When it comes to the most popular drink in childhood, Wahaha must have a place.
In Xiaoyu's memory, the sweet and sour taste echoes in the mouth, soaked in the sweetness of summer, and finally precipitates and ferments into dense happiness.
Later, every time I drank Wahaha again, at the moment when the straw pierced the wrapper, the distant memory was stirred, and the warm afternoon sun hit my body, as if in the next second, I was going to go crazy on the ridge with my friends.
For many, it's more than just a drink, it's a button that rings the button of memories and connects to a carefree childhood.
But the train of time is moving forward slowly, and it is not only us who is being dragged forward, but also the brand itself.
On February 22, Mr. Zong Qinghou, the founder of Wahaha Group, was hospitalized due to illness and has been sent to the ICU for treatment.
When the news came, the whole network was shocked.
As the founder of the brand, the 79-year-old Zong Qinghou was diagnosed with lung cancer many years ago, and it is not only the memories of the past that have grown with time, but also the deteriorating health.
According to ** reports, as early as before the Spring Festival, Zong Qinghou was admitted to the hospital due to serious lung cancer, and on the 22nd, it was revealed that he was admitted to the ICU, which couldn't help but make the outside world sweat for his health.
Later in the evening, Zong Qinghou's daughter Zong Fuli herself replied to the outside world:
My father is indeed in the hospital for medical reasons** and is currently in stable condition, thank you for your concern. "
Subsequently, the group also issued an official notice, stating that Mr. Zong was indeed admitted to the hospital for medical reasons**, but his current condition is stable and the group's business is running as usual.
Whether it is out of nostalgia for childhood or out of respect for this entrepreneur, we still hope that Mr. Zong Qinghou can survive the harsh winter and return to his beloved post when the spring flowers are blooming.
For many people, Wahaha Group is not only an evergreen tree of China's private enterprises, but also a national entrepreneur who has not forgotten his original intention.
The successes and setbacks he experienced, the morals and principles he adhered to, are inexhaustible treasures for future generations.
As a giant of China's food and beverage industry, Wahaha has carried the happiness of several generations of childhood, although the material life of that era was not abundant, but only a little sweetness can bring infinite satisfaction to the small heart.
And this bottle of drink that brings us sweet memories was born by chance.
At that time, Zong Qinghou, who was over forty years old, and two retired teachers organized a school-run enterprise distribution department, which was mainly responsible for sending some stationery and ice cream snacks to surrounding schools.
This is his first time starting a business, even if his relatives and friends around him do not agree, but he is unwilling to be trapped by fate and decides to give it a go.
In the first few months, he pedaled a tricycle along the street in search of customers, and it was during this time that he touched a turning point in his fate.
At that time, due to limited living conditions, many children were malnourished and lost their appetite, and at that time, few people in the domestic children's nutrition solution market stepped foot, and Zong Qinghou, who smelled the business opportunities, decided to take a gamble.
In 1988, he borrowed 140,000 yuan to organize a group of scientific researchers to conduct research and development, and finally, a drink called Wahaha nutrient solution came out.
At that time, Zong Qinghou never thought that this business opportunity "stepped on" by pedaling a tricycle would make Wahaha an evergreen tree for famous Chinese enterprises.
As soon as Wahaha was sent to the market, it was in short supply, and after Zong Qinghou earned the first pot of gold in his life, he also set his sights on the farther future.
In order to seize the market and expand the scale of production, Zong Qinghou did something that shocked the whole country:
He used 80 million yuan to merge the Hangzhou Canned Food Factory, and this kind of "small fish eat big fish" behavior was rare at that time.
Later, through a number of mergers and acquisitions, he gradually expanded the production scale to the whole country.
In just 8 years, Wahaha has become a leading enterprise from an ordinary children's nutrition solution, and its drinks also include several products such as AD calcium milk, nutrition express, and purified water. Although they are in many fields, they have all been recognized by the public.
From a pedalical pedal selling popsicles on the street in 1988 to the chairman of the board of directors who mastered the 10 billion empire, his life journey can be described by the word "late bloomer".
Despite his success in his career, he remained true to the principles he had set in the first place:
The brand remains unchanged, the chairman's position remains unchanged, the treatment of retired employees remains unchanged, and the positions of employees over 45 years old remain unchanged.
Even if he resigns due to physical reasons in the future, even if his successor adopts a more avant-garde development method and strives to keep up with the times, in Zong Qinghou's concept, insisting on being a popular brand is the consistent way for the company to survive.
A few years ago, Zong Qinghou had taken a back seat due to health reasons, but the group is still moving along the track laid by him.
Last year, Wahaha gave tens of millions of yuan in bonuses to employees because of its performance, which made countless workers blush;
At the beginning of 2024, Wahaha will once again issue 600 million year-end bonuses to employees on the hot search.
Time will polish and smooth those rough edges and corners, and will sweep those monuments into dust;
But some things will not be crushed into sand by the turbulent waves, but will be smeared with gold dust into the most unforgettable memories.
As early as the early days of the business, Zong Qinghou made a bold ambition to develop Wahaha into a century-old enterprise.
Today, every step they take, risks and opportunities coexist, and they will always reap fruitful results along the blueprint.
Zong Qinghou always has a sentence on his lips is:
Enterprises are like sailing against the current, and if they do not advance, they will retreat. ”
In this era full of "success" masters, quick success has become a symbol of sorts.
Zong Qinghou was a late bloomer, but he was like a little person who seized the opportunity to overtake him at the pass of fate.
What we see is the empire of 100 billion yuan he created, and what we see is the myth that he has stabilized the top spot of the Forbes rich list three times in four years, but few people care about the hardship.
In order to realize the oath he made when he started his business, even if he is over the age of old, he still does not relax, 365 days a year, he has 200 days to go to the front line to investigate, behind the wax torch into ashes, is to carry the sweetness and warmth of countless children's childhood.
In his own words:
I started from scratch, I didn't engage in power-for-money trading, I didn't engage in profiteering industries, I don't mind being called the richest man, and I am not afraid of being the richest man, which is the affirmation of my personal and corporate value, and this makes more people pay attention to Wahaha, and there are more opportunities for foreign cooperation. ”
We are full of envy for entrepreneurs who become famous at a young age;
But the reality is that success doesn't always belong to people who are already brilliant at a young age.
The journey of life, the number of setbacks and grinds given to us, far exceeds the joy of success and harvest, and no one knows whether the next step will be success or failure until we reach the end.
But every step taken today is a solid foundation for success in the future.
Perhaps, it is difficult for us to achieve the same achievements as Zong Qinghou, but as long as you are firm in what you want to be firm, why not be the winner of your own life?