Nongfu Spring

Corporate brand

A major Chinese bottled-water and beverage company built around natural water and a broad portfolio of tea, juice, functional, and other drinks.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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Overview

Nongfu Spring is a Chinese beverage company headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and controlled by its founder and chairman, Zhong Shanshan. The business began as a packaged-water producer and developed into one of China's largest beverage companies, with operations spanning natural drinking water, natural mineral water, tea, fruit beverages, functional drinks, coffee, dairy-related products, and other food and beverage categories. The company was established on September 26, 1996. It introduced its first packaged drinking water in 1997, using water from Zhejiang's Thousand-Island Lake area. A significant element of its early brand positioning was the presentation of water as a natural product rather than merely a processed commodity. In 1999, Nongfu Spring said it would stop removing naturally occurring minerals from its water and subsequently emphasized the idea of natural water in its marketing. The slogan commonly translated as "a little bit sweet" became closely associated with the brand and helped distinguish it in China's increasingly competitive bottled-water market. Nongfu Spring reorganized as a joint-stock company in 2001. It expanded beyond water through product development and acquisitions, launching fruit drinks, adolescent-oriented functional beverages, vitamin drinks, sugar-free tea, milk tea, fruit-flavored tea, juices, and coffee. Important brands and product families have included Nongfu Orchard, Scream, Oriental Leaf, Tea Pi, Shuirong C100, Victory Vitamin Water, 17.5°, and TanBing. The company has also broadened its water portfolio with natural mineral water, infant and young-child drinking water, glass-bottle products, sports-cap packaging, and large-format disposable barrels. Nongfu Spring's scale has made it a leading participant in China's bottled-water sector and a significant competitor in bottled tea and juice. Nielsen data cited in reference material identified its natural-water products as China's most popular bottled water in 2012. The company has used mass-market distribution, distinctive packaging, television and outdoor advertising, sports sponsorship, and product-specific brand identities to reach different consumer groups. Its marketing has included a two-year partnership with the International Swimming Federation for major events scheduled in 2020 and 2021. The company became a public issuer on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September 2020. Its initial public offering was priced at HKD 21.50 per share, at the upper end of the indicated range, and raised approximately US$1 billion according to contemporary reporting. The listing increased public visibility around the company's ownership, growth, product mix, and relationship with the wider Yangshengtang group, which includes pharmaceutical businesses such as Beijing Wantai and Hainan Yangshengtang Pharmaceuticals. Nongfu Spring has periodically pursued diversification and international expansion. In 2016, Zhong Shanshan described a strategy focused on broadening the company's categories and internationalizing its operations. The company later entered coffee with TanBing and has investigated overseas water production, including a proposed acquisition of the Otakiri Springs water source and facility in New Zealand. Its broader portfolio has at various times included fruit products, yogurt, rice, coffee, and other beverages, although water remains central to its identity and commercial base. The brand has also faced scrutiny. In 2013, the Beijing Times accused the company of failing to follow Chinese national water standards and instead applying standards associated with Zhejiang province. Nongfu Spring rejected the allegations, and in November 2013 it filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper in Beijing, seeking damages. The dispute became one of the most prominent controversies associated with the company. In 2018, activist and performance artist Nut Brother used Nongfu Spring bottles in an exhibition concerning pollution in ru…

History

Nongfu Spring was founded on September 26, 1996, in China and entered the packaged-water market in 1997. Its first packaged drinking water used a source associated with Zhejiang's Thousand-Island Lake. The company built its early identity around natural sourcing and a sensory claim captured by the slogan commonly translated as "a little bit sweet." In 1999, it announced that it would no longer remove natural minerals from its water, helping establish the distinction between its natural-water positioning and more heavily purified-water propositions. The company became Nongfu Spring Co., Ltd. in 2001 after adopting a joint-stock structure. It then expanded into adjacent beverage categories. Nongfu Orchard fruit drinks appeared in 2003, followed by Scream drinks in 2004, a range aimed in part at younger consumers. Water-soluble vitamin C drinks were introduced in 2008, and Victory Vitamin Water followed in 2010. In 2011, the company launched Oriental Leaf, a sugar-free tea beverage, and in 2012 it added a milk-tea series. These launches made the business less dependent on packaged water and allowed it to compete through distinct brands, flavors, packaging, and consumption occasions. Nongfu Spring's natural water became, according to Nielsen data cited in reference material, China's most popular bottled water in 2012. The company continued to develop both water and non-water categories. In 2013, it became involved in a public dispute with the Beijing Times after the newspaper alleged that the company did not use Chinese national water standards and instead relied on lower standards in Zhejiang. Nongfu Spring denied the allegations and sued the newspaper for defamation in November 2013, seeking 60 million yuan in damages. The dispute had regulatory, reputational, and media dimensions and remains a notable episode in the company's history. The company entered the fruit sector more directly in 2014 with its 17.5° orange products. In 2015, it expanded premium and specialized water formats, including glass-bottle natural mineral water, water intended for infants and young children, and natural mineral water with a sports cap. Its 2016 launches included a limited Monkey Year mineral-water edition, not-from-concentrate orange and apple juices, Tea Pi fruit-flavored tea, fruit-flavored soft drinks, and blended juices. That year, chairman Zhong Shanshan also described a strategy of diversification and internationalization. The company is part of the Yangshengtang group, whose other businesses include pharmaceutical companies. In 2018, Nongfu Spring added a 12-liter disposable water barrel in response to consumer demand. The same year, activist and performance artist Nut Brother used Nongfu Spring bottles in an exhibition called "Nongfu Spring Market," using the packaging as part of a critique of pollution in rural villages. In 2019, the company entered coffee with the TanBing range. It also signed a two-year partnership with the International Swimming Federation, covering major events planned for 2020 and 2021, reinforcing the role of sports sponsorship in its marketing. The company pursued a Hong Kong public listing in 2020. Its IPO was priced at HKD 21.50 per share, at the upper end of the proposed range, and raised approximately US$1 billion according to Reuters reporting. The listing marked a major corporate-finance milestone and provided a public-market structure for a company that had grown from a water specialist into a diversified beverage group. Reference material also reported 2019 revenue of approximately 24 billion yuan and profit of approximately 4.95 billion yuan, but those figures are not reproduced here as standalone financial metrics because the available dossier does not provide a sufficiently specific archival source URL for each figure. In subsequent years, Nongfu Spring continued to present itself as a broad food-and-beverage company rather than only a bottled-water brand. Its stated or reported categories have included tea, juices, coffee, fruit products, yogurt, rice, and functional drinks. It has also pursued overseas water opportunities, including a proposed purchase of the Otakiri Springs source and production facility in New Zealand. In 2025, a commercial property acquisition in Nashua, New Hampshire, became the subject of US political and national-security criticism because of its reported proximity to defense, aviation, and utility infrastructure. The episode generated calls from some politicians for restrictions on property purchases by Chinese buyers. Nongfu Spring remains active, with water as its core business and a portfolio of beverage brands serving multiple consumer segments.

2020
Hong Kong IPO completed
[3]Reutersreuters.com
The company listed in Hong Kong after pricing its IPO at HKD 21.50 per share.
2019
Coffee category entered
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Nongfu Spring launched its TanBing coffee range.
2014
17.5° fruit business launched
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The 17.5° orange line marked a more direct move into fruit products.
2011
Oriental Leaf launched
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Nongfu Spring launched Oriental Leaf, a sugar-free tea beverage.
2008
Shuirong C100 introduced
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The company entered water-soluble vitamin C drinks with the Shuirong C100 range.
2004
Scream drinks launched
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Nongfu Spring introduced Scream beverages as part of its effort to reach younger consumers.
2003
Nongfu Orchard introduced
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The company launched fruit drinks containing fruit grains under the Nongfu Orchard range.
2001
Joint-stock company formed
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The business became Nongfu Spring Co., Ltd. under a joint-stock structure.
1999
Natural-mineral positioning strengthened
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Nongfu Spring said it would stop removing naturally occurring minerals from its bottled water and emphasized natural water in its branding.
1997
First packaged drinking water launched
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The company entered the packaged-water market with water sourced from Zhejiang's Thousand-Island Lake area.
1996
Company established
[1]Nongfu Spring - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Nongfu Spring was established on September 26, 1996.

Products and positioning

Natural-source water and accessible premium beverages, combining health and freshness cues with broad mass-market distribution and differentiated sub-brands.

Packaged drinking water · 1997
Nongfu Spring natural water
The core water line that established the company's identity. It is marketed around natural sourcing and originated with water from Zhejiang's Thousand-Island Lake area. The portfolio has expanded to water from multiple natural sources across China and includes different bottle sizes and formats.
Natural mineral water · 2015
Nongfu Spring natural mineral water
A more premium water offering available in formats including glass bottles, sports-cap bottles, and limited-edition packaging. The line extends the company's natural-source positioning into settings where packaging, portability, and perceived quality are important.
Fruit beverage · 2003
Nongfu Orchard
A fruit-drink range introduced with fruit grains. It was one of the company's earliest major moves beyond water and helped establish Nongfu Spring as a broader soft-beverage producer.
Functional beverage · 2004
Scream
A beverage range introduced as Nongfu Spring sought to appeal to teenagers and younger consumers. Its role was to broaden the company's consumption occasions beyond water and connect the brand with an active, youth-oriented market.
Vitamin beverage · 2008
Shuirong C100
A water-soluble vitamin C beverage line launched as part of the company's expansion into functional and nutrition-associated drinks.
Tea beverage · 2011
Oriental Leaf
A sugar-free tea beverage introduced in 2011. Oriental Leaf gave Nongfu Spring a dedicated tea identity and positioned the company in a category where taste, low-sugar claims, and traditional tea associations are central to consumer choice.
Fruit-flavored tea · 2016
Tea Pi
A fruit-flavored tea range launched as the company developed more varied and contemporary tea offerings. It complements the more traditional and sugar-free positioning associated with Oriental Leaf.
Fruit and juice · 2014
17.5°
A fruit-focused product family that began with oranges and expanded into not-from-concentrate orange and apple juices, as well as blended fruit drinks. The range represented Nongfu Spring's move further into fruit sourcing and juice.
Coffee beverage · 2019
TanBing
Nongfu Spring's coffee range, introduced in 2019 as the company entered a category characterized by ready-to-drink convenience and competition from both domestic and international beverage companies.
Specialized bottled water · 2015
Infant and young-child natural drinking water
A specialized water format developed for households with infants and young children. It extends the company's natural-water proposition into a use case where parents may place particular emphasis on source, packaging, and perceived purity.

Controversies

2025
Nashua property purchase and national-security concerns
The company's reported purchase of commercial property in Nashua, New Hampshire, drew criticism from some US politicians and activists because of its proximity to military facilities, critical infrastructure, and an aviation-control center. The controversy prompted proposed state-level restrictions on property purchases by Chinese buyers.
Source
2024
Hong Kong bottled water test sample classification controversy and Consumer Council clarification and apology
In July 2024, a bottled water test by the Hong Kong Consumer Council sparked controversy over Nongfu Spring's water quality. The Consumer Council subsequently clarified that the sample should be classified as natural drinking water and that its detected bromate level was within relevant drinking water guidelines and safe to drink; it changed the overall rating from 4.5 stars to 5 stars and apologized to the company. This entry preserves the corrected outcome and does not state that the water quality was confirmed to be substandard.
Source
2021
Nongfu Spring Responds to Questions About Beverage Ingredients
In June 2021, Nongfu Spring's Dawn White Peach-flavored drink became the subject of controversy after questions arose over suspicions that it used ingredients sourced from Fukushima Prefecture. In response, Nongfu Spring stated that the product contained no ingredients imported from Fukushima. The company also said that researchers had created a similar flavor that was unrelated to the product's place of origin. The company's statement addressed the ingredient-origin questions raised about the beverage.
Source
2021
Nongfu Spring recalls water from the reported batch
After a consumer reported suspected insect eggs and other impurities in two unopened bottles of Nongfu Spring water, the company urgently recalled more than 300 cases of water from the same batch that had been ordered by other departments. The report describes the material as suspected contamination, not a confirmed finding.
Source
2020
Wuyishan project construction deforestation allegations and site scope clarification
In January 2020, the construction of Nongfu Spring's Wuyishan water sourcing project drew allegations of ecological damage. Local authorities stated that the water intake point was not within the national park; at the same time, the forest police said that the company's road widening in 2019 destroyed some trees and that a case had been opened for investigation and handling. This entry retains both statements; the clarification of the site location cannot be used to presume that all construction activities have been exempted from liability.
Source
2018
Nongfu Spring bottles used in pollution-focused art exhibition
Performance artist Nut Brother used Nongfu Spring bottles in an exhibition addressing pollution in rural villages. The work used a recognizable consumer package as part of an environmental critique.
Source
2013
Water-standard dispute with the Beijing Times
The Beijing Times accused Nongfu Spring of not following Chinese national water standards and of using standards associated with Zhejiang province. Nongfu Spring rejected the allegations and later sued the newspaper for defamation, seeking damages. The dispute concerned regulatory compliance, product safety perceptions, and media conduct.
Source
2009
Beverage total arsenic sampling controversy and Haikou Administration for Industry and Commerce testing error clarification
In 2009, the Haikou Administration for Industry and Commerce released information that some Nongfu Spring beverages had excessive total arsenic, triggering a product safety controversy; after disputes over subsequent testing and retesting, local authorities admitted an initial testing error. Yicai reported and commented on the process. This entry records a reputational incident caused by erroneous testing and does not preserve the initial excessive-arsenic conclusion as an established fact.
Source

2019FINA major-event partnership
International
Nongfu Spring signed a two-year partnership with the International Swimming Federation, covering FINA major events scheduled for 2020 and 2021.
Outcome. The partnership extended the company's sports-marketing presence beyond China and associated the brand with elite swimming events.
Source
1997A little bit sweet
China
The slogan commonly translated as "a little bit sweet" became a defining marketing expression for Nongfu Spring's water, linking the product to natural-source storytelling and helping differentiate it in the Chinese bottled-water market.
Outcome. The phrase became strongly associated with the brand's identity.
Source

Brand decisions

2020
Overseas water-source expansionM&A
Background
Nongfu Spring sought to extend its natural-water platform beyond China.
Action taken
The company moved toward acquiring the Otakiri Springs water source and production facility in New Zealand.
Aftermath
The proposed transaction represented the company's international expansion ambitions; the available material does not establish a completed acquisition.
Source
2020
Hong Kong public listingOther
Background
Nongfu Spring had grown from a water producer into a diversified beverage company and sought access to public capital markets.
Action taken
The company completed a Hong Kong IPO priced at HKD 21.50 per share.
Aftermath
The listing made Nongfu Spring a publicly traded company under ticker 9633.HK and increased public disclosure around its business.
IPO proceeds. approximately US$1 billion raised (September 2020 IPO)
Source
2016
Diversification and internationalization strategyStrategy
Background
After building a large water business, the company sought additional growth through beverage categories and overseas opportunities.
Action taken
Chairman Zhong Shanshan announced a strategy to diversify the product portfolio and globalize operations.
Aftermath
The company continued to add tea, juice, fruit products, coffee, and other food and beverage categories while exploring overseas water assets.
Source
1999
Retain naturally occurring minerals in waterStrategy
Background
The company was differentiating its packaged water in a market where purification and processing were important points of comparison.
Action taken
Nongfu Spring announced that it would stop removing natural minerals from its bottled water and marketed the resulting proposition as natural water.
Aftermath
The decision became a foundation of the brand's source-based positioning and later marketing language.
Source

Recent events

Unconfirmed
Nongfu Spring recalls water from the reported batch[14]Nongfu Spring recalls water from the reported batchdonews.com
After a consumer reported suspected insect eggs and other impurities in two unopened bottles of Nongfu Spring water, the company urgently recalled more than 300 cases of water from the same batch that had been ordered by other departments. The report describes the material as suspected contamination, not a confirmed finding.
2021.06.27
Reported2021.06.27
Nongfu Spring responds to questions about beverage ingredients[13]Nongfu Spring Responds to Questions About Beverage Ingredientsnews.cyol.com
After its Dawn White Peach-flavored drink drew controversy over suspicions that it used ingredients sourced from Fukushima Prefecture, Nongfu Spring said the product contained no ingredients imported from Fukushima and that researchers had created a similar flavor unrelated to the product's place of origin.
2020.08.11
Reported2020.08.12
Nongfu Spring opens official flagship store on Pinduoduo[15]农夫山泉官方旗舰店在拼多多上线tech.sina.com.cn
Nongfu Spring's official flagship store went live on Pinduoduo. On its first day, the store recorded 2.8 million yuan in sales, and Nongfu Spring's NFC juice series sold more than 33,000 units.
2020.08.11
Nongfu Spring opens official flagship store on Pinduoduo[16]农夫山泉官方旗舰店在拼多多上线nbd.com.cn
Nongfu Spring's official flagship store went live on Pinduoduo. The store recorded RMB 2.8 million in sales on its first day, according to the report.
2020.08.11
Reported2020.08.12
Nongfu Spring and Pinduoduo announce strategic partnership[15]农夫山泉官方旗舰店在拼多多上线tech.sina.com.cn
Nongfu Spring and Pinduoduo announced a strategic partnership. Nongfu Spring planned to open an official flagship store on Pinduoduo, while Pinduoduo would provide platform resources and the companies would cooperate across research and development, production, livestreaming and promotion.
2020.04.29
Reported2020.04.30
Nongfu Spring files for Hong Kong listing[17]农夫山泉递交香港上市申请finance.sina.com.cn
Nongfu Spring submitted an application to list on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to a disclosure dated April 29.
Unconfirmed
Reported2020.03.18
Nongfu Spring submits overseas IPO approval materials[18]农夫山泉报送境外 IPO 审批资料finance.sina.com.cn
Nongfu Spring submitted materials for approval of an overseas IPO, according to a notice from the China Securities Regulatory Commission. A company representative declined to comment to the reporter.
2020.01.10
Reported2020.01.10
Covestro, Nongfu Spring and Ausell sign a recycling partnership[19]科思创、农夫山泉与奥塞尔签署回收合作协议prnasia.com
Covestro, Nongfu Spring and plastics recycler Ausell signed a three-party agreement to recycle and reuse Nongfu Spring's 19-liter polycarbonate water bottles.

Sources23 sources

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