Tofu Seasonings: Social Media Recipes Drive Market Growth

Executive Summary#

China's online tofu seasonings market grew steadily to CN¥ 110.6 million in 2023 across four leading Chinese marketplaces ^[1]. The way its sales were split between channels changed little from the year before. Mapo Tofu sauce remains the core product, but recipe trends on social media are creating new growth opportunities, and "Pickled Vegetable Rolled Tofu" became the breakout dish of 2023, with the brand Shu Xiaoman (蜀小蛮) building on the trend with a golden soup sauce made for the dish. This analysis examines how sales are distributed across channels, how brand concentration is changing and the recipe-led product innovation that is reshaping this niche category.

Steady Growth Across Channels#

The tofu seasonings market grew steadily over the three years to 2023. Sales on three leading Chinese marketplaces grew from CN¥ 77.1 million in 2021 to CN¥ 83.1 million in 2023, an increase of 7.9% over the two years on these established marketplaces. Content-led commerce, which entered the category in 2022, added further sales without reducing those on the established marketplaces, and sales on a leading content-led marketplace grew 19.9% year-over-year to CN¥ 27.5 million in 2023.

The split of sales between the two kinds of channel was stable between 2022 and 2023, which distinguishes tofu seasonings from the rice sauce market, where sales moved more between channels. We believe this stability reflects the category's roots in well-known dishes such as Mapo Tofu, for which consumers have established brand preferences and habitually buy through search.

Brand Concentration Rises in Both Channels#

Brand concentration in tofu seasonings increased in 2023 both on the established marketplaces and in content-led commerce, which sets the category apart from the rice sauce market, where concentration fell. Concentration is higher in content-led commerce, which we believe reflects a category that is still developing in that channel, where a small number of early entrants established strong positions.

On the established marketplaces, the larger brands are mainly established players with recognised brand equity in Chinese cooking, while in content-led commerce emerging brands are more prominent. Shu Xiaoman, founded in 2020, is an example of the second group, a young brand that built its business on product innovation and content marketing made for short-video commerce.

Breakout Dishes Reshape the Category#

Mapo Tofu sauce is the core of the tofu seasonings market across the marketplaces covered, but two dish-based products showed in 2023 that the category extends well beyond traditional preparations:

• Pickled Vegetable Rolled Tofu became the breakout dish of 2023 across the marketplaces covered. Shu Xiaoman's "Pickled Vegetable Rolled Tofu Golden Soup Sauce with Sauerkraut" departs from traditional Mapo Tofu formulations by combining sauerkraut with a golden soup base. This turns what would otherwise be a complex preparation into a convenient dish to cook at home.

• Teppanyaki Tofu sauce grew strongly from a solid volume base, and Shicuifang (食翠坊) is one of the brands that sells it. The product appeals to consumers because it lets them recreate a popular night market dish at home, a habit that grew with the post-pandemic shift toward eating at home.

We believe these recipe-driven products show that brands which identify trending social media recipes and turn them into products can win new consumer occasions and enlarge the category's market. China's condiment industry reached CN¥ 160.5 billion in total market size in 2023 ^[2], which leaves ample room for niche categories to expand.

Seasonal Patterns and Monthly Dynamics#

Monthly tofu seasonings sales on the three established marketplaces show consistent seasonality across the three-year period. March and April 2023 had the strongest YoY growth, at 48.5% and 47.9% respectively, which we believe reflects springtime cooking and promotional events. November consistently brings strong sales, and November 2021 was the single-month peak at CN¥ 9.0 million during the Double 11 shopping festival.

Innovation Opportunity: From Traditional to Trending#

The success of Pickled Vegetable Rolled Tofu and Teppanyaki Tofu shows that the tofu seasonings category need not stay limited to traditional Mapo Tofu preparations, and this analysis points to the following strategic implications:

• Following recipe trends: Brands that identify trending social media recipes early and quickly develop matching seasoning packets can win new consumer occasions
• Convenience positioning: Products that turn complex preparations into easy-to-use sauce packets meet the growing demand for restaurant-quality meals at home
• Cross-channel strategy: Shu Xiaoman's approach of building a base in content-led commerce and then extending to the established marketplaces is a model that other emerging brands can follow

Key Takeaways#

• Tofu seasonings grew steadily to CN¥ 110.6 million in 2023 across four leading Chinese marketplaces, and the split of sales between channels was stable
• Brand concentration increased in 2023 both on the established marketplaces and in content-led commerce
• "Pickled Vegetable Rolled Tofu" became the breakout dish, and Shu Xiaoman's golden soup sauce was made for it
• Teppanyaki Tofu sauce grew strongly as consumers sought to recreate night market dishes at home
• Sales on a leading content-led marketplace grew 72.6% YoY in December 2023, which may signal faster growth for the category

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering 2021-2023 from four leading Chinese marketplaces. Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce platforms. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete Seasonings & Condiments whitepaper.

For inquiries, contact us at info@moojing-global.com or visit moojing-global.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.