Wellness in China

Welcome back to another episode of the Wellness in China podcast. Today on the show we are joined by Rich Rothman, who among many other things, is one of the owners behind Pure and Whole, the popular brand of vegetarian restaurants here in Shanghai. Rich now splits his time between Shanghai and the US, but has many years of experience working and living in China prior to that. In our discussion, Rich shared with me the fascinating and fortuitous circumstances under which he joined Pure and Whole, and oversaw its transformation into one of the leading brands in the healthy F and B category in Shanghai today. Of particular interest, I got Rich’s first hand insight on the rapidly changing attitudes of Chinese consumers towards eating a plant-based diet, and how Pure and Whole is attempting to accommodate the preferences of these new consumers. As the idea of a plant-based diet is fairly new in China, I discussed with Rich the different ways Pure and Whole is attempting to engage and educate local consumers, to build a loyal following and a lasting brand. Of course, with so much experience, Rich also had some great advice to would-be entrepreneurs AND brands, looking at entering the health and wellness market in China. So without further ado, please enjoy my chat with partner of Pure and Whole restaurants, Mr. Rich Rothman.

www.wellnessinchina.com

www.pureandwhole.com

In this episode, I speak with Grace Xu, founder and CEO of Viva Nutrition. Traditionally, China’s approach to nutritional supplements has been in the form of Traditional Chinese Medicine remedies, and the Chinese people do not yet have a strong habit of filling in nutritional deficiencies with regular supplementation. Western approaches to supplements, and the types of supplements used, are slowly trickling in to China, but they have yet to resonate with the mass market. This is what Grace is trying to change with Viva Nutrition. By taking a focused approach to the market, keeping their product line narrow, and creating passionate customers and communities, Viva Nutrition is starting to change consumers approach to daily health. Grace explains how she has approached the challenge of not only introducing a new product, but how Viva generates positive brand awareness in such a new market. We also discuss the transition currently underway with health and wellness consumers in China, and why now is the time when the great brands of the future will be built. We discuss what these consumers want, and what motivations are driving their behaviour! Grace also discusses the vital importance of community building and engaging KOL’s in Viva’s attempt to introduce and reinforce new concepts of what a ‘healthy lifestyle’ might look like. Finally, Grace offered some awesome advice for would-be entrepreneurs in this market, and also what she does in her OWN life to function at the high level required of a CEO at the helm of a GROWING company, in a BOOMING industry. Without further ado, I give you the first guest of the Wellness in China podcast, and the founder of Viva Nutrition, Ms. Grace Xu.

www.vivanutrition.com