One Beef Meatball: 60 Years of Legacy Pioneering Carbon-Neutral Beef Meatballs, Redefining the Future of Dining
While many time-honoured brands are still searching for ways to connect with younger consumers, Tai Po Chun Hing has taken a bold step by opening its first noodle shop in Tin Hau. Leading the transformation is Pius Chan, Executive Director and second-generation successor of Tai Po Chun Hing. Since taking over the family business, he has introduced a series of new initiatives that have expanded the brand’s reach, with the company’s e-shop business achieving more than 20% growth last year.
Pius said, “Experiential retail will be a key driver of growth in the future. Drawing on our experience from the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo and Lunar New Year fair, we aim to create a warmer, more engaging experience than a traditional retail shop can offer - one where consumers can taste the products on the spot. At the same time, Hong Kong specialty foods are increasingly popular with visitors, and we hope to capture new opportunities from this trend.”
Tai Po Chun Hing started out in Kowloon Walled City, where it built its reputation on beef balls made using the traditional method of manually pounding beef with heavy iron rods. Renowned for its signature 100% pure beef balls, the brand has stayed true to its commitment to quality and authenticity. As it approaches its 60th anniversary, Tai Po Chun Hing continues to innovate with new experiences, new horizons and new mindset.
New Experiences: Experiential Retail
The new shop in Tin Hau blends heritage and innovation. While showcasing the brand’s 60-year journey, it also introduces youthful touches such as its original mascot, “Beef Ball Man (丸俠)”. The fusion of Hong Kong nostalgia and modern comic-inspired design has given the store a distinctive character. Within just a few months of opening, it has attracted residents, young consumers and Mainland tourists.
Pius said: “We’ve been in retail for years, and opening a restaurant had long been part of our vision. When a shop became available for lease in Tin Hau - conveniently located near the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo venue - we decided to take the leap. It’s a simple idea: when people try our products first-hand, they’re much more likely to take them home, and become our customers.”
Around half of Tai Po Chun Hing’s business comes from B2B sales, but its B2C segment has been growing rapidly in recent years, particularly through e-commerce and online retail channels. Shifts in consumer behaviour after the pandemic, combined with the rise of livestream commerce, have fuelled strong online sales growth.
The brand continues to expand its product portfolio to bring new experiences to consumers. Capitalising on the growing popularity of Chaoshan cuisine, it launched Chaoshan beef balls made from 100% Yellow Cattle Beef. In addition, it features regional favourites ranging from Taiwanese pork balls, Hong Kong-style beef balls, and cuttlefish balls, alongside convenient ready-to-cook products such as frozen pizzas and dim sum, catering to the evolving consumer tastes and lifestyles.
Pius described adopting barcode as “the first step in retail” — it gives the product an unique identity, which is especially helpful for distinguishing between different varieties of meatballs that often look alike. A simple “beep” can improve inventory management and logistics delivery efficiency while reducing the chance of errors.
New Horizons: Smart Production and ESG Transformation
A common question among consumers is whether hand-made beef balls are necessarily tastier than machine-made ones. Pius believes the real secret behind the bouncy, springy texture lies elsewhere – not in whether the process is by hand or by machine, but in precise control over temperature and quality. Their production incorporates automated equipment and precision temperature-control systems, with thermometers monitoring both the ambient conditions and temperature at the key contact points during the pounding process. This enables the company to maintain consistent product quality while meeting international food safety standards.
Sustainability is also a core pillar of Tai Po Chun Hing’s business strategy. Years ago, the company began using ezTRADE to conduct paperless, digital transactions with buyers such as fast-food chains.
Building on this strong foundation of transaction data, the company further leverages the ESG supply chain community platform to monitor carbon emissions. The calculated data is provided to clients such as fast-food chains to support their carbon reporting and compliance with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s Scope 3 disclosure requirements.
As the brand enters its 60th anniversary, it will also launch “Carbon-Neutral Beef Balls”, integrating carbon reduction and sustainable development concepts into the product itself to convey an environmental message to the market and consumers.
Pius shares, “The younger generation is particularly conscious of sustainability. At the same time, ESG has become an increasingly important focus across the industry. That’s why we believe the timing is right to introduce carbon-neutral beef balls.”
New Mindset: Rubik’s Cube-Style Adaptive Problem-Solving
Before returning to Hong Kong, Pius built his career in the electronics technology industry in the United States. Yet the prospect of seeing the family business founded by his father, Mr. Chan Nam-kui, lose momentum after nearly half a century weighed heavily on him. Knowing that his father had expectations, he eventually made the life-changing decision and returned to Hong Kong in 2007 to take over. Pius said, “I couldn’t bear to see my father’s business fade away. Had I not returned, it would have been the greatest regret of my life.”
However, after taking over, he discovered a huge gap between reality and his expectations. He had assumed the brand’s foundation was solid, but the market environment had already changed drastically. Facing constrained marketing resources, the brand had to explore new ways to break through. A turning point came when the brand made its name at the Food Expo with its attention-grabbing “HK$1 for 100 pieces” promotion. Over time, those efforts paid off, helping transform the business and grow its annual turnover into eight figures.
Pius is also a strong advocate of the “adaptive problem-solving” mindset championed by former food and beverage industry executive Mr Paul Cheng. He believes there is rarely a fixed formula for success in business. Instead, companies must stay agile, continually adjusting their strategies to meet changing market conditions. For example, when the brand’s B2B business dropped sharply during the pandemic, they pivoted to e-commerce.
Pius says, “Everyone has moments when they doubt whether they can do it. But just like ‘blindly twisting’ a Rubik’s Cube, everyone can eventually succeed.”
Driven by this determination to rise to every challenge, the company aspires to go beyond Hong Kong and become a global brand, bringing premium Hong Kong style beef balls and the city’s unique food culture to consumers around the world.
