Cooking up success with a sweet touch

Chocolate consumption in China is still very low compared to the Western market, or even compared to South Korea and Japan. How do you see it growing in China?

An average Chinese consumer consumes just 0.4 kilogram of chocolate a year, which is small compared to the US and other places. But that also tells me about the huge potential.

We have been in Japan since 1977 and in China for just five years. As people's taste buds change, I think that will continue to grow from a low base. It is growing for us exponentially. I am very happy that the consumption is kind of low now as there will be more opportunities.

Many people are afraid of getting fat and sick by eating too much chocolate. What are your comments?

According to available market research, chocolate with high cocoa content, like 85 percent of cocoa, is actually very good for health. It has antioxidants that help your body. So eating high-quality chocolate does not make you fat. In fact, one of our main strategies in China is to educate consumers about the health benefits of chocolate.

Who are your major consumer groups in China?

We have the normal type of gifting consumers, who have been very loyal to our brand. The biggest tourist group in the world currently are actually Chinese, and a lot of tourists buy our products when they travel to Europe, the US and Japan.

I don't think our main consumers are middle and upper class, as we want to cover all age groups. Since we launched our self-created products, like the chocolate ice-cream, we have younger-generation customers coming through. Our stores that are close to student areas are doing exceptionally well.

You used to be the general manager of Apple Inc in China. Why did you change over to the chocolate sector?

I will tell you what I tell my children. I have a 27-year-old son down to a four-year-old daughter. I have told them that in life, you have to do something that you feel passionate about. I really want to build the emotional connection between products and consumers and decided to join the brand that I was always fond of. Every time I go home, my daughter asks me: "Have you got something for me?"

Do you think you are a romantic person?

Gosh... I think I am. I don't know whether my wife would say I am romantic. I think it's important to have romance in your life, and luckily I work for a company that is all about romance, especially when you give chocolates.

What are your hobbies?

I love to cook, I like doing dumplings and xiaolongbao. I like cooking Italian and French food as well, but I am nowhere near professional. I like to keep fit and enjoy playing with my daughter. I know more about Barbie princesses than I ever wanted to.

I go to the gym every single day, especially when I am getting older, I try to keep fit. My wife is a Taiwanese and my parents-in-law live with me, so I love to cook during the weekends. And I love to draw and paint. When I retire, I plan to go to an art school. And I love Formula One.

How do you break the ice with Chinese businessmen?

I always talk about family. I think in any business deal that I have ever done in China, it is about relationships. Western businessmen tend to talk about business straightway. Here I try to find something that is of shared interest.

It is important to find something that is common to both and then develop on that. I am surprised about the number of Chinese businessmen who like soccer. I can hold myself on soccer, cars and other things. But family is something that is the key.