The Naisnow Tea & Bakery chain is doubling down on its health-focused strategy by opening light food stores and offering new sugar controlled drinks containing natural ingredients, as Chinese consumers increasingly demand more nutritious beverage options.

On Wednesday, the tea drink chain unveiled its "2025 Health Upgrade" initiative in Beijing, partnering with the institute of food and nutrition development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and more than 100 professional nutritionists.

The move is a reform of Naisnow's product line that underscores its new formula of freshly made nutritious ingredients and controlled amounts of low-calorie sugar.

The initiative introduces a range of light drinks and light food items, each containing at least three "green" ingredients to ensure a minimum of three key nutrients per product.

Naisnow has already rolled out more than 30 "Naisnow Green" light food stores in major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen of Guangdong province this year. These outlets serve health-centric meals and drinks throughout the day, supporting the company's aim to become a one-stop destination for daily nutrition.

The healthier products have received positive market response, according to the company.

In May, Naisnow reported a 35 percent year-on-year increase in average store orders, while same-store sales grew by 28 percent. During the May Day holiday, some locations recorded sales spikes of over 300 percent year-on-year, fueled in part by a 200 percent surge in orders from a flash-sale campaign on food delivery platforms.

The momentum continued during the Dragon Boat Festival and Children's Day in June, with several stores seeing order volumes rise by as much as 480 percent year-on-year.

Market research supports the brand's pivot.

According to a Mintel China survey, 73 percent of Chinese consumers prioritize "authentic ingredients" when evaluating the health value of beverages — a figure 12 percentage points higher than the next most-cited factor. Simplicity also matters, with 61 percent of respondents favoring products with minimal ingredients, signaling rising skepticism toward preservatives and additives.

Roolee Lu, director of food & drink and food services at Mintel China, said these two factors reflect the health values of 85 percent of surveyed consumers. Add to that an additional 7 percent of surveyed consumers consider "low-calorie/low-fat" attributes essential.