How Nongfu Spring Achieved a Mineral Water Empire

　　In 2024, the Hurun Rich List and the New Fortune 500 Rich List were released. Zhong Shanyuan, the founder of Nongfu Spring, once again topped the throne of China’s richest man with a total wealth of 450 billion yuan and a shareholding market value of 456.27 billion yuan. This is also his fourth consecutive title as China’s richest man. Mineral water is a traditional industry with intense competition and meager profits, but Nongfu Spring has achieved a hundred billion empire on such a track. What is the mystery?

　　High gross margin and ROE lay a solid foundation for Nongfu Spring

　　Despite the fierce competition in the mineral water industry, Nongfu Spring has an advantage among its peers due to its high gross profit margin and return on assets. The company’s net profit margin on sales in 2023 is as high as 28.15%, ranking among the best in the consumer goods industry, surpassing international giants such as Coca-Cola. At the same time, Nongfu Spring’s average ROE from 2019 to 2023 is 41.14%, and it will reach a high of 45.88% in 2023. This is mainly due to the company’s outstanding performance in supply chain management and cost control. Taking 2019 as an example, Nongfu Spring’s ability to control the cost of raw materials and packaging materials, logistics and transportation is significantly better than that of its peers, laying a solid foundation for high profit margins. Excellent profitability provides a guarantee for Nongfu Spring’s continuous and stable cash flow, and accumulates abundant capital for subsequent development.

　　All-category layout and innovation empower Nongfu Spring to develop incremental markets

　　The success of Nongfu Spring in recent years also lies in the industrial layout of all categories of beverages and the ability to cultivate new brands. In 2023, the company’s beverage business revenue accounted for more than mineral water for the first time, reaching 49.5%. Tea beverages, functional beverages, fruit juices and other categories together contributed more than 20 billion yuan in revenue. The matrix strategy across 17 brands and multiple categories has allowed Nongfu Spring to gain more incremental space outside the saturated mineral water market. Taking the tea drink "Oriental Leaves" as an example, the company has turned this "hardest drink" into a star product with 12.66 billion yuan in revenue, becoming the second growth curve after mineral water. With the support of innovative research and development capabilities, Nongfu Spring has continuously introduced new products, such as 100% tomato juice and 100% carrot mixed fruit and vegetable juice, to attract consumers’ attention with differentiated plant protein drinks.

　　The huge sales network and superior water sources are the moat of Nongfu Spring

　　Why can Nongfu Spring remain invincible in the fierce competition? In addition to the above factors, strong channel network coverage and high-quality water source endowment are the company’s core competitiveness that is difficult to replicate. In 2022, the company has more than 4,500 distributors, through which its products will be covered to more than 2.37 million end point retail outlets across the country. At the same time, the company’s high-quality water resources in Zhejiang Qiandao Lake, Jilin (), Hubei Danjiangkou and other places not only provide unique conditions for the production of Nongfu Spring high-end mineral water, but also bring synergy effect to the supply chain system of other beverage products, reducing comprehensive operating costs. With high-quality water sources and integrated operation from source to end point, Nongfu Spring has built an insurmountable moat in the industry competition.

　　After going public in 2020, Nongfu Spring handed over a bright transcript: a cumulative net profit of 33 billion yuan and a cash dividend of 23.10 billion yuan for three consecutive years. In the first two years of listing in Hong Kong, the company’s market value once rose to 750 billion yuan. Although it has since fallen back, it has stabilized in the 450 billion-500 billion yuan range. The price-to-earnings ratio in 2023 is 33 times, which is favored by Huatai Securities. It is given a valuation of 38 times, corresponding to a total market value of 459 billion yuan. This valuation reflects the capital markets’ affirmation of Nongfu Spring’s status as a "mineral water empire". Under the influence of external uncertainties such as brand crisis and market fluctuations, Nongfu Spring’s mature public relations and innovation capabilities have allowed it to move forward steadily and continuously consolidate its leading position in the industry. Zhong Shanyuan has achieved the pinnacle of mineral water, a traditional industry, and achieved the business legend of the era that belongs to Nongfu Spring.