As soon as they go to work in the early morning, the sound of "ding ding ding bang" can be heard in the factory of Yiqing Food Group in Daxing District, Beijing. Workers are unloading baskets of empty glass bottles from trucks and moving them into the warehouse. Each glass bottle has a white polar bear printed on it, with three Chinese characters at the bear’s feet: Arctic Ocean.
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Arctic Ocean is a time-honored brand of Beijing’s native orange soda.For Beijingers, Arctic soda is like White Rabbit toffee for Shanghainese and Wufangzhai zongzi for Jiaxing people. It is a brand that can evoke deep nostalgia.It was born in 1950 and flourished in the Beijing beverage market for a while, but it disappeared after the 1990s.
Like many old brands, Arctic Ocean has experienced a long period of loneliness under the wave of China’s economic transformation and state-owned enterprise reform. During this time, the market is surging with Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Mirinda… In 2011, when the Arctic Ocean, which had disappeared for 15 years, reappeared, some people said that "all Beijingers should celebrate this."
As soon as the Arctic Ocean soda went on sale, it was welcomed by consumers in Beijing.
Synonym for soda
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Every older Beijinger has a story about the Arctic Ocean. Back then, in the summer, there was a large block of ice in front of the common corner grocery store, and the Arctic Ocean soda was lying on the ice. The boss sat on the side, turning the glass bottle from time to time to make the soda chill more evenly.
A few children who had been playing wildly outside for half a night ran over and bought a few bottles of soda. They raised their necks and drank it "Gudong Gudong", while not forgetting to stroke the soda one by one from left to right with their oblique eyes. After a row of soda was turned over, the bottle in their hands just finished drinking, the children deliberately burped and laughed at each other. After returning the empty bottle to the store, they continued to sprinkle girls outside.
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A dime – in his fifties, Li Qi still remembers the price of the Arctic Ocean in his youth.Today, he is the general manager of Beijing Yiqing Food Group, in charge of two brands of Arctic Ocean soda and Yili bread. Li Qi is a native of Beijing, with a burly figure and a loud voice. When he goes to work, he always likes to walk around the workshop, see the empty glass bottles shipped back one by one, cleaned and disinfected, refilled with soda, and shipped to various places "Ding Ding Bang".
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What a friendly voice, it once rang in the large and small hutongs of Beijing, causing countless children to lose their homework and make a lot of effort. In the 1970s, in the most glorious years of the Arctic Ocean, it became almost synonymous with soda.Wang Xuliang, an electrician who has worked in the Arctic Ocean for nearly 40 years, said that at that time, the people who picked up the goods were waiting in the workshop, and the tricycles carrying soda were lined up from the factory to the street.
Li Qi was less than 20 years old at the time, and had just been assigned to another time-honored food factory in Beijing, Yili Bread. Yili was founded in Yuyuan Road, Shanghai in 1906, and moved to Beijing in response to the call of the "prosperous capital" in the early days of the founding of New China. Like Arctic soda, Yili Bread also enjoyed the glory of giving up one’s name in the Beijing market at the time.
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Vanishing Brand
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But times have changed. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee in 1978 put forward the strategic decision of "reform at home and opening up to the outside world." Deng Xiaoping said: "The current world is an open world."
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At that time, Li Qi, who had just entered the factory, was completely unaware of the changes in the outside world. Like his co-workers, he was proud to be an employee of a state-run factory. In the bakery in Yili at more than 40 degrees Celsius, he used his hands wearing two layers of heat-insulating gloves to remove the bread molds from the oven, and then knocked the baked bread one by one from the mold upside down. After finishing this string of work, the heat-insulating gloves were hot, and his hands trembled lightly. He adjusted the gloves back and forth, and continued to remove a batch of bread from the oven. When the day’s work was over, a bottle of Arctic soda was the best comfort.
Coca-Cola entered China in the same year that Mr. Li entered Yili. At first, the Chinese didn’t seem to like the taste of traditional Chinese medicine. But soon, everyone began to see the tricks of foreign soda. Every weekend, in major shopping malls in Beijing, Coca-Cola employees hold colorful balloons marked with the Coca-Cola logo and sell to customers, buying a bottle of Coke for 50 cents and giving away a balloon or a pair of packaged chopsticks.
The promotion caused a lot of shock. Some newspapers immediately issued articles criticizing the practice, saying that the practice "invades China and introduces the capitalist way of doing business."Soon, the order came from above: Coca-Cola can only be sold to foreigners in China, and "one bottle is not allowed to be sold to Chinese people."
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Li Qi, who was still a bakery worker at the Yili Bakery at the time, realized that change was really coming, and the ban was probably unbearable. Sure enough, within a year, the ban was lifted and Coca-Cola was allowed to resume domestic sales. Two years after Coca-Cola entered China, Pepsi followed. In the following years, foreign companies flocked in. In the Beijing market, the dominance of the Arctic Ocean is in jeopardy.
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In 1994, Chinese companies set off a wave of joint ventures. The government brokered a joint venture between Arctic Ocean and Pepsi Cola. Across the country, there are six other famous beverage factories: Shenyang Bawangsi, Tianjin Shanhaiguan, Qingdao Laoshan, Wuhan Bridge, Chongqing Tianfu Cola, and Guangzhou Asia Soda. They wanted to expand their operations with foreign capital, but they gradually drowned in the wave of foreign soda and gave up the Chinese soda market.The industry later called it the "flooded seven armies" incident.
Soon after the partnership between Arctic Ocean and Pepsi, the brand was "frozen". After more than a decade, it was difficult to find Arctic Ocean soda in the market. Six other domestic beverage brands were also abandoned by Coca-Cola and Pepsi one after another. Only years later did the domestic business community understand that this was a strategy for international companies to eliminate local competitors.
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Return of righteousness
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The Yili Bakery, where Li Qi was working at the time, encountered a similar dilemma: First, it established a joint venture with the international giant Nabisco to establish "Yili-Nabisco". After a few years, the word "Yili" in the company’s name disappeared, and a few years later, Yili Bread also stopped production. In 1992, The Beijing Evening News published a letter from a reader with the headline "Where Did Yili Bread Go?"After reading Li Qi mixed happiness, sadness is the national brands disappear one by one, happy is that people still miss them.
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There was also a piece of news at that time, which in a way that made people laugh and cry, pinned the thoughts of Beijingers for time-honored brands. In 1995, the industrial and commercial bureaus of Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, Chongwen and other districts in Beijing received reports one after another, saying that the Arctic Ocean soda sold in the market was mixed with fish and eyeballs. After searching for thousands of bottles of counterfeit Arctic Ocean, the industrial and commercial law enforcement officers followed the lead and found a regular beverage factory located on the outskirts of Beijing, and found a large number of Arctic Ocean soda and empty bottles in the workshop and warehouse. In the ingredients room, the law enforcement officers saw two bottles of soda with color labels and the words "Pepsi-Arctic Beverage Co., Ltd." on the lid. One was real and one was fake. The law enforcement officers asked the beverage factory manager, what happened? The factory manager mumbled out a few words: This bottle of real Arctic Ocean is a counterfeit specimen. He admitted that the fake Arctic Ocean was customized according to the requirements of the wholesaler.Despite the start of spring and the cooler weather, the beverage factory sells hundreds of cases of counterfeit Arctic Ocean every day.
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At this time, the genuine Arctic soda factory has been shut down. In the old factory building at Shazikou outside Yongding Gate, the dust is full of machines, and in boredom, there are occasional chats of workers. Wang Xuliang, an electrician, said: "More than 2,000 workers have been laid off, and only a few of us are left. We stay behind to watch the factory building, and by the way, we repair the staff dormitory." In a few years, even the old factory building has been demolished, and the office buildings that have risen on the original site have nothing to do with the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean has disappeared, leaving only counterfeits to flaunt and newspapers to conjure souls.
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After reading the newspaper news, Li Qi made up his mind to get the time-honored brand back. In May 1995, with the start-up capital of 500,000 yuan given by the factory, he started a "third industry" business in an old factory building of 300 square meters outside the South Second Ring Road. Still making bread, more than a dozen people are responsible for their own profits and losses. Li Qi named the product "Righteous King".
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Yili came back from the dead. In 2001, Li Qi’s bakery merged with another factory and was renamed "Yili Bread Factory". In the following decade, Yili’s classic products, fruit bread and vitamin bread, occupied hundreds of shopping malls and supermarkets in Beijing. In 2012, the self-operated chain "Centennial Yili" appeared on the streets of Beijing.
The next comeback is the turn of the Arctic Ocean.
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Looking for "Original"
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In 2011, Coca-Cola’s 15-year license to operate the Arctic Ocean brand expired, which meant that the Arctic Ocean was lifted and could be returned to the market. A few years later, when Chongqing Tianfu Cola, which was destroyed by the "Seventh Army of the Drowned" at the same time, returned, a local newspaper described the scene:"The base color of the spray painting is gray like a Holocaust memorial, with some mottled black on it, and the four red characters of’Tianfu Cola ‘are printed on it. This is a rare comeback ceremony with a strong tragic atmosphere."According to reports, the background music of the event that day was "My Chinese Heart". Domestic beverage brands have been lost for nearly 20 years, and international brand beverages are overwhelming. The comeback of time-honored brands looks tragic and lonely.
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Li Qi, who had been making bread for half his life, was ordered to take over the Arctic Ocean under such circumstances.
When the Arctic Ocean returns, the first thing to do is to restore the original taste. The heart of the drink lies in the formula. The most legendary in the industry is Coca-Cola, which has been kept secret for more than 100 years since its inception in Atlanta in 1886. It is said that its handwritten secret recipe is hidden in a bank safe.
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In Beijing in 2010, Li Qi dug out the archives kept by the technical department from the warehouse. The recipe for the Arctic Ocean is handwritten on white paper and packed in a blue plastic folder.Notes on the folder: storage period, permanent; classification, secret.
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The ingredients are water, carbon dioxide, orange juice concentrate, sugar, additives and orange oil. What makes the Arctic Ocean special is orange oil. It is cold-pressed and separated from the peel of oranges and is a natural flavour and colouring agent. It is the most precious part of oranges. A ton of oranges produces only 6kg of oil. The source of the orange determines the quality of the orange oil, which in turn determines the taste of the soda.
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In the past, the Arctic Ocean used to purchase the "Dahongpao" red oranges produced in Wanzhou, Chongqing. More than a decade later, when Li Qi led his technicians to Wanzhou, the original orange production area has changed, and the processing plants they used to cooperate with have long since disappeared. They traveled all the way west, and finally settled in Nanchong, Sichuan. Nanchong is located in the shallow hilly area of the upper Jialing River, with water quality of Class II, and the "Dahongpao" produced is of good quality.
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The raw materials were determined, but the research and development did not proceed smoothly.The soda prepared according to the "secret recipe" is not the original taste, and it is even "hard to drink".There are countless factors that affect the taste of food: raw materials, air, water, equipment, workers… After more than ten years, these factors have changed. Naturally, the taste of the debugged soda will also change.
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The old formula has failed. In addition, the properties of soda are also difficult. Technicians found that orange oil is insoluble in water. The general method is to use emulsifiers, but small amounts cannot be dissolved. Large amounts affect the taste.
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Rebuilding the Arctic Ocean is far more than just a picture of the gourd.
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Rebuilding the Arctic Ocean
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While he was tuning his soda recipe, Mr. Li was looking for soda production equipment. The original Arctic company was gone, the team was gone, and the production line was gone, leaving an old brand empty. At an industry fair at the Beijing International Exhibition Center, Li Qi was struggling to find equipment when an elder next to him said: "I’m from the old Arctic Ocean."
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Li Qi looked at the old man in front of him. He was about 60 years old and tall. His name was Ma Qian. He entered the factory in 1972. At that time, the Arctic Ocean was still called the Beijing People’s Food Factory. Once in the factory, he was assigned to the soda workshop to deal with machines. In the 1980s, he went to Iraq to assist in the production of local beverages. He worked for Pepsi Cola there for two years and was exposed to advanced Italian and German machinery.
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After returning to China, Ma Qian was promoted to director of the Arctic Ocean workshop. He couldn’t figure out how the joint venture between Arctic Ocean and Pepsi at that time."I’ve been in charge of the equipment in the workshop. At that time, when it was said that you were from Arctic Ocean, no matter where you went, people knew you. Arctic Ocean is very well run, and there is no need to partner with others. I don’t understand the approach after the joint venture. There is no hope for this brand."He quit his job and opened a factory in Tongzhou to produce beverage equipment.
When he met Ma Qian, Li Qi had just taken over the Arctic Ocean, but he had already heard of this old workshop director and skilled technician. "I’ve heard of you, let’s talk." Li Qi said.
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Knowing that Li Qi was going to recreate the Arctic Ocean, Ma Qian said: "I learned my skills in the Arctic Ocean now, and all the technical training was sent by the Arctic Ocean. What I know should be given back to the Arctic Ocean for free." This coincidence not only prompted Ma Qian to become a new shareholder in the new Arctic Ocean, but also a senior consultant in solving technical problems of equipment.
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Mr. Ma’s company supplied Arctic Ocean with pre-equipment such as ingredients and refrigeration. In addition, Arctic Ocean also imported a production line from Nanjing Light Industrial Machinery Group (hereinafter referred to as Nanqing). Nanqing has an unusual connection with Arctic Ocean: it once provided the first production line for the old Arctic Ocean to imitate Japan’s Mitsubishi, and the current chairperson was an apprentice of Arctic Ocean in the 1980s. So, like Ma Qian’s equipment, Nanqing’s production line has the genes of the old Arctic Ocean from the beginning. The equipment solves the problem that has plagued Li Qi before – that orange oil is insoluble in water. The new process uses a high-shear emulsifier to split the orange oil into tiny ions, which are then matched with a suitable amount of emulsifier.
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The imitation journey took half a year. Li Qi had forgotten how many formulas he had tried, the only thing he remembered was the strict taste review after each development.Each time a recipe is developed, it is first tasted by three technicians, and then given to a team of dozens of people. This team is made up of people who have drunk the old Arctic Ocean and people who have worked in the old Arctic Ocean.When the last batch of experiments came out, Ma Qian supported his master, the first generation of Arctic employees, to the factory to determine the final taste. Master picked out a bottle and said, "This is it."
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Then things went smoothly: Li Qi hired young designers with overseas study experience to redesign the polar bear logo in the Arctic Ocean. The new logo has a traditional shadow but is more flexible.
Sales channels are not difficult to choose, but those mom-and-pop stores that are scattered all over the hutongs.These mom-and-pop shops, often only a few square meters in size, penetrate deep into Beijing’s capillaries but are ignored by big dealers.The Arctic Ocean soda that is deep in everyone’s memory was once displayed on the large ice cubes in front of these small shops.
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On a sweltering August morning in Daxing, Li Qi watched as workers moved boxes of empty glass bottles back into the warehouse overnight. "How much did you sell last month?" he asked.
"3.30 million boxes," Hu Zhiyong, the head of storage, replied.
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On another 37-degree-Celsius sauna day, Li Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded at Hu Zhiyong.He forecasts that his goal of selling 800 million yuan this year is promising.
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Twenty kilometers away, on the streets of downtown Beijing, thirsty passers-by opened a bottle of Arctic Ocean, "Gudong Gudong" was just a few bites, and a burst of orange fragrance lingered in the throat for a long time. "It’s still the smell!"
Only Li Qi and his friends know that the Arctic Ocean is no longer "original".
