12SUMMERS Founder Kico Attends FBIF 2026, Sharing Brand Growth Journey for the First Time

From April 27 to 29, 2026, the FBIF2026 Food & Beverage Innovation Forum officially opened in Shenzhen. Centered on the theme “Momentum for Growth”, this annual industry landmark brought together over 700 exhibitors worldwideand more than 100 industry leaders, sparking in-depth discussions on technology innovation, channel transformation, and brand evolution.

Kico, Founder and CEO of 12SUMMERS, was invited to attend the forum and delivered a keynote speech on the morning of April 28 titled “Cyclical Growth of 12SUMMERS in the Healthy Convenience Food Category.” In this session, he shared for the first time the brand’s ongoing breakthroughs and growth logic within the healthy convenience food sector.

FBIF 2026 Event Highlights

12SUMMERS Founder Kico Delivers a Keynote Speech

From Premium Tonics to Everyday Nourishment

Kico reflected on the origins of 12SUMMERS. In its early days, the brand focused on the traditional premium tonics market, offering high-value products such as bird’s nest, with a strong emphasis on ingredient origin and craftsmanship.

In 2019, Kico made a pivotal strategic decision: shifting from traditional premium nourishment to a more accessible, everyday wellness approach. This transformation led to the launch of the brand’s first breakout product—Ready-to-Eat Bird’s Nest Congee, bringing premium nourishment into consumers’ daily lives in a more convenient and approachable way.

FBIF 2026展会现场

In many consumption scenarios, health and convenience have long been seen as opposing forces. Eating well often requires time and effort, while convenience frequently comes at the expense of ingredient quality and nutrition. As a result, premium ingredients rarely become part of everyday life, and healthy food is often perceived as either complicated or expensive.

This strategic shift was driven by a keen understanding of evolving consumer needs. More people were looking for a simpler way to care for themselves and their families—without waiting, cooking, or compromising. They wanted clean, delicious, and nourishing food that could be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.

This successful transformation helped the team define three core pillars of healthy convenience food: Faster, Better, and More Affordable.

• Faster means greater convenience and accessibility.

• Better reflects an unwavering commitment to ingredient quality and craftsmanship.

• More Affordable ensures premium nutrition is within reach for more consumers.

Supporting this philosophy is the brand’s formulation standard of “One Low, One High, and Three No’s”: a low price barrier, high-quality ingredients, and no artificial colors, no stabilizers, and no artificial flavors.

According to Kico, this represented 12SUMMERS’ first-stage understanding of healthy food—and became the foundation upon which the brand’s future product innovation was built.

Expanding Category Boundaries, Bringing Food-Based Wellness into Everyday Life

After the success of Bird’s Nest Congee validated the concept of healthy convenience food, 12SUMMERS did not stop there. Instead, the brand continued exploring a bigger question: How can a wider range of premium ingredients and traditional wellness wisdom be delivered to consumers in equally convenient ways?

During his presentation, Kico shared the brand’s category expansion journey. Starting with Bird’s Nest Congee, 12SUMMERS gradually introduced new product lines including Fish Maw Dessert Soup, Dessert Season, and Grain Cups.

While these launches may appear to be simple product line extensions, the underlying strategy is far more deliberate. The brand focuses on deeply understanding different consumer groups, usage occasions, and nutritional needs, ensuring that each ingredient delivers its maximum value in the right context.

Kico also highlighted the concept of “1+1 Premium Ingredient Pairings,” combining bird’s nest with traditional food-medicine ingredients such as American ginseng. These thoughtfully designed combinations not only address consumers’ growing demand for advanced nutrition but also create new opportunities for category innovation and product development.

12SUMMERS Founder Kico Delivers a Keynote Speech

Behind every product innovation lies 12SUMMERS’ unwavering commitment to manufacturing excellence. During his presentation, Kico revealed that the company has established its own beverage filling lines, cooking facilities, and quality control systems, bringing critical supply chain capabilities fully in-house.

From continuously refining sterilization and filling technologies to preserving the authentic taste of natural ingredients, every step requires patience, expertise, and meticulous attention to detail. It is this commitment to perfecting every aspect of the product that enables 12SUMMERS to deliver both convenience and quality—without compromise.

In 2026, after a full year of development, 12SUMMERS pioneered the Grain Cup category, creating a healthy meal solution designed for modern lifestyles. Upon launch, the product quickly gained market recognition.

The development team focused on the evolving nutritional needs of today’s consumers, designing products around key attributes such as high fiber, high protein, low GI, and organic ingredients. The goal was to provide more precise, efficient, and balanced nutrition for everyday life.

As Kico explained, the mission goes beyond simply satisfying hunger. Rather than creating just another canned food product, 12SUMMERS strives to deliver greater nutritional value and meaningful wellness benefits to consumers.

FBIF 2026 Exhibition Site (Left) | 12SUMMERS Brand Poster (Right)

Looking Ahead: Research-Driven and Innovation-Led

If the first two stages of 12SUMMERS’ journey focused on making high-quality nutrition more convenient and accessible, the brand is now entering a new phase of growth—expanding from healthy convenience foods into the broader field of functional nutrition foods.

At the heart of this evolution is scientific research. 12SUMMERS is accelerating collaborations with leading universities and international research institutions. The brand has joined the board of the School of Food Science at Jiangnan University and launched a three-year joint research laboratory initiative to advance innovation in food science and nutrition.

At the same time, the company has begun in-depth research into functional nourishment, seeking to better understand and communicate the mechanisms behind key ingredients through a more scientific and consumer-friendly approach. These efforts are laying a strong foundation for the next generation of product innovation.

Meanwhile, manufacturing capabilities continue to evolve. 12SUMMERS is constantly refining its sterilization and filling technologies with the goal of preserving the authentic taste and nutritional integrity of natural ingredients. Achieving consistent quality and natural flavor—without relying on additives—is no easy task. It is precisely these unseen efforts and technical expertise that define the brand’s commitment to excellence.

12SUMMERS Founder Kico Delivers a Keynote Speech

The Future Is Here: Moving Forward with Confidence and Commitment

As the keynote drew to a close, Kico shared his broader perspective on the industry. Convenience foods have long been viewed as a high-volume, low-barrier category, but within the sub-segment of healthy convenience and functional nutrition foods, the real “deep waters” are only just beginning to emerge.

In his view, this space is not short of excitement—but it is short of patience. What is truly needed is the willingness to build solid products, invest deeply in scientific research, and cultivate long-term consumer trust.

For 12SUMMERS, the path forward is clear: stay focused on its chosen direction and continue moving forward steadily, without haste or distraction.

With FBIF 2026 setting the tone of “Momentum for Growth,” the brands that ultimately endure will be those committed to long-term focus and continuous refinement in a single direction.

Looking ahead, 12SUMMERS will continue to drive the modernization of traditional Chinese nourishment through innovation—powered by both scientific research and product development—moving further and more steadily along the long journey of healthy convenience food.