Jiangxiang Latte Photo: cnsphoto

Leading Chinese baijiu producer Kweichow Moutai plans to launch liquor-flavored chocolate, according to media reports, after sales of its alcoholic coffee launched in partnership with coffee brand Luckin - Jiangxiang Latte - exceeded 5.42 million cups on its first day.

"The sales of Jiangxiang Latte exceeded our expectations, and we will promote it as a long-term product," a member of staff from Kweichow Moutai was quoted as saying by cls.cn.

Luckin said on Tuesday that Jiangxiang Latte set a new daily sales record of over 100 million yuan ($13.72 million).

Topics related to Moutai chocolate have since gone viral online and had gained over 220 million views on China's social media platform Sina Weibo as of the press time on Tuesday.

Some Chinese netizens expressed higher expectations for Kweichow Moutai's chocolate than Jiangxiang Latte, while some people said Kweichow Moutai is trying to court young consumers amid market pressure.

Kweichow Moutai aims to accelerate the development of diverse products such as chocolate and ice cream, in order to establish a product range that meets more consumers' needs, said chairman Ding Xiongjun, Securities Times reported on Monday. 

In May 2022, Kweichow Moutai jointly produced ice cream containing its famous baijiu liquor with Chinese dairy brand Mengniu. By May 2023, nearly 10 million cups of the ice cream had been sold. The company's half year financial report showed that the revenue of its hotel and ice cream businesses hit 220 million yuan.

The revenue from ice cream accounted for only a small part of the liquor giant's total revenue - which exceeded 124 billion yuan in 2022 - but it increased the firm's popularity with a wider consumer segment, market observers said.

Aside from Kweichow Moutai, other liquor producers including Shede Spirits, Luzhou Laojiao and Yanghe Distillery have also tried to diversify in recent years by moving into areas such as ice cream and tourism. 

Global Times