As summer blazes across China, the country's frozen treat market is heating up. Chinese-made products with their creative shapes, bold flavors, and eye-catching packaging are going viral on social media, fueling a vibrant summer economy. Behind the booming sales lies a story of continuous innovation: from cutting-edge product upgrades and trendy collaborations to overseas expansion. Intellectual property (IP) - a catalyst for innovation - has increasingly become a key driver helping Chinese brands stand out on the global stage. This summer, join us in exploring the "IP formula" behind China's frozen treats and savor their sweet taste.
R&D boosts product competitiveness
Low-sugar ice creams, cultural-themed frozen treats, and 3D-shaped popsicles -Chinese frozen treat brands are constantly reinventing themselves to meet growing consumer demand for personalized, healthy, and premium options, delivering refreshing experiences. These innovations are backed by major research and development (R&D) investments that push the boundaries in ingredients, production techniques, and visual design.
In Shenyang, Liaoning Province, visitors line up outside the "Deshi Ice Factory" ice cream store to snap photos with a towering 11-meter sculpture modeled after the brand's rainbow-colored six-flavor cone. This eye-catching landmark echoes the commitment of Shenyang Deshi Cold Drink Food Co., Ltd. (Deshi Group) to product upgrades and innovation. Today, the company offers more than 100 types of frozen treats across seven product lines, capturing an average market share of 28% in Northeast China. The company also holds more than 130 active patents and has filed two international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). It also owns over 450 registered trademarks.
"Innovation is essential for the survival and growth of private enterprises," said Deshi Group's Chairman Wang Degang. He cited "Gu Mo Crisp Mountain" ice cream as an example, a cultural creative product jointly developed by the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum. Inspired by traditional stone mills used in ancient China, the company has developed a low-temperature grinding technique and patented a fully automatic ice mill process. This allows the stone mill to produce finely textured and smooth ice crystals, giving consumers an immersive taste of ancient Chinese ice cream culture. "IP protection enables us to turn a century-old stone mill into a modern ice cream machine. It highlights the elegance of traditional Chinese culture while showcasing the power of modern technology," Wang added.
Cultural empowerment unlocks creative experiences
As younger consumers gradually become the main force in the frozen treat market, their demand has evolved beyond simple refreshment to deeper cultural expression and emotional connection. To meet these changing preferences, both time-honored and emerging brands are embracing IP collaborations, cultural creativity and other fresh approaches. Through the fusion of traditional culture and modern trends, they continuously enrich their brand identities.
How does a century-old brand make frozen treats fashionable? The century-old brand Modern has provided an answer through multiple cross-industry collaborations: launching city-themed cultural creative popsicles in partnership with cities like Quzhou and Fuyuan, and releasing themed ice creams tied to popular movie IPs. Tapping into the market potential of Harbin's IP identity, the brand has blended frozen treats with ice and snow culture to create unique products such as Matryoshka-doll ice cream and Northeast-style frozen persimmon popsicle, injecting new vitality into the promotion of Harbin's city brand.
Emerging brands are also actively exploring differentiated development paths, with one notable approach being the integration of frozen treats and Geographical Indication (GI) products. Riding the wave of the popular TV drama "The Lychee Road", the "Bring Yummy" lychee ice cream theme store in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, has been packed with locals and tourists eager to try ice creams made from lychee GI products. "Guangdong's unique climate, advanced preservation techniques, and deep-rooted history have given rise to a variety of GI-certified lychees such as Luogang Nuomici and Zengcheng Litchi. Currently, the province owns 13 lychee GI products and 18 lychee-related GI trademarks," said Chen Jinsong, Secretary-General of the Guangdong Geographical Indications Association. According to Chen, the combination of lychee GI products with frozen treats represents both a product innovation and a branding upgrade. This approach will help attract young consumers and expand the market. It will also creatively promote Lingnan lychee culture, and raise the reputation of GI brands, thereby transforming lychees from agricultural products into culturally rich specialty goods, and supporting the diversified development of Guangdong's lychee industry.
Overseas expansion positions on the global stage
From trendy favorites to rising global products, more and more Chinese brands are gaining a foothold overseas, leveraging high-quality products, robust IP strategies and other advantages.
Frozen treats are a key business segment in the global strategy of Yili Group. Its overseas ice cream brands such as "Chocliz", "Joyday" and "Cremo" are favored by consumers worldwide for their innovative flavors and healthy attributes, with market share steadily increasing abroad. To date, Yili Group's frozen treat exports have reached 16 countries and regions across five continents.
IP has been a constant pillar throughout Yili Group's international expansion. "Our Group adheres to the philosophy of 'No future, without innovation,' and establishes the strategy of 'IP empowering innovation, innovation driving growth.' This has enabled the construction of a global IP protection network. We have also built an IP management system centered on key markets while serving the company's global product portfolio, achieving integrated IP management," said an executive at Yili Group. As of the end of 2024, the company had held more than 5,100 valid patents worldwide, including more than 800 related to frozen treats and had owned over 20,000 valid registered trademarks globally, with the "Yili" brand and more than 20 sub-brands filing trademark applications in over 180 countries and regions. "The IP advantages gained by Yili Group demonstrate a powerful competitive edge across its entire industry chain and strong momentum for sustainable growth, setting a positive example for Chinese dairy enterprises in global industry development and technological progress," the executive added.
This summer, every creative frozen treat not only offers a refreshing taste but also showcases the passionate momentum of Chinese brands stepping boldly onto the world stage.