Xiu Chai

EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific Class of 2024
Founder and CEO, Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co., Ltd, Greater China

Xiu Chai is the founder and CEO of Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co., Ltd, a company based in Shanghai, China, specializing in the trade, production and processing of cheese and related products.

Xiu Chai is a seasoned professional in the dairy sector. Her entrepreneurial journey began in 2001 with the establishment of a dairy enterprise named Guangze in Jilin province, China. Eventually, she made a bold decision to move to Shanghai to attain her ambitious dreams, recognizing Shanghai's pool of rich talent and the strategic advantage the city offered.

In 2007, during the FOOD EXPO in France, Xiu Chai viewed the extensive variety of cheese with a profound fascination. This marked the beginning of what would become a deep-seated admiration. By 2015, she made the decision to shift focus toward the production of high-quality Chinese cheese. In 2022, Milkground's market share reached 43.9% (Nielsen Retail Index). 

Xiu Chai has been recognized as a "Category Leading Entrepreneur" at the China Food Industry Innovation and Growth Conference in 2022. In both 2022 and 2023, the Dairy Association of China honored her as an "Exceptional Dairy Worker". Forbes China noted her successful trajectory and included her in their "Outstanding Businesswoman of China" list in 2023. Further, she was selected for the “2023 China Business Mulan List” by Chinese Entrepreneur Magazine. Her vision is to introduce cheese to every household and position Milkground as China's leading cheese enterprise.