The company was originally founded in 2016 as Genki Forest by Tang Binsen. Tang was a tech entrepreneur who previously founded ELEX Technology (creator of
Clash of Kings) before selling it off for $434 million in 2014. Frustrated at the overwhelming dominance of
Tencent and
NetEase in the gaming sector, Tang decided to switch to consumer goods, in particular the beverage sector, which he believed was yet to be transformed by technology. Tang also founded Challenjers Venture, a
venture capital firm that focused on companies in the
FMCG sector. Genki Forest initially struggled to launch a product that resonated with consumers due to the team's lack of experience. The first batch of products was a disaster and Genki Forest had to pay a significant cost to destroy the shipment. This set back the company and for a long time the company survived almost entirely on loans from Challenjers Venture. Genki Forest marketed its products using Japanese-style packaging to give the perception of high quality. In January 2026, it was reported that Chi Forest was considering holding an
initial public offering on the
Hong Kong Stock Exchange. At the time backers of Chi Forest included
Warburg Pincus and
Temasek Holdings. ==References==