· On February 25, 2024, a heart-wrenching news spread across the country: Mr. Zong Qinghou, founder and chairman of Wahaha Group, passed away due to illness at the age of 79. The entrepreneur with great love is gone, but what he left behind is not just a business empire, but a precious gift of integrity.
Netizens across the country spontaneously organized to deeply cherish the memory of this entrepreneur who has made great contributions to China's beverage industry. People have said that although Mr. Zong has passed away, his pure spirit is still left in every bottle of pure water produced by Wahaha.
When people open a bottle of Wahaha purified water, they may notice a seemingly inconspicuous detail: the net content stated on the bottle label is 596ml. Behind this not-so-round figure, there is actually Zong Qinghou's insistence on honest management.
On April 22, 2022, CCTV reporter Wang Bingbing asked Mr. Zong about this issue in an interview. Zong Qinghou explained frankly: "We originally wanted to make 600ml, but when we produced it, we found that we could only produce 596ml.
In order not to deceive consumers, we directly put a label of 596ml. This small decision reflects Zong Qinghou's respect for consumers and his dedication to integrity.
In his opinion, half of the brand is quality, and half is integrity. This 596ml of pure water carries his deep insight into business management and has become his last gift to the world.
It is this concept of honest management that makes Wahaha pure water stand out in the fierce market competition, not only becoming the drinking water brand loved by the people, but also the preferred water for many laboratories.
Zong Qinghou used his actions to explain what a "conscientious enterprise" is, and also set a model of honest management for Chinese enterprises. In the drinking water market, many people may think that mineral water is all the same.
However, Wahaha pure water has embarked on an unusual path, transforming from ordinary civilian drinking water to "royal water" in the field of scientific research. This story can be called an unexpected counterattack legend.
Some enthusiastic netizens unexpectedly discovered that the mineral water produced by Wahaha Group has become the recommended water for a well-known foreign applied biological systems company. This discovery was like a bombshell and caused quite a stir in the scientific research community.
Wahaha pure water can go abroad precisely because its water quality meets the strict needs of major foreign customers. What's even more surprising is that domestic laboratories have also "taken over" the business of Wahaha mineral water.
In the laboratory, with the advantage of ultra-high purity, Wahaha pure water has always been used as distilled water in the laboratory. Some laboratories said that in the process of distillation experiments, sometimes three experiments could not meet the requirements, but after using Wahaha pure water, the effect was surprisingly good, directly reducing the cost by 260 times! This shift is not accidental.
Second· the reason why Wahaha pure water can be favored by major laboratories is precisely because every bottle of product that leaves the factory has been strictly controlled. A bottle of ordinary Wahaha drinking purified water requires a conductivity of less than 10 μS/cm, while laboratory water requires a conductivity of less than 5 μS/cm.
However, Wahaha Drinking Water has an impressive conductivity of 1.08μS/cm! This ultimate pursuit of quality has made Wahaha pure water unconsciously surpass the category of ordinary drinking water and become the darling of scientific research.
As one netizen said: "I didn't expect it, right? You think I'm going bankrupt, but I'm actually being taken care of in a lab! From ordinary drinking water to the "royal water" of the laboratory, this transformation of Wahaha pure water not only proves its excellent quality, but also shows the possibility of a traditional enterprise to achieve a magnificent transformation in the continuous pursuit of excellence.
This story tells us that when a company insists on quality first, it can find new markets and opportunities in unexpected places. In the palace of scientific research, Wahaha pure water is becoming the right-hand man of many researchers with a low-key and powerful attitude.
It is like an "invisible champion" in the field of scientific research, not publicized, not noisy, but playing an irreplaceable role in the most critical place. Walking into the university laboratory, you will find that next to those valuable chromatographs, there are always a few bottles of Wahaha pure water standing quietly.
These expensive instruments require the use of high-purity water, and Wahaha has almost won the "exclusive copyright" to do the experiment. Chromatograph is an indispensable and important instrument in analytical chemistry, and the requirements for water quality are extremely strict.
Wahaha pure water can meet the needs of such high standards, which shows its excellent quality. Not only that, in some dental hospitals with high scientific research qualifications, Wahaha purified water has also become the first choice for terminal irrigation solution in root canal treatment.
These hospitals often purchase large quantities of Wahaha's mineral water for the final step of root canal treatment. Doctors trust its purity, and patients benefit from its safety.
In the medical field, the purity of water quality is directly related to the effect of treatment and the safety of patients, and Wahaha pure water can occupy a place in this field, once again proving its excellent quality.
This kind of obscure dedication just reflects Zong Qinghou's corporate philosophy of "doing practical things". Wahaha pure water did not hype its application in the field of scientific research in the market, but proved its value with practical actions.
It is this low-key and pragmatic attitude that has won the trust and respect of scientific researchers. It is no wonder that the share of Wahaha pure water in the market does not seem to be high, but sometimes it will suddenly pop out to "rush a wave of sales".
It turns out that they have long had "big customers" specifically for supply! This unique market positioning has allowed Wahaha to find its own place in the fierce drinking water market.
· Wahaha pure water not only shines in the laboratory, but also has unexpected uses in ordinary families. These seemingly ordinary applications precisely reflect the "down-to-earth" characteristics of Wahaha pure water, so that it can not only meet the needs of high-end scientific research, but also solve the small troubles of ordinary people's daily life.
Some attentive netizens found that when staying in a hotel, using Wahaha pure water as a hydrating solution for air humidification has a surprisingly good effect. A long time ago, some people knew that Wahaha pure water was very pure, so they used it as a hydration solution to humidify the air when staying in a hotel.
After using it, it was found that it was not only clean and hygienic, but also significantly improved the air quality of the room. This little trick quickly spread on the Internet and became a must-have "artifact" for many people when they went on business trips.
And in family life, Wahaha pure water has also found its place. Even the garment steamer in Xiaobian's house has been using pure water of the Wahaha brand. Xiaobian explained: "It's not that other brands are bad, but after using the pure water of the Wahaha brand, there has been no limescale."
This discovery has made many housewives happy, because limescale has always been a big problem in the use of garment steamers. In addition to these special uses, Wahaha purified water also has its own unique features in terms of daily drinking.
Attentive consumers will find that the label of Wahaha purified water reads: net content 596 ml. This is a lot more than other brands of purified water in the market at the same price.
As one consumer put it, "Why should I spend more money on more water than other brands for the same amount of money?" These seemingly insignificant details fully reflect Wahaha's respect for consumers and the pursuit of product quality.
From the laboratory to the home, from high-end applications to daily life, Wahaha pure water has quietly integrated into all aspects of people's lives with its excellent quality and affordable price.
This kind of "tall" and "down-to-earth" product characteristics is one of the secrets of Wahaha's longevity. On April 22, 2022, CCTV reporter Wang Bingbing came to Hangzhou to visit Wahaha's health production base.
This visit not only revealed the secret of the excellent quality of Wahaha pure water, but also allowed people to see the highest level of intelligent production in the domestic beverage industry. In this modern production base, Wang Bingbing witnessed the operation of the first intelligent beverage production line in China.
This production line represents a huge breakthrough in Wahaha's manufacturing technology, and it is also the key to its continuous leading product quality. In this production line, every bottle of Wahaha mineral water leaving the factory is strictly controlled.
The most surprising thing is that Wahaha controls the conductivity of pure water at 1.08μS/cm. You must know that a bottle of ordinary Wahaha drinking pure water requires a conductivity of less than 10μS/cm, while laboratory water requires a conductivity of less than 5μS/cm.
Wahaha's production standards far exceed these two indicators and reach a jaw-dropping level. Seeing this data, Wang Bingbing couldn't help but exclaim in the style of "Versailles": "Originally, it was just to produce drinking water, but it accidentally overfulfilled the task and became laboratory-level water."
Although this sentence is a joke, it truly reflects Wahaha's ultimate pursuit of quality in the production process. It is this ultimate pursuit of quality that allows Wahaha to stand out from many mineral water brands and become the "royal water for the laboratory".
It proves that when a company implements the spirit of craftsmanship into every aspect of production, it can create products that exceed imagination. During the visit, Zong Qinghou personally introduced the production process and quality control measures to Wang Bingbing.
He emphasized that the reason why Wahaha has been favored by major laboratories is precisely because every bottle of Wahaha mineral water that leaves the factory has undergone strict quality control.
This dedication to quality is not only reflected in the advanced production line, but also in Wahaha's attention to every detail. From the selection of raw water to the design of packaging, every link strives for perfection.
This is why Wahaha pure water has always maintained a leading position in the fierce market competition, and has even become the preferred water in the field of scientific research. "Half of a brand is quality, half is integrity.
This sentence is a precious motto left by Zong Qinghou to the world, and it is also the core philosophy of the Wahaha brand. From the "light of domestic products" to the "royal water for the laboratory", the success of Wahaha pure water is by no means accidental, but the perfect embodiment of this philosophy in practice.
In the highly competitive drinking water market, Wahaha did not choose to lower its standards to reduce costs, but insisted on demanding itself with higher standards. This insistence is not only reflected in the honest labeling of 596ml, but also in the quality that exceeds the standard of ordinary drinking water.
It is this persistent pursuit of quality and integrity that has made Wahaha usher in an unexpected turn when people thought it was about to be "cool". "You think I'm going bankrupt, but I'm actually being taken care of by the lab!" This sentence is both humorous and confident, and perfectly interprets Wahaha's confidence to achieve a gorgeous turn in adversity.
Fourth· it tells us that when a company insists on doing the right thing, the market will eventually give a reward. Zong Qinghou's brand philosophy has not only influenced Wahaha's development trajectory, but also set an example for the entire Chinese enterprise.
He proved with his actions that integrity management is not a cost, but the most valuable asset. Even in the fierce market competition, insisting on quality and integrity can still win the trust of consumers and the recognition of the market.
Although Zong Qinghou has passed away, his brand philosophy will continue to guide Wahaha forward. Quality and integrity, these two seemingly simple words, embody Zong Qinghou's lifelong wisdom and persistence.
They are not only the foundation of Wahaha, but also the eternal driving force for the sustainable development of the enterprise. In this ever-changing market, the story of Wahaha pure water tells us that only by insisting on quality and abiding by integrity can enterprises be invincible in the fierce competition and even create amazing miracles.