MOWON’s “Authentic Sesame Paste Konjac Snack” Garners Another Endorsement from Central Media. On May 28, 2025, Xinhua News Agency's Economic Information Daily featured a front-page story titled "Konjac Snacks: 'Chinese Flavor' on the Palate Gains Popularity Overseas."

Konjac-based snacks are currently experiencing explosive growth, unlocking a multi-billion RMB market potential. MOWON has solidified its position as the undisputed leading brand in the sesame paste konjac snack category.

Why did MOWON become a billion-RMB product within a year of its launch? How did the authentic sesame paste konjac snack achieve the industry's fastest record of exceeding 100 million RMB in sales within just 16 months (all figures tax-inclusive)? Why is MOWON widely regarded within the industry as the brand poised to "represent Chinese flavors on the global stage"?

Let's delve into Xinhua's in-depth report.

At the recently concluded 2025 SIAL International Food Exhibition, the Yanjin Puzi MOWON Pavilionattracted significant crowds. Rows of Sesame Paste Konjac Snacks displayed on the shelves became star products. This konjac snack, which achieved monthly sales exceeding 100 million RMB within only 16 months of launch, drew waves of visitors who stopped to learn about it and sample it.

Visitors line up to sample Sesame Paste Konjac Snacks at the Yanjin Puzi MOWON Pavilion during the 2025 SIAL International Food Exhibition.

Industry insiders believe that konjac snacks, represented by sesame paste konjac snacks, are experiencing explosive growth, unlocking a multi-billion RMB market space. Konjac snacks are expected to further "break into new markets" overseas, becoming another vivid calling card showcasing Chinese flavors to the world.

PART ONE: Delicious Yet Guilt-Free – Konjac Snacks Show Strong Growth

Konjac shreds, konjac jelly, konjac noodles, plant-based tripe snacks... These snacks made from konjac have become increasingly popular in recent years. The konjac snack industry is growing robustly, demonstrating immense market potential. According to a CITIC Securities research report, the terminal konjac industry in China is valued at RMB 26.9 billion, with the konjac leisure snack segment accounting for RMB 18.3 billion. The report is optimistic about the domestic konjac snack market, foreseeing potential for 1-2 times growth in the future.

Yanjin Puzi MOWON Pavilion at the 2025 SIAL International Food Exhibition

This strong growth is fueled by the global wave of health-conscious consumption. Compared to many traditional snacks high in fat and sugar, konjac wins market favor with its "delicious yet guilt-free" health value. Nutritional research from the Cleveland Clinic in the U.S. points out that konjac contains almost no calories or fat but is rich in dietary fiber. Consuming it increases satiety and prolongs satisfaction, thereby reducing the tendency to overeat. Medical studies also indicate that konjac fiber aids in weight control and metabolic improvement.

Recognizing the huge potential of the konjac snack industry, domestic companies are intensifying efforts in R&D and promotion. For instance, Yanjin Puzi launched the konjac blockbuster product MOWON. Within just 16 months of its launch, this product achieved monthly sales exceeding RMB 100 million in March this year, setting the fastest record for a single snack product to break the 100 million RMB mark and solidifying its position as the leading brand in its category. The company's annual report shows that its 2024 revenue reached RMB 5.304 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28.9%. Revenue from leisure konjac products contributed RMB 834 million, increasing its share of total revenue to 15.81%.

Beyond the domestic market, konjac snacks are also gaining positive traction in some overseas markets. At 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand, spicy konjac snacks have been popular since their launch in April 2024, with some outlets experiencing immediate sell-outs upon restocking. On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, consumers actively post reviews and recommendations for such konjac snacks, indicating the continued expansion of the overseas konjac snack market.

PART TWO: Fusion Innovation – Solving Cross-Cultural Taste Adaptation

For konjac snacks to truly open up international markets and gain global popularity, overcoming the challenge of cross-cultural taste adaptation is key, according to many industry insiders. Researchers propose theories like "taste matrix" or "flavor anchor," suggesting that despite diverse culinary flavors across cultures, there are underlying common taste preferences for fusion. In other words, certain fundamental flavor elements (like sweet, salty, umami, spicy) possess universal appeal. Emerging foods that can find a flavor anchor that is both familiar and pleasantly surprising to overseas consumers are more likely to be accepted.

The market also demands continuous innovation in konjac snack flavors. China's konjac processing has long remained at the primary stage, with the konjac food manufacturing industry characterized by a late start, generally small-scale processors, insufficient category innovation, severe product homogenization, and low industry concentration. "In the konjac snack arena, a broad 'spicy' flavor is no longer enough to capture consumer interest. We precisely targeted the classic 'sesame paste' flavor, leveraging the cultural memory of hot pot, to quickly open the market," said Li Jian, Product Director at Yanjin Puzi.

MOWON Sesame Paste Konjac Snack packaging featuring the "Authentic Sesame Paste Flavor" developed with Liubiju.

It is understood that the innovation of MOWON Sesame Paste Konjac Snack lies in selecting sesame paste flavor as the entry point – a taste relatively easily accepted in both Chinese and Western diets. The rich, nutty aroma of sesame paste shares similarities with common Western condiments like peanut butter or tahini, providing a foundation for cross-cultural acceptance. Combined with a moderate level of spiciness, it creates a complex flavor profile of creamy sesame sauce with a hint of heat. The product retains the essence of the characteristic Chinese hot pot dipping sauce flavor while not intimidating overseas consumers unfamiliar with intense mala (numbing spicy) flavors.

"The essence of globalization is localization. Building a global brand essentially means pursuing localized innovation for global markets," stated Zhang Xuewu, Chairman of Yanjin Puzi. This approach of "modernizing traditional flavors" uses local classic tastes as the foundation, refining and fusing them to create new flavors with international appeal.

PART THREE: Cross-Border Collaboration – Exploring New Paths to "Authentic Flavor"

How to make a food's flavor more "authentic"? Successful experiences from many international food brands show that cross-border collaborations, leveraging the reputation and craftsmanship of global brands, often effectively win over consumers. For example, Nestlé's KitKat collaborated with the matcha brand Uji to successfully promote authentic Japanese matcha flavor globally, significantly boosting sales. Similarly, Mondelez's Oreo cookies partnered with the Swiss chocolate brand Milka to co-launch authentic chocolate-flavored biscuits, achieving rapid sales growth in the European market.

Our interviews revealed that MOWON employs this very model of global cross-border collaboration. For instance, its Sesame Paste Konjac Snack was developed jointly with the centuries-old heritage brand Liubiju, ensuring the authenticity of the traditional sesame paste flavor and the product's genuine character, making it more readily recognized by consumers both domestically and internationally.

Photo Caption: Jointly launched authentic sesame paste flavor with Liubiju.

A similar strategy extends to Yanjin Puzi's upcoming new product: a Spicy Chicken Sauce flavored konjac developed in collaboration with Samyang Foods of South Korea. Samyang's Buldak noodles have been globally popular for years, with their unique spicy sauce widely recognized as an authentic benchmark for fiery flavor. Furthermore, the collaboration with Zhou Hei Ya reflects a similar strategy, using innovative fusion with Zhou Hei Ya's signature black duck flavor to further enhance consumer recognition.

Photo Caption: Popular konjac and Cod Fish Tofu product area at the Yanjin Puzi MOWON Pavilion, 2025 SIAL International Food Exhibition.

Industry observers note that such cross-border collaborations reshape authentic value through co-creation models – partners share technology, build standards, and jointly develop flavors to create classics, achieving brand value resonance and providing consumers with taste experiences that transcend a single brand. Through the synergistic effect of combined brand authority, MOWON's market competitiveness and globalization speed have significantly increased.

PART FOUR: "Breaking Out" Overseas – Golden Opportunity for Chinese Flavor

The globalization of Chinese flavors requires finding a "flavor language" compatible with both Eastern and Western palates. Currently, unique Chinese flavors like "mala" (numbing spicy) and "spicy aromatic" are gradually becoming known and loved by the younger generation globally: the North American spicy snack market exceeds $50 billion; related categories in the Southeast Asian market have grown over 40% for three consecutive years; TikTok "spicy challenges" have garnered over 5 billion views; the 2023 Global Snack Consumption White Paper shows overseas Gen Z's willingness to pay a premium for Chinese flavors (e.g., spicy strips category) reached 42%, a 26 percentage point increase from 2019.

Beyond taste, examining the development paths of globally renowned snack blockbusters reveals common success factors behind giants like Mars, Nestlé, and Mondelez: integrated supply chains and deep processing capabilities, strong brand positioning and consumer mindshare, global sales channel coverage, and keen localized innovation capabilities.

Photo Caption: Overseas product display area at the Yanjin Puzi MOWON Pavilion, 2025 SIAL International Food Exhibition.

China currently accounts for 35% of global industrial output value, with a massive snack food industry and increasingly strong integrated supply chain capabilities. Industry insiders believe that, from industrial foundations to market trends, Chinese flavor snack products have ample potential and opportunity to "break out" globally.
The globalization capabilities of Yanjin Puzi, a key driver of the konjac snack category's rise, deserve attention. From the supply chain perspective, Yanjin Puzi deeply controls all stages from raw materials to production to ensure product quality and cost advantages. It is understood that Yanjin Holdings has continuously extended upstream in recent years, setting up processing plants near premium konjac production areas like Java Island and Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, and establishing its own konjac cultivation base in Qujing, Yunnan, securing the supply of high-quality konjac raw materials and maintaining control over key ingredients.

Photo Caption: Yanjin Puzi konjac cultivation base in Qujing, Yunnan.

Furthermore, since 2024, Yanjin Puzi's overseas expansion has significantly accelerated. Yanjin Holdings currently operates 7 tropical fruit processing plants in Southeast Asia and is one of the world's major suppliers of dried mangoes. Following the launch of its new production base in Thailand, the company will leverage local raw materials and labor cost advantages to produce konjac snacks tailored to local markets, enabling faster and lower-cost distribution to neighboring regions and even European and American markets.

Zhang Xuewu stated that in 2025, Yanjin Puzi will focus on deepening its konjac category presence in Southeast Asia while further expanding into the Japanese, Korean, European, and American markets. The goal is to establish a major growth pillar for the company's global development within 3 to 5 years, achieving a strategic leap from regional breakthroughs to global operations. "The current global market landscape is undergoing profound adjustments, presenting a critical window of opportunity for the Chinese flavor industry. We must seize the high ground of consumer perception through brand building, gain discourse power through standard breakthroughs, forge competitiveness through technological innovation, and take root in global markets through localized operations. We must systematically drive the great leap of Chinese flavors from 'product export' to 'brand export,' creating globally recognized consumer brands and leading the wave of global flavor innovation," he said.

Analysts believe that industrial transformation and profound shifts in global taste preferences provide unprecedented opportunities for Chinese snack companies to globalize. The practices of Yanjin Puzi demonstrate that only by deeply understanding global consumer needs and driving products to "break out" overseas through innovation rooted in local characteristics yet with an international vision can authentic Chinese flavor brands gain global consumer recognition.