Analysis of the Alignment Between Tongrentang's Chinese Medicine Coffee Product Innovation and Gen Z's Health Consumption Needs

Based on the information I have collected, I will now conduct a systematic analysis for you.

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Beijing Tongrentang, as a time-honored Chinese medicine brand with a 351-year history, launched the new-style health catering brand “Zhi Ma Health” in recent years, venturing into the coffee sector [1]. The core considerations behind this innovative move include:

• Core Product Lineup
  : Wolfberry Latte, Hawthorn & Tangerine Peel Americano, Cinnamon Cappuccino, Motherwort Rose Latte and other health-preserving coffee products [1][3]
• Scenario-Based Expansion
  : Based on the dual-scenario concept of “prevention + rehabilitation”, six health preservation scenario solutions have been developed, including staying-up-late recovery, post-surgery recovery, post-exercise supplementation, and high-temperature weather protection [4]
• Supporting Product Lines
  : Health-preserving breads, medicated pastries, Chinese herbal drinks, etc., forming a complete health product ecosystem [2]

• Spatial Experience
  : A 5,000-square-meter concept store has been created, integrating multi-functional spaces such as a coffee area, tea area, dietary kitchen, and health TED zone [1]
• Online-Offline Integration
  : Supporting online mall and live streaming channels to build a “platform for cultivating and sharing healthy lifestyles” [1]
• Cultural Communication Function
  : Popular science on dietary therapy and health knowledge sharing is carried out through four columns: “Essence”, “Precision”, “Vitality”, and “Health” [1]

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According to data from the 2025 Gen Z Health Consumption Trend Report, Gen Z’s health consumption presents the following characteristics:

Indicator	Data
Health Consumption Penetration Rate	84.3%
Annual Average Health Consumption Expenditure	RMB 3,250.7
Proportion of Consumers Spending RMB 1,000-5,000	Nearly 60%
Proportion of Consumers Who Regularly Purchase Health Products/Services	47% [5][6]

• Brand Endorsement
  (60.1%) and
  User Word-of-Mouth
  (66.8%) are core decision-making factors
• Taste Experience
  (54.1%) is also important
• Low attention is paid to price discounts (21.1%) and purchase convenience (21.0%) [6]

• Chinese-style beauty and wellness drinks (80.7%) and functional ingredient-based nutrients (60.2%) are mainstream choices
• Nearly 40% of young people have formed stable dietary supplement habits
• Intake of health supplements (55.7%) is the most common health preservation behavior [6]

• “Fragile Youngsters” Phenomenon: Work pressure and irregular schedules have led to the earlier onset of health problems among young people, fostering proactive health preservation awareness
• “Punk-Style Wellness” Model: A light health preservation lifestyle characterized by “indulging in unhealthy habits while simultaneously seeking health remedies”
• Pursuing a “radiant complexion” has become the top priority for health preservation [5][6]

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Dimension	Tongrentang’s Strategy	Gen Z’s Demand	Alignment Level
Brand Endorsement	Reputation as a 351-year-old time-honored brand	60.1% value brand endorsement	★★★★★
Health Attributes	Integration of Chinese medicine health preservation elements	80.7% choose Chinese-style beauty and wellness drinks	★★★★★
Social Experience	Internet-famous check-in space design	Sharing on social platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin	★★★★☆
Convenience	Ready-to-drink health preservation products	Preference for low-threshold, lightweight health preservation	★★★★☆
Scenario-Based Demand	Scenario-specific products such as all-nighter recovery drinks and recovery solutions	Products targeting specific health pain points	★★★★☆

• Consumer Doubts: “Is adding wolfberry powder enough to call it health preservation? How can drinking coffee be considered health preservation?” [1]
• Views of Professionals: Chinese medicine catering products contain relatively small amounts of Chinese medicinal materials, resulting in relatively weak efficacy; they cannot be expected to treat diseases [2]

• Reminder from Chinese Medicine Experts: Although the cold, hot, warm, and cool properties of food have certain effects, the efficacy of innovative Chinese medicine catering products is relatively weak [2]
• Consumers need to establish reasonable expectations and avoid over-reliance on health preservation products

• The industry has chaos such as concept hype, exaggerated efficacy claims, and lack of standards [5]
• A more complete quality standard and regulatory system needs to be established

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The essence of Tongrentang’s innovation lies in integrating the traditional Chinese medicine concept of “preventive treatment of diseases” with modern health consumption scenarios. This strategy has successfully achieved:

• Age Group Breakthrough
  : Breaking young people’s stereotype of Chinese medicine being “smelly and bitter-tasting” [3]
• Scenario Reconstruction
  : Transforming traditional herbal medicine shops into health lifestyle experience spaces
• Cultural Inheritance
  : Spreading Chinese medicine culture through a youth-oriented approach

According to market data, the market scale of “medicine and food have the same origin” products on Taobao and Tmall has exceeded RMB 20 billion in the past year, with a year-on-year growth of 22.3% [5]. Tongrentang’s layout has first-mover advantages:

• Professional Barrier
  : Relying on its professional Chinese medicine background for product R&D
• Differentiated Competition
  : Forming dislocation competition with traditional tea brands
• Consumption Upgrade
  : Meeting the dual demand of “both good taste and health”

Tongrentang designs products around specific life scenarios, such as:

• All-Nighter Recovery Drinks
  : Targeting young office workers with insufficient sleep
• Post-Exercise Supplements
  : Targeting fitness enthusiasts
• Solar Term Products
  : Integrating the concept of health preservation based on Chinese medicine solar terms [2]

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• Efficacy Visualization
  : Enhancing the persuasiveness of efficacy through test reports, user cases, etc.
• Personalized Customization
  : Providing customized product solutions based on Chinese medicine constitution identification
• Taste Improvement
  : Optimizing product taste while maintaining health attributes

• KOL Collaboration
  : In-depth cooperation with health and lifestyle influencers
• Content Marketing
  : Continuously outputting content on Chinese medicine health preservation knowledge
• Community Operation
  : Establishing young user communities to enhance user stickiness

• Product Line Expansion
  : Extending from coffee to more health consumption categories
• International Layout
  : Promoting Chinese medicine health preservation culture to the international market
• Digital Upgrade
  : Using AI technology to provide intelligent health management services

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: Tongrentang’s Chinese medicine coffee product innovation has a high strategic alignment with Gen Z’s health consumption needs, but continuous optimization is required in efficacy communication and product experience.

Assessment Dimension	Score	Explanation
Strategic Positioning	85/100	Accurately grasps market trends and consumer demands
Product Innovation	75/100	Innovative form is novel, but efficacy communication needs to be strengthened
Brand Synergy	90/100	Fully leverages the advantages of the time-honored brand
Market Performance	80/100	Has gained wide attention and recognition from young consumers
Long-Term Development	80/100	Has favorable growth space and expansion potential

: Tongrentang’s Chinese medicine coffee product innovation is a successful practice of the youth-oriented transformation of a traditional time-honored brand. Through the integration of the “medicine and food have the same origin” concept with modern consumption scenarios, it has effectively reached the Gen Z health consumer group. However, there is still room for improvement in efficacy communication, industry regulation, and consumer education. It is recommended that while maintaining the brand’s traditional advantages, scientific endorsement and personalized services should be strengthened to achieve sustainable long-term development.

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[1] Digitaling - “351-Year-Old Chinese Medicine Time-Honored Brand Tongrentang Opens a 5,000-Square-Meter Coffee Shop” (https://www.digitaling.com/articles/321516.html)

[2] Hebei Economic Daily - “Chinese Medicine + Catering: A New Trend in Health Consumption” (http://epaper.hbjjrb.com/Pad/jjrb/202508/05/con177228.html)

[3] Our China Story - “Century-Old Tongrentang Innovates Tradition, Launches ‘Zhi Ma Health’ Café to Serve Chinese Medicine Coffee” (https://www.ourchinastory.com/zh/1310)

[4] The Paper - “2025 Consumption Trend: ‘Nourishing the Body and Mind’ Leads the Comprehensive Upgrade of Health Consumption” (https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_30017839)

[5] 21st Century Business Herald - “Heavy Snow · ‘Fragile Youngsters’ Fuel the Health Preservation Economy?” (https://www.21jingji.com/article/20251207/herald/79163634f31c53e59d4557911585cca1.html)

[6] China Science Daily - “When Gen Z Starts Health Preservation: The Top Priority is a ‘Radiant Complexion’” (https://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2025/11/554937.shtm)