China Paradigms

Since its founding in 2001, Element Fresh has been a beacon of fresh and healthy western food in China’s most bustling cities. The Founder and President, Scott Minoie has been in China for 22 years and has accumulated over 30 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry. He is also co-Founder and COO of Planet O, a location-based mixed virtual reality and social experience hub. Moreover, Scott is the co-chair of AmCham Shanghai's Food, Agriculture, and Beverage committee. Let’s turn to the interview and see what Scott has to share! 00:00 – Scott Minoie’s introduction and background 05:21 – How did Element Fresh Start? From sandwich making in a friend’s bedroom to a premium restaurant chain in China. 07:31 – Element Fresh concept was created accidentally. Cross-industry is a clever way to find your niche. 10:52 – The two big steps that lead Scott Minoie to take Element Fresh seriously 13:27 – Where did the initial investments go to? 14:45 – How did Element Fresh make it through the SARS pandemic

We interview Yael Farjun, who is present co-leader at Travel Massive and an experienced entrepreneur, who founded 2 travel companies. Both have now been shut down due to travel restrictions. In this episode, Yael shares her 10 years of experience in the travel industry in China, talking honestly about the ups and downs, challenges and achievements. Growing a travel business in China has a learning curve that is different than growing a travel business in the West. So what are the pitfalls of growing a travel business in China? Where on the Chinese travel market should foreign travel entrepreneurs concentrate their efforts? How has the pandemic affected the travel industry in China vs the rest of the world? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 00:00 Intro 7:11 My Way PCM and ChinaClickGo - companies history 13:54 What is the size of the travel market in China? 18:57 Why has TripAdvisor failed to take over the Chinese travel market? 25:03 Yael Farjun's thoughts