Chinese lifestyle service provider Quhuo has partnered with NIU World, a local food group in China, to launch a chain brand incubation platform with a farm-to-consumer model that is aimed at delivering premium fresh beef.
This strategic collaboration aims to meet China’s growing demand for premium beef by building a vertically integrated supply chain, from farm to table.
According to Quhuo, the platform will span slaughterhouses to dining and retail channels, driving quality upgrades and scalable growth in China’s beef market.
The partnership will combine NIU World’s capabilities – from farming, slaughtering, to deep processing – with Quhuo’s food delivery network.
Quhuo believes the collaboration will boost supply chain efficiency, enhance consumer experience, and capture growth in China’s beef market.
“This strategic collaboration with NIU World marks a significant milestone in Quhuo’s expansion into the ‘Fresh Beef + New Chain Brands’ sector,” said founder and CEO Leslie Yu.
“With our combined strengths in supply chain integration and multi-channel operations, we are confident in driving widespread adoption and upgrading of fresh beef consumption in China, delivering sustained value to our shareholders while meeting the increasing demand from Chinese consumers for high-quality, healthy food choices.”
China’s appetite for beef continues to grow
A study published in Meat Science found that 47.7% of Chinese residents enjoy eat beef, viewing it as healthy and highly nutritious.
Beef’s rich protein content and essential nutrients – like iron, zinc, and B vitamins – make it a popular choice among increasingly health-conscious consumers.
“For Chinese consumers, beef is now the third most consumed meat, after pork and chicken, and the per capita consumption of beef has increased by 50% over the last decade,” according to researchers in the same study.
“This is juxtaposed to other countries, which are projected to experience a decline in their per capita consumption of beef, including Argentina (−5 %), Canada (−2 %), Brazil (−2 %), the United States (−4 %), and significantly within the Oceania region (−15 %) (OECD/Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2022).”
McKinsey & Company similarly reported on China’s healthy demand for beef.
“Beef ranks number three on China’s meat menu, with nine million tons consumed in 2021. About two-thirds of the Chinese consumers surveyed report purchasing beef in the past month, but their purchases but do not match US levels. However, beef shows strong growth potential: following annual growth of 4 percent in 2017–21, growth is expected to continue at 2 percent until 2026.”
Interestingly, China’s focus on health and wellness is driving a split in its meat market.
According to the same McKinsey report, slightly less than half of Chinese consumers are “conscious consumers” – people committed to eating little or no meat – citing health and price as factors for avoiding meat.
McKinsey notes that this health trend is not dampening overall beef demand; instead, it is shifting preferences toward higher-quality, leaner cuts.
This aligns with Quhuo and NIU World’s strategy to position fresh, nutrient-rich beef as a healthier protein choice in an evolving market.
“Companies can explore potential white spaces for establishing competitive advantage. As Chinese consumers shift meat consumption from pork to protein sources considered to be of higher quality, global players have an opportunity to introduce more premium offerings, especially beef, to the market,” noted McKinsey.
