Sumida River Coffee Announces Global Brand Ambassador Sumida River Coffee Collaborates with Xiao Zhan

Sumida River Coffee Announces Global Brand Ambassador

Recently, Sumida River Coffee released posters in major cities featuring a figure whose face was intentionally obscured by the brand, building anticipation for the announcement of its global brand ambassador on June 22.

Sumida River Coffee's official Weibo account began teasing the ambassador announcement at 10:05 AM on June 21.

Although the ambassador's full face was not revealed in that Weibo post, many sharp-eyed netizens immediately guessed the identity. The clue was a mole beneath the ambassador's lips, which fans jokingly called an "authenticity mark."

Later that day, at 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM, Sumida River Coffee's Weibo continued with more teasers.

Because of that distinctive "authenticity mark," the sharp-eyed netizens identified the ambassador quickly, and the mysterious atmosphere the brand had tried to build was broken. At 5:20 PM that afternoon, Sumida River Coffee's official Weibo seemingly gave up resisting, though it still playfully maintained some suspense despite the discovery.

The final teaser from Sumida River Coffee's official Weibo came at 10:05 PM that evening, announcing that the brand would place advertisements on LED screens in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, and other cities, simultaneously launching its "fresh moment." Observant followers noticed a lucky pattern: every official Weibo post that day was timed carefully. Arranged in sequence, the times form "100513145201005."

Having found this unique lucky pattern, the brand of course put it to use. At 10:05 AM on June 22, Sumida River Coffee's official Weibo officially announced its global brand ambassador and released a promotional video.

In the video, brand ambassador Xiao Zhan appears in a coffee-colored shirt. His focused gaze on the espresso in his hands, pouring it carefully into a cup, and his final head tilt toward the camera left numerous fans swooning.

Sumida River Coffee's Growth Milestones

Previously, Sumida River Coffee's last major event was on April 12, 2021, when it was announced as the exclusive coffee supplier for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, becoming one of the event's official exclusive suppliers.

According to Sumida River Coffee's official website, Sumida River TASOGARE COFFEE was established in 2015 with the mission to "let every Chinese person drink healthy, good coffee." By the end of 2020, Sumida River had sold 300 million cups of coffee cumulatively.

In August 2020, Sumida River completed an A-round financing of tens of millions of yuan, and in March 2021 it completed a B-round financing of nearly 300 million yuan. Together with its April partnership with the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and collaboration with international sports events, this fully demonstrates the brand's strength.

The Strategic Significance of Xiao Zhan as Ambassador

It is worth noting that Sumida River Coffee's choice of the time 10:05 for its Weibo posts aligns with the birthday of its global brand ambassador, Xiao Zhan.

According to Baidu Encyclopedia, Xiao Zhan was born on October 5, 1991, in Chongqing City, and is a Chinese mainland actor and singer. On June 27, 2019, the historical fantasy drama "The Untamed" was released on Tencent Video, and Xiao Zhan gained widespread attention for his role as Wei Wuxian.

This was Xiao Zhan's 15th endorsement in 2021. In an era of prominent celebrity effects and celebrity-driven sales, his reputation as the "Sales King" is well deserved.

Budweiser's fruit-flavored beer, previously endorsed by Xiao Zhan, opened pre-sales on June 5, removed its pre-sale links on June 11, and officially launched on June 12. During the 618 Tmall rankings, its sales even surpassed zongzi (rice dumplings), taking the top position.

Xiao Zhan's commercial value should not be underestimated. After Sumida River Coffee's official WeChat formally announced the collaboration, the comments section filled with screenshots of orders placed on online shopping platforms.

So, have you been tempted to make a purchase today?

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If a high-profile ambassador has you curious about specialty coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's beginner-friendly lineup is a great place to start. FrontStreet Natural Huakui is one of the most successful crowd-pleasers in specialty coffee, with intense tropical fruit aromas of strawberry, passion fruit, and jackfruit, plus low bitterness and juicy body. For a lighter, more classic cup, FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe Gudina Cooperative brings jasmine florals, lemon acidity, and a clean, tea-like finish. If you prefer something sweet and mellow, FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon offers creamy peanut, cocoa, and caramel with soft acidity and an approachable price. Any of these three is an easy, rewarding first step into single-origin coffee.