Eastroc Beverage (Group) Co Ltd, which became publicly listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange only in February this year, announced its financial results for 2025 yesterday (March 30).
Total revenue rose 31.8% to RMB20.9bn (US$3bn).
Of which, energy beverages contributed nearly 75% to total revenue at RMB15.6bn (US$2.26bn). Sales of energy drinks also climbed 17.3% from last year.
Revenue from sports beverages, on the other hand, jumped 119% to RMB3.27bn (US$473.7m), accounting for 15.7% of total revenue.
The remaining revenue came from its other beverage products, such as ready-to-drink coffee and fruit teas.
Net profit also increased 32.7% to RMB4.4bn (US$638.8m).
The company said in its financial report that most of its sales were driven by its flagship energy drink Eastroc Super Drink and sports beverage Eastroc Water Boost.
Mainland China is its main market, contributing 99% of the total revenue, although the company is also present in 32 other markets, including Southeast Asia.
Factors driving growth
For energy drinks, the factors driving demand have broadened from seeking an energy boost when working overtime or when engaging in physical labour to being a part of everyday habitual consumption - be it for enhanced focus and mental performance during work or study, or daily wellness supplementation.
“Public awareness and acceptance of energy beverages have increased significantly, and consumption patterns are shifting from occasion-based consumption to everyday habitual consumption,” said the company.
Its sports drinks category, on the other hand, has benefited from functional claims such as “rapid replenishment of electrolytes”. This has helped expand its target consumer group from sports players to the mass market.
“By adopting a strategy of ‘high value for money + strong functional awareness’, Eastroc Water Boost successfully broke through the traditional limitation of sports beverages being confined to the niche market of professional sports, extending their use to diverse everyday scenarios such as campuses, commuting, and travel — thereby achieving a category breakthrough from a ‘niche functional beverage’ to a ‘mainstream daily hydration option’,” said the company.
Overall, China’s beverage category hit total retail sales of RMB329.5bn (US$47.7bn) last year, which was a year-on-year increase of approximately 1%, said the company, citing data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
The company believes that the functional beverage sector is emerging as a key growth engine for the overall beverage sector in China.
As such, it has earlier introduced a taurine-fortified energy drink that obtained the “blue-hat” health foods certification in China.
Functional ingredients such as probiotics and dietary fiber will also help to drive market share in the beverage segment, it said.
“Consumer expectations for scientifically formulated and precisely functional products have become increasingly pronounced, driving the functional beverage segment from basic thirst-quenching and fatigue-relieving towards functional sophistication, health orientation, scenario diversification, and personalization, establishing itself as an important growth engine of the beverage industry.”
Market expansion
Eastroc Group is also stepping up its overseas market presence, especially in Southeast Asia.
In January, the company announced its joint venture with Indonesia’s Salim Group, where both parties would invest in Pt Eastroc Vitamin Energy Indonesia in establishing a production base and sales operations.
The total investment in the project is expected to reach US$300m.