Nao Bai Jin Opens a Coffee Shop! Are Cross-Industry Coffee Collaborations Profitable?

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Naobaijin Enters the Coffee Market with Its First Shanghai Store

The health supplement brand famous for over twenty years of hula-dancing TV commercials and the iconic slogan "This holiday season, don't accept gifts—only accept Naobaijin" has opened a coffee shop in Shanghai!

Recently, "Naobaijin" under Giant Group officially confirmed that its first coffee store opened on November 7th in Shanghai's Songjiang District. The shop is named after its youth-oriented brand, "Naobaijin+Café," marking Naobaijin's official entry into the coffee market. As everyone knows, coffee wakes you up while Naobaijin helps you sleep—an odd pairing, to say the least, and plenty of people were caught off guard.

According to videos posted on the brand's official Weibo, the store features Naobaijin's signature blue, smile curves, and arc lines, with two giant laser-cut figures of the brand's elderly white-haired man and woman. The whole space feels fashionable yet friendly, and familiar elements like the classic blue bottles and toasting coffee cups appear throughout. The trendy design makes you want to step in and order a cup.

Menu and Brand Evolution

The "Naobaijin+Café" shop sells not only coffee but also tea drinks, smoothies, juices, and other beverages. Coffee prices generally sit at just over ten yuan—quite friendly. Various personalized flavors cater to different needs, and with attractive presentation, they have drawn plenty of curious visitors.

Mention Naobaijin and most people picture the elderly couple dancing to that hypnotic jingle in the TV ads—a cartoon duo the internet fondly calls the "first-generation virtual idols," now appearing in the coffee shop with a fresh look. Naobaijin is a health supplement produced by Wuxi Jinte Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Since its launch in 1997, it has been popular in China for twenty-five years, and its slogan became so ubiquitous that the product was once the go-to Spring Festival gift.

Industry Trends and Strategic Positioning

In recent years, many industry giants have crossed over into coffee. Beyond the prospect of new growth, what they are really chasing is the youth market—coffee has long since become one of the defining lifestyle choices for young Chinese consumers.

Naobaijin's café venture likely ties into its group's brand-rejuvenation strategy. This March, the 25-year-old brand underwent its first refresh, launching the youth-oriented "Naobaijin" sub-brand and releasing three new products for the young market: "Sleep Well 9," "Big Bite 7," and "Vitality 8."

The new products target young people and focus on health foods, with designs leaning youthful and vibrant. Seen against that series of moves, the café's purpose is easy to read. On social media, many netizens have already declared their eagerness to try "Naobaijin Coffee."

The Cross-Industry Coffee Trend

This year, cross-industry entry into coffee has only heated up. China Post's first post-office café landed in Xiamen; sportswear maker Li Ning launched its own "NING COFFEE"; even the century-old shoe brand Neiliansheng opened a café. In May, tech giant Huawei applied for coffee trademark registrations, and in October, EV maker NIO applied for four more... Coffee has clearly become the favorite of cross-industry giants.

According to CCTV Financial News, more and more people love drinking coffee, and the industry shows vigorous vitality in the Chinese market. As of now, China has 166,000 coffee-related enterprises, with more than 22,000 new registrations from January to September 2022—an average monthly growth rate of 36.4% for new registrants.

In such a competitive environment, everyone wants a slice of the profit. As a newcomer to the coffee world, can Naobaijin actually stand out? That remains to be seen!

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Whatever brand opens the next café, the beans behind the bar decide whether customers come back. For a full-bodied, classically comfortable pour-over, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the PWN Golden Mandheling: from Sumatra's Aceh Gayo mountains, screen size 18+, with fewer than 3 defects per 300g sample and triple hand-selection to the strictest G1 standard—herbal, dark chocolate, and spice notes with a thick, long finish and hardly any acidity. Its counterpart, the Linthong Mandheling from around Lake Toba, offers clove, woody aromatics, and an intense, lasting sweetness born of Sumatra's unique wet-hulled processing.

For a gentler, more balanced cup, the FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate shows round nut, cocoa, and caramel sweetness with low acidity, while the certified Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1—creamy, caramel-chocolate sweetness in perfect balance—remains the classic trusted choice for daily drinking or gifting alike.