Chinese beverage brand Chi Forest recently debuted its sparkling water products in the United Kingdom's leading supermarket chain Tesco, with about 400 stores set to retail the products.

This launch features two flavors, white peach and lychee, marking Chi Forest's first foray into the UK's mainstream retail channels.

As one of the UK's and the world's leading grocery chains, Tesco has stringent selection criteria. Securing shelf space in Tesco indicates that Chi Forest's commitment to high-quality beverages has been recognized by British retailers and consumers, said the beverage producer.

Tang Tang, head of international business at Chi Forest, said: "Our motivation for going overseas was to test the waters, let more consumers taste our drinks and compete globally, while adhering to higher health standards and building export expertise."

The company has attributed its growing success overseas and its innovations and popularity in the beverage market globally to its "product-first principle".

"Chi Forest always maintains active communication with consumers and listens carefully to their opinions," Tang said.

Chi Forest has used online and offline channels to conduct rapid trials and fast iterations of new stock keeping units. Products are placed in stores, and social media followers are invited to vote on flavors.

Feedback data from these campaigns are displayed in real time to the product and research and development teams, enabling quick flavor adjustments and shorter launch cycles.

This principle also applies to its overseas expansion.

In foreign markets, consumers generally prefer sparkling water with intense fruit flavors, according to their market research, said Tang.

For example, Chi Forest conducts research and gives the voting power to users, based on the US consumers' actual needs and taste preferences. This process includes precise demand capture, deep user engagement and reverse product customization.

It not only ensures the right flavors, but also strengthens user loyalty, laying a solid foundation for their overseas expansion, said the company.

To meet global demand, Chi Forest launched its international expansion in 2019 and has now entered more than 40 countries and regions, completing its entry in mainstream supermarkets across North America and Southeast Asia.

Last year, the beverage producer completed a nationwide rollout in Costco in the United States, entering 591 US warehouses as well as 109 Canadian Costco locations. It was also introduced to Coles supermarkets in Australia. The same year, it launched in South Korea's two leading retail chains, including 19 Costco stores and 35 Lotte department stores.

This year, its sparkling water products landed in Costco Mexico, and its ice tea products debuted in Indonesia's Alfamart convenience chain. Ice tea is now the second product line to enter Indonesia's mainstream channels after sparkling water, with two flavors — white peach jasmine and grapefruit green tea — expected to reach nearly 20,000 Alfamart stores nationwide. Recently the company introduced a new flavor to its sparkling water products, bamboo grapefruit, in Indonesia.

Indonesia is a market deeply rooted in tradition and Muslim consumer preferences. Therefore Indonesia imposes some of the toughest food and beverage import rules in Southeast Asia, the company said.

For example, every single SKU and flavor must be registered with BPOM, which is their national food and drug authority, and any product sold through mainstream channels — primarily convenience stores and supermarkets — must also carry Halal certification from BPJPH.

Halal certification requires that auditors inspect the factory, every raw material, the entire production flow and finished-product specifications. All food and beverage products must undergo strict regulations, including BPOM safety certification and halal validation.

In November 2023, Chi Forest's Hubei province production facility secured halal certification from Indonesia's BPJPH — the second Chinese brand to earn such credentials.

In 2020, Singapore's Health Promotion Board granted Chi Forest the Healthier Choice Symbol. Singapore maintains one of the planet's most stringent food-safety regimes, with tight limits on preservatives and additives.