

But the current situation is very unfavorable for us.

PepsiCo must have seen this too, and Nestlé and Suntory will also accelerate their actions.

Chen Bingwen is now highly sought after, and our bargaining power has been greatly reduced.

Thompson tugged at his tie in frustration: "I knew it!"
That damn young man!

I should have known he'd pull this stunt when he rejected our $450 million offer!
Use the media to create public opinion and inflate your own value!

Cunning Hong Kong Islanders!

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Contact headquarters immediately!"

Update!
Two points need to be emphasized: First, the value of the patent has been exposed by the media, competition has intensified, and Chen Bingwen's ego has become inflated.

Secondly, he made the outrageous demand that we bundle our "Jinba" energy drink into our core distribution channels in North America and Europe!

We need authorization from top management to reassess our strategy and bottom line, and we need to do it quickly!

"Yes, sir!" The assistant immediately picked up the phone and dialed Coca-Cola headquarters.

At almost the same time, in the Peninsula Hotel suite where Pepsi was staying.

David Ross also saw the newspaper, but his reaction was completely different from that of Coca-Cola's Thompson.

Instead of flying into a rage, he revealed a playful smile.

"David, it seems Coca-Cola has bitten off more than they can chew."

Strategic Investment Director Chen Ziming laughed, "Chen Bingwen's move to leverage the situation was brilliant. Now the entire Hong Kong Island, and even the global beverage industry, is watching this."

Coca-Cola's attempt to handle the matter discreetly and acquire the company at a lower price is no longer possible.

Ross nodded: "That's right. That's why I said this young man is extraordinary."

He not only understands technology and patents, but also human nature and strategic thinking!
He muddied the waters, forcing everyone to reveal their hand!
However, doing so actually gave us an opportunity.

Chen Bingwen's rejection of Coca-Cola's exclusive buyout demonstrates his considerable ambition and large appetite.

He wanted more than just money; he wanted distribution channels and a future.

Then, David Ross said to General Counsel Emily, "Emily, re-evaluate Chen Bingwen's 'patent licensing + channel bundling' proposal."

The analysis focuses on the risks and benefits of opening up some core Asian channels to Chen Ji.

I need a detailed report, the sooner the better!

“Understood, Sir!” Emily immediately got to work.

The media storm in Hong Kong acted as a catalyst, instantly escalating the already turbulent situation.

Nestlé Asia Pacific President Hans Müller and Suntory International Business Head Ichiro Tanaka arrived at Kai Tak Airport almost one after the other.

The two met unexpectedly in the airport VIP lounge. When their eyes met, they both saw the seriousness and urgency in each other's eyes.

“Mr. Muller, it seems we share the same goal,” Tanaka Ichiro said with a slight bow in fluent English.

Muller returned a polite smile: "Mr. Tanaka, it seems that Chen's bottle caps are quite appealing. I hope we won't become competitors."

"The line between competition and cooperation is often very thin," Tanaka Ichiro said meaningfully. "Perhaps we can exchange information first?"

The two industry leaders made initial contact at the airport, with only one goal: to meet Chen Bingwen as soon as possible, learn about the patent details, and discuss cooperation intentions.

In a short time, the small island of Hong Kong was a stage for dramatic events.

Executives from the world’s four largest beverage and food giants gathered here, their sights set on Chan Kee Dessert, a company that originated in Sham Shui Po.

This dramatic scene drew attention from the entire Hong Kong business community and instantly made the names of Chan Kee Foods and Chan Bing-man famous throughout Hong Kong.

The top floor of the Weiye Building.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Muller from Nestlé and Mr. Tanaka Ichiro from Suntory have both sent formal meeting requests, and they both hope to schedule the meeting for this afternoon."

Holding two exquisite letters, Ling Peiyi strode into Chen Bingwen's office, her steps light and unrestrained.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her breathing was a little rapid. Her usual composure and competence as an operations director was replaced by a strong sense of excitement and agitation.

The world's four major food and beverage giants—Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestlé, and Suntory—have all gathered in Hong Kong Island for a bottle cap patent from Chen Kee!
This was a scene she could never have imagined back when she was at Maxim's.

Back when Maxim's was in business, even getting a regional agency agreement with a sub-brand of these giants required a lot of effort and went through layers of approvals, and the other party might not even take it seriously.

But now, the president, the department head, and other senior executives have personally flown to Hong Kong Island and taken the initiative to request a meeting!
This is simply a business miracle!

Chen Bingwen took the letter, a faint smile on his face. "They've all arrived? They've moved faster than I expected."

"That's good, saves us the trouble of negotiating with each company individually."

"Director Ling, reply to Nestlé and Suntory that the meeting is scheduled for 3 pm and 4 pm, and the location is right here."

At the same time, I contacted Mr. Ross at PepsiCo to ask if he was available tomorrow morning.

As for Coca-Cola," he paused, "let's put it on hold for now. We'll wait for them to come to us."

Of the four beverage giants, Chen Bingwen values ​​Coca-Cola the most, which is why he wants to put Coca-Cola on hold for a while.

"Understood." Ling Peiyi nodded in agreement and quickly turned to make the arrangements.

Fang Wenshan, who was chatting with Chen Bingwen, laughed and said, "Mr. Chen, Nestlé and Suntory arrived at the same time, they acted very quickly."

It seems that the Oriental Daily News report has indeed muddied the waters.

They were afraid of falling behind.

"It's easier to fish in troubled waters." Chen Bingwen smiled slightly as well. "The fact that they came in such a hurry shows that they are not confident, and it also shows that they recognize the value of our patents."

However, these two companies are different from Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

He paused for a moment, then analyzed, "Nestlé is a global food giant with a complex product line; beverages are just one part of it."

Their interest in bottle cap patents stems more from considerations of perfecting their product line and improving user experience, and is not as strategically urgent as that of the two major cola companies.

Suntory is a leading company in Japan with a stable domestic market and ambitious overseas expansion plans, especially in Southeast Asia.

Their demands will be more direct: secure patents, enhance product competitiveness, and seize the Southeast Asian market.

“Therefore, our strategy also needs to change.” Chen Bingwen looked at Fang Wenshan. “For Nestlé, we should emphasize the universality of the patents, and temporarily ignore the bundling with distribution channels. We should focus on the high returns from patent licensing itself.”

For Suntory, we should emphasize the strategic significance of their patents in the Southeast Asian market and propose regional channel cooperation intentions, with a focus on channel cooperation in the Japanese domestic market.

Fang Wenshan understood immediately: "I understand. Mr. Chen, you're trying to divide and conquer them one by one."

“That’s right.” Chen Bingwen stood up and said seriously, “The patent is the bait, and now the fish are all swarming around.”

What we need to do is stay calm and see which fish is the hungriest and most willing to pay the price.

But no matter what conditions they offer, the core principle remains unchanged: non-exclusive licensing and bundled distribution channels are the ultimate goals. Only if these cannot be negotiated will they settle for patent licensing fees and sales commissions on bottle caps.

(End of this chapter)