The Chongqing pavilion at the expo is crowded with potential customers. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Recently, the president of Chongqing Tianfu Cola Co Ltd had to go out and ruefully apologize – as stocks ran out – to customers who were still lining up to buy the company's popular drinks.

"Sorry, we can't sell the products here anymore," he announced at the first China International Consumer Products Expo, which took place in the city of Haikou, Hainan province. The products exhibited by the company were among Chongqing-made commodities from 15 districts and counties and 18 local manufacturers based in the municipality.

The pavilion designed for Chongqing featured three sections – for Chongqing's intelligent manufacturing, Chongqing's flavors and for Chongqing's crafts – with some 60 top products on display.

The hottest products at the expo reportedly turned out to be those with the strongest Chongqing characteristics. The most eye-catching products included Qiaotou hotpot soup base, Fuling pickled mustard and even tubes of toothpaste targeted for hotpot lovers.

"I know Chongqing is a place loaded with delicacies, so I took the chance at the expo to experience its iconic food in the Chongqing pavilion," said one Haikou local, who ordered many Chongqing-made food products online after he tasted them at the expo.

The popularity of Chongqing's local products stems partly from brand influences and partly from the dynamic mindsets of its entrepreneurs. The result is that they constantly combine traditional crafts with modern ones, to render the Chongqing offers more appealing.

In addition to the innovation of their products, Chongqing brands are also nimble in adapting their business modes. For instance, a local white wine producer now takes personalized orders, with customers able to order only one bottle at a time, with delivery in a week.

Taking full advantage of the expo's platform, the Chongqing municipal government also co-hosted an economic and trade fair with the Hainan government on May 7, with nearly 20 local purchasers seeking to broker commercial deals with potential partners from Canada, Germany and Japan.

Three rounds of business match-up activities in the fair covered areas including food, fitness and nutritious products, as well as maternity and infant products and cosmetics. Every Chongqing-based company was offered the opportunity to find business partners.