Among the many categories in the catering market, French fries, once a Western fast food; Gold supporting role”, Nowadays, it is quietly becoming a major player in China's food industry; Gold mining weapon”, Many businesses and merchants are making a fortune with the silent sound of French fries.
In recent years, French fry specialty shops have sprung up like mushrooms in many parts of the country, becoming one of the popular catering formats sought after by young people.
The reason why these French fry specialty stores can attract a large number of consumers is mainly due to the innovation of their products and operating models. They offer a diverse range of French fry products, such as coarse potatoes, fine potatoes, rolled potatoes, etc., paired with chili barbecue flavor, sour cream& More than ten or even dozens of flavors of sauces, such as onion and cheese, meet the different taste needs of consumers. In addition, most of these stores use small ets and funnel-shaped cardboard boxes for packaging, mainly for takeout. The stores have a small footprint, few personnel, low operating costs, high standardization, and fast meal delivery speed, which can provide consumers with delicious French fries in a short period of time, thus achieving a high turnover rate and profitability.
Behind the French fry specialty stores is China's increasingly powerful French fry supply chain. Kaida Group, a potato product supplier in Inner Mongolia, has factories in Beijing and Ulanqab Industrial Park in Inner Mongolia, with annual processing capacities of 30000 tons and 670000 tons of potatoes respectively. Its products are not only supplied to the domestic market, but also exported overseas. Xuechuan Agriculture is also a leader in the domestic potato product industry. Its products not only supply French fries to many large chain restaurants, hotels and restaurants in China, but also export to more than 30 countries and regions.
The performance of Chinese fries in the international market is equally impressive. According to Chinese customs data, the export volume of frozen French fries in China reached 155100 tons in the first ten months of 2024, exceeding the annual export volume of frozen French fries in 2023. Since 2015, the export volume of frozen French fries in China has continued to rise, and in 2022, China became a net exporter of frozen French fries for the first time. For example, in the context of the epidemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and natural disasters disrupting the global supply chain of frozen chips, since 2021, the import volume of Southeast Asia's major consumer countries, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, from China has grown rapidly, while the import volume from Europe and North America has slowed significantly. China and India have jointly replaced Belgium and Canada as the main source of supply for the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries to import frozen chips. Kaida Hengye, a leading enterprise in domestic potato product processing, has decided to export one-third of its products overseas and successfully enter the international market in 2022, facing a global shortage of french fries and soaring potato prices in China. Currently, 40% of its revenue structure comes from overseas and 60% comes from domestic sources.
Chinese french fries can make a fortune quietly due to various factors. On the one hand, China has unique natural conditions, with Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Hebei and other regions located in the cold and cool areas of 40-50 degrees north latitude, suitable for planting high starch, low sugar, uniform size, and smooth surface potatoes required for frozen French fries, providing high-quality raw materials for the development of the French fry industry.
It can be foreseen that with the further expansion of the consumer market and the continuous optimization of the supply chain, the Chinese french fry industry will continue to unleash greater potential in domestic and international markets, not only bringing consumers more delicious choices, but also creating more considerable economic benefits for related enterprises, becoming a shining star in the Chinese food industry and shining even brighter on the global food stage.