1999: LIKE A TINY SEED OF CHILLI... The story of DeZhuang resembles the life cycle of chilli. A tiny seed, rooted in the humble ground, which turns into a lush plant as high as its ambitions, and points to the sky. That’s how everything started. In 1999, the future founder of the brand Dezhuang, Mr. Li Dejian, opened his first hot pot restaurant. One of the many in the big city of Chongqing, but apparently moved by stronger ambitions. That small seed was getting ready to reach the sky. 2003: PUTTING DOWN ROOTS AS ROBUST AS OUR VALUES By this year, the business has grown becoming the Dezhuang Group, a complex ecosystem of subsidiaries at every level of the production. What was meant to be a food service-centred business, shortly after developed its own brand of products (mainly hot-pot base mixes) with a clear positioning: becoming the leaders in the Chongqing-styled hot pot industry and promote the hot pot culture – and, more broadly, the Szechuanese cuisine. This must be achieved by “always offering the finest ingredients”. 2018: The pathway to the world As the roots go deeper and leaves grow broader, a small vase can no longer contain DeZhuang’s big ambition. In 2018 the Group embarked in a joint venture with Gianluca Luisi and a team of international Chinese food enthusiasts with the main purpose of internationalizing the brand. From this union was born DeZhuang International - with the ambition to spread the culture of the Szechuan cuisine worldwide. Soon after launching this program, Dezhuang is awarded as 2018 China’s Top Ten Overseas Hotpot Brands. 2019 to TODAY: The pathway to your hearts and 20 years of satisfactions. Remember that single, tiny seed mentioned before? Now it’s a beautiful cornucopia adorned with ripe fruits. The single restaurant opened 20 years ago in Chongqing today is a complex ecosystem with its own production and processing chain, and that counts over 1000 restaurants, 600+ products, and speaks more than 10 languages.