Starting from a Bar to Sign Internet Celebrities

After making the arrangements, Chen Jincheng took Cai Xiaoyi and followed Wang Yuan into the liquor factory.

Soda and beer could largely be produced on the same production line, so the factory didn’t require major modifications and could be put into operation quickly.

"Boss, the finished product area is over there." Wang Yuan led the way as he spoke, quickly bringing Chen Jincheng to see the finished Second-Life Star Soda.

The packaging for the finished product was designed exactly according to the blueprints he’d brought over from another world for a product called "37.2°C".

In that other world, he had been a veteran of the nightlife scene and was more than familiar with the branding and packaging of all sorts of alcoholic beverages.

And in that other world, the packaging for 37.2°C was exceptionally stylish and avant-garde, catering to the younger generation’s desire for individuality and trendiness.

A stylish, vividly colored bottle like this would produce even more dazzling hues under the neon lights of a nightclub, making it all the more appealing.

"Mr. Chen, is this alcohol? It looks so beautiful!" Cai Xiaoyi, the divorcée from Malay, couldn’t help but praise the finished bottles of Soda when she saw them.

Wang Yuan chimed in with an introduction, "Per your instructions, we’ve already produced a variety of Soda flavors, including strawberry, blueberry, lychee, herbal, and coffee."

"We’ve also created two versions. One is for the general public, and the other is for social entertainment venues like bars, KTVs, and parties. The latter version is diluted with more water, making it cheaper to produce."

Chen Jincheng nodded. The version for the nightclub market was the real money-maker.

In the other world, the production cost for a bottle of soda for the general market was about one yuan, making a case cost around 25 yuan. The wholesale price was 40 yuan per case, and supermarkets sold it for just a few dozen yuan a case.

The nightclub version, however, cost only 0.05 yuan per bottle, or 12 yuan per case. The wholesale price was 25 yuan per case, but nightclubs sold it for over 500 yuan.

Of course, those were the prices in the other world. After all the major liquor brands entered the market and counterfeit alcohol became rampant, many bars were still using soda that they’d bought wholesale for a little over ten yuan a case.

But this world was different.

Soda was appearing for the first time. He had invested 300 million, could ramp up production quickly, and could use Second-Life Star for rapid promotion to capture the largest market share.

Crucially, he had applied for a patent. Even if other liquor brands managed to reverse-engineer it, they would still need time to research alternative ingredients.

Therefore, after this drink blew up, by the time the other brands reacted, reverse-engineered it with alternative ingredients, and launched their own products, he would have at least a year where the market was completely dominated by his Second-Life Star.

He planned to raise the price for the general market version of the Soda, setting the wholesale price at 80 yuan for a 24-bottle case. This price was comparable to beer, and even lower than brands like Heineken.

At that rate, he would make a profit of 55 yuan on every case sold.

As for the bar market version, he also planned to set the wholesale price at 80 yuan per case, which would give him a profit of 68 yuan per case sold to bars.

’Compared to my previous life, this was an absolutely exorbitant price.’

’But alas, this world had no Soda. He was the pioneer, so wasn’t it reasonable to charge a little extra for the research and development fee?’

’Just look at the production cost of a Fruit Phone versus its retail price. Most of that markup was for the value of its research and technology.’

Of course, after making a killing for a year, other brands would start releasing their own sodas. At that point, he could lower his wholesale price, citing "advancements in production technology" and "reduced costs" as the reason.

If any brands set their prices at his original level at that time, they would be in an awkward position.

Besides, by then, Second-Life Star Soda would have already captured the largest market share. After that, it would just be a matter of maintaining a steady, long-term stream of income.

Chen Jincheng asked, "Wang Yuan, what’s our current production capacity?"

Wang Yuan explained, "Boss, as soon as your second round of funding and the bank loan came through, I immediately continued acquiring factories. I bought another one in Coastal City, two more in Lin City, and we’re in negotiations for four others."

"The factories we have now have all been retrofitted and are ready for production. At full capacity, we can produce over 40,000 cases a day without a problem. Once we close the deal on the other four, our daily output can reach over 70,000 cases. However, if we go all-out, sourcing materials will be an issue."

"If the soda doesn’t sell, running at full capacity will just create a massive backlog, and we’ll go bankrupt very quickly."

Hearing this, Chen Jincheng immediately replied, "Leave the sales to me. Your job right now is to produce at full capacity. Also, have a batch of the liquor sent to Extreme Bar immediately. I need to shoot a commercial for it."

’Capital was indeed a problem. That’s why he had to rush to shoot the commercial, use video promotions to drive sales, and generate hype for Second-Life Star Soda.’

’If he could sell all 40,000 cases produced daily, he would make a minimum profit of 2.2 million yuan. If a large portion was sold to nightclubs, the profit would be even higher.’

’If they secured the other factories and produced over 70,000 cases at full capacity, his daily profit would be close to 4 million yuan at a minimum.’

’That would be a profit of 120 million a month.’

’If he reinvested that money into production and acquiring more factories, it would be no problem to multiply that profit several times over.’

’He knew that in the other world, even in 2024, with various soda brands locked in a fierce battle, a leading brand like Power Station still raked in over a billion yuan in annual profit.’

’But in this world, the market belonged exclusively to Second-Life Star Soda, at least for the next year.’

’If things went smoothly, this one year could bring him a massive wave of profits.’