Latest · Production

Under 10,000

Philly Chen at the Langhua production line, the first finished cans behind her, in the Calm Ignition Grain treatment

We've completed our first production run of Langhua 浪花.

It's a small one on purpose — just under 10,000 units. Enough to test the market and our own operations properly before we commit to anything bigger.

At a Glance

Batch size
Just under 10,000 units
Production partner
Shandong, China — selected from 30+ candidates
Development timeline
~8 months, flavour to finished can
Online launch
14 August 2026
Soft launch event
22 August 2026 · Fractal Gallery, Shanghai

Finding the Partner

We talked to more than thirty potential manufacturing partners before choosing one, in Shandong, with real experience bringing new brands to market.

On paper that made them the right choice. In the room, watching them work, it was confirmed.

Philly Chen inspecting the first cans of Langhua as they come off the line, in the Calm Ignition Grain treatment

Six Months, Then Two More

We finalised Langhua's flavour profile about six months ago. The two months after that went into sourcing ingredients that could carry a fresh, fruity yangmei flavour through to the final can without artificial additives — followed by further work on the production process itself, so that flavour survives pasteurisation and carbonation intact, rather than just the recipe on paper.

None of that shows up in a can. All of it is why the can tastes like it does.

David Ries at the Shandong facility, checking a finished can with the production team, in the Calm Ignition Grain treatment

What It Felt Like

"Watching the cans move through the line, the two of us swelled with pride — that we'd followed through on our vision, that our partners had helped us make it real, that the brand looked as good as it did in that moment. But the moment that really got us was cracking the first finished can. Something that had only existed in our heads, all of a sudden, existed. That's what made our hearts sing about what comes next."

— David Ries & Philly Chen

What's Next

Langhua launches online on 14 August. A soft launch event follows on 22 August in Shanghai, in collaboration with Fractal Gallery on Huaihai Middle Road.

For now, we're taking a minute to enjoy this bit.