New Hope Liuhe: Building an Integrated Agri-Food Business

In October 2018, LIU Chang (Angela), chairman of Beijing-based New Hope Liuhe (NHL), was considering the strategy of the firm. With $9 billion in sales and a presence in nearly 20 countries, NHL was China’s largest animal feed producer and a major pork and poultry producer and processor. The firm also marketed a range of food products to consumers. This case describes NHL’s entrepreneurial beginnings, growth, and recent efforts to transform from a feed producer into an integrated agri-food company with an active presence throughout the chicken, duck, and pig value chains. Considerable context is provided on the structure and evolution of these livestock industries in China and the food processing industry, and important issues such as food safety are considered. This background is helpful in enabling students to assess NHL’s evolution in scale and scope and consider what (if any) changes should be made to the firm’s strategy in the context of this critically important market.