In the era of medicine and food sharing the same origin, how can Lingzhi products be made to be truly fragrant?
May 22, 2024
Lingzhi, a nourishing "genius" who wants to have good looks, good health, and stories, should have earned all followers a lot of money; The cold reality is that brands stand in front of Lingzhi, pondering and trying several times, still unable to find a solution.
Zhimen is difficult to enter, but it's not without opportunities.
01
Three routes for the development of Ganoderma lucidum products
Looking at the Ganoderma lucidum products launched in recent years, there are three paths that cannot be avoided: the first one - snacking, or snacking. The specific approach is to combine Ganoderma lucidum with some easier product forms to capture the minds of consumers; The second new function exploration allows Ganoderma lucidum to no longer be limited to traditional immunity; The third type is beverage oriented, after all, there is nothing that cannot be loaded into a bottle of water.
Snacking route
On the snack route, a case that can be mentioned is the launch of Hong Kong brand Hongfutang - [Ganoderma lucidum Guilinggao]. This is a Lingzhi product brewed and born in the soil of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and it is also a significant force that cannot be ignored in the future Chinese market for health preservation, medicine and food, known as the "traditional nourishing faction".
Its birth, development, and growth are inseparable from the influence of traditional Chinese medicine culture in China; Brands often have a certain historical background or positioning, aiming for Chinese style nourishment; The product line also usually has a strong traditional Chinese medicine style, such as herbal tea, Guilinggao, paste prescription, etc. Brands often have a certain historical background or brand positioning, aiming for Chinese style nourishment; The product line also usually has a strong traditional Chinese medicine style, such as herbal tea, Guilinggao, paste prescription, etc.
Hung Fook Tong early combined glossy ganoderma with Guilinggao, which has a strong Chinese flavor and health. The main products are heat clearing and detoxification, dry throat and sore throat, fatigue and weight. In 2022, it also launched the organic Ganoderma lucidum Haw Guilinggao, which focuses on immunity.
Recipe: Red Ganoderma lucidum, turtle shell, Poria cocos, raw earth, and Astragalus membranaceus.
Recipe: Turtle shell, Poria cocos, Red Ganoderma lucidum, Shengdi, Honeysuckle, Forsythia suspensa.
Different from its source, but with the same goal, it is the mainland brand "Chopsticks Mushroom Grain".
We are also following the "Ganoderma lucidum snack route". Chopsticks Mushroom Grain launches Ganoderma lucidum biscuits, adding Ganoderma lucidum powder to the biscuits, allowing the noble Ganoderma lucidum to "fall into the homes of ordinary people.".
And other brands in Europe and America are also following the path of snacks.
Alice has launched a healthy chocolate brand centered around mushrooms, featuring a combination of Lingzhi chocolate products. By launching a combination of chocolate products that meet the three major needs of brain health, sleep, and reproductive health, we aim to capture the market.
Among them, the sleep product has added Ganoderma lucidum.
Formula: Ganoderma lucidum (fruiting body), chamomile, L-theanine, magnesium, zinc
Another representative of Ganoderma candy besides chocolate is Ganoderma gummies.
There is a brand worth paying close attention to - Reprise. This is a brand that starts from traditional Chinese medicine and combines modern science. The core team members of the company are from Harvard and have a professional medical education background.
At present, the products launched by the brand are all unilateral, including various gummies such as ginseng, turmeric, lingzhi, and goji berries. Consumers can buy unilaterally, and the brand also offers a combination package option. Combination packages mainly solve four major health problems: sleep, stress relief, brain health, and energy supply.
Ganoderma lucidum (fruiting body extract) gummies focus on healthy aging and immunity; In the combination package, there are also Lingzhi single formula products for sleep and brain health.
Exploring new features
At present, the allowed health benefits of Ganoderma lucidum in China are claimed to help enhance immunity. But modern medical research has found that Ganoderma lucidum also has potential in other health directions.
Japan, which has a more developed functional food market, has been innovative in the development of Ganoderma products. The brand Hokkaidoreishi has launched "Lactic Acid Bacteria Ganoderma Tablets", which focus on three major issues: immunity, pollen allergy, and rough skin, forming a certain difference from Chinese blue hat Ganoderma products. This also means that Ganoderma lucidum has flexibility in the direction of health.
Formula: Rosemary extract, Ganoderma powder, Lactic acid bacteria (sterilized), Wulianglong extract powder, Collagen peptide (pig source), Marigold extract, Hyaluronic acid.
In addition, as a type of mushroom raw material, Ganoderma lucidum is often used in the field of brain health in combination with other mushroom raw materials. The brand Genius Mushroom has launched a hybrid product of Ganoderma lucidum and Cordyceps sinensis, targeting brain health, attention, and energy. The product is formulated in capsules.
Formula: Cordyceps militaris 500mg (mycelium), Ganoderma lucidum 500mg (mycelium and fruiting body), Hericium erinaceus 500mg (mycelium and fruiting body)
The last important path is beverages.
beverage
As a huge market, beverage+health is sweeping the global market, and unique beverage brands have also seen the potential of Ganoderma lucidum and launched related products.
REBBL, a plant-based functional beverage brand, has launched multiple Lingzhi beverages, such as Lingzhi Vanilla Revive Reishi and Lingzhi Chocolate Revive Reishi, making Lingzhi a core selling point for beverages.
Among them, Lingzhi Vanilla products focus on efficient metabolism support and energy provision; Lingzhi chocolate focuses on immunity and stress management.
Formula: Ganoderma lucidum extract (200mg), vanilla extract, zinc gluconate, MCT, etc.
Some companies combine juice and Ganoderma lucidum.
The brand Natalie's Orchid Island Juice launched a mixed juice called Tomato Ganoderma in August 2023. According to media reports, its brand has once again become the favorite of a generation thanks to its tomato lingzhi.
Recipe: Tomato, Himalayan salt powder, Ganoderma lucidum, black pepper powder
Some domestic brands are also starting to try Lingzhi milk tea. Suma Tea Gu, a milk tea brand that focuses on health preservation, has launched the Shangyin Lingzhi tea. The cup body introduces the benefits and contraindications of Ganoderma lucidum, along with a small card on how to consume Ganoderma lucidum. At the same time, it also binds Ganoderma lucidum milk tea to a Ganoderma lucidum plant, making consumers exclaim that it is both reasonable and unexpected. It can be seen that in order to cultivate consumer habits of drinking Ganoderma lucidum, efforts have also been made.
Not only Su Ma Cha Gu, but also positioning itself as a traditional Chinese medicine milk tea brand, Lu Zhi has developed a formula and launched Lingzhi Longshen milk tea, which combines Lingzhi, Longan, ginseng, tangerine peel, chrysanthemum, and Luoshen flower to promote healthy aging.
02
To become a bestseller, one must learn ginseng?
Ganoderma lucidum is one of the "Nine Immortal Grasses" in China, with rich records in ancient books and prescriptions. The related folk legends are also widely circulated, almost to the extent that everyone is familiar with it.
However, seeing bird's nest turn red and ginseng become popular, even goji berries have penetrated the hearts of the people with their insulated cups. Compared to this, Lingzhi, which is not inferior and has a top-notch temperament, has become a less sought after presence. Everyone has heard of its name, but not everyone is willing to pay for it with real money.
There are some regulatory reasons to some extent, but now there has been significant loosening.
In November 2023, 9 substances including Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, and Codonopsis pilosula were included in the list of medicinal and edible homologous substances; At the end of April 2024, the technical requirements for registered products of Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, and American ginseng were introduced and officially implemented from May. The acceleration of regulations has brought broader development space for Ganoderma lucidum. However, in order to become a true bestseller, Lingzhi may have to feel its roots and cross the river.
Put down your body and get rid of the "medicinal taste"
The popularity of ginseng in recent years is inseparable from the support of various products behind it, such as ginseng water, ginseng honey tablets, ginseng chocolate, and so on. These products do not inherit the traditional will of "ginseng", but instead use a "light and healthy" form, using a more daily, convenient, relaxed and popular product form as a carrier, successfully breaking away from the "medicinal taste".
Brands have endowed these daily consumer goods with health value attributes through ginseng, achieving delicious, fun, and user-friendly taste without sacrificing the essence of ginseng's "nobility", but instead increasing the premium space of daily consumer goods. A regular beverage is often priced within single digits, while adding ginseng directly doubles the product's price. Isn't this business fragrant?
Similar to ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum is still limited by its medicinal taste. In the current terminal market, the most popular Ganoderma lucidum product is Ganoderma spore powder, while other types of products are mainly blue hat products. There are very few truly down-to-earth products, and even with a few innovative products, they have not caused too much controversy.
Enterprises can continue to try Ganoderma lucidum+popular fast-moving consumer goods categories, such as chocolate, beverages, biscuits, and even yogurt, baked goods, etc., and continue to deeply cultivate the market.
Identify user needs and scenarios accurately
The article on dosage form and product form needs to be done, but the more crucial thing is how to identify user needs and scenarios. Practitioners often understand the characteristics of medicinal and food homologous substances and raw material ingredients, but the difficulty lies in understanding consumers, and even more difficult is how to combine the two.
One of the secrets of Ginseng's previous success in the industry was to successfully find the connection between the two, which is a very competitive and almost unavoidable scene for modern people - staying up late. As a result, Ginseng Water became famous and instantly became popular on the Internet, making migrant workers ready to move. Ultimately, the solution is the health anxiety of consumers after staying up late. The core lies in the outstanding characteristics of ginseng in immunity and fatigue response, as well as its long-standing "health genes".
Similarly, Ganoderma lucidum also needs to cater to the current health needs and scenarios of consumers, combine the characteristics of Ganoderma lucidum, and find scenarios and needs that can release the Ganoderma lucidum effect.
The absence of new consumer brands
In addition, whether it is ginseng, bird's nest, or flower gum, their popularity cannot be separated from the emergence of related brands. For example, behind the rise of ginseng in the industry is the addition of brands such as Yiquan, Gongxiaoshan, Tiangongqu, Focusen, and the launch of their products. The emergence of these new consumer brands and the launch of related products have created a completely different situation from previous blue hat products, primary ginseng slices, or whole ginseng, making the ginseng market "rolled up". A younger team has also generated new sparks of engagement among young consumers.
At present, there are very few new consumer brands and innovative product brands focused on creating Lingzhi products. With the rise of domestic medicine and food homology and the spread of offline Lingzhi milk tea and other products, it may promote the birth of some brands that focus on Lingzhi.
The opening of the "Zhimen" is not far away.
Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd. a integrated enterprise which is focus on natural products, plant extract related products and services.We mainly focus on pharmaceutical, functional food, Freeze-dried powder,Natural Pigment,Homology of medicine and food,beverages and other business services.
For more information about inulin, please contact us!
Email:marketing@huikes.com
2024-05-22
Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd.
