Yappy Power: Greater China Snack Billionaire Eyes Global Growth Amid Pandemic

Yappy Power: Greater China Snack Billionaire Eyes Global Growth Amid Pandemic

Want Want China Chairman Tsai Eng-Meng childhood dog "Happy" recovered from adversity and is a ... [+] symbol of confidence at the company. A company promotion video by Want Want China highlights its leaders and staff energetically saying the company's Chinese-language name (pronounced as Wang Wang!). And why not? Want Want, led by Taiwan billionaire Tsai Eng-Meng, is one of most successful food and beverage companies to come out of Greater China in the past three decades; quirky Chinese snack foods like rice crackers and milk beverages are convenience store mainstays that endure despite competition from bigger global rivals such as Nestle, Unilever, Danone and Pepsico. Just outside of Tsai's office is an enormous painting of his childhood dog "Happy" (reincarnated by marketers as "Yappy") who – the story goes — bounced back from an accident and also embodies resilience and confidence. Hot-Kid, the smiling cartoon boy in a tank top that serves as the company mascot, appears on all of Want Want products; a pure gold 34. 4-kilogram Hot-Kid logo hangs at the front door of its Shanghai headquarters. Yet the cheerful video that welcomes visitors pre-dates Covid-19. Since early 2020, mighty Want Want is also an example of