【Epoch Times, November 15, 2025】- “Pate Fresh” is the first project founded by Hou Yi, the founder of Hema Fresh, after leaving office. It is reported that “Pate Fresh” will close all its stores, from the opening of the first store in February this year to a comprehensive shutdown, with a duration of less than 9 months.
On November 14, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily, it was reported that the pet fresh food brand “Pate Fresh”, founded by Hou Yi, will close all its stores, just 9 months after the opening of the first store. This project, which received high funding and was founded by a senior industry player, ultimately failed to achieve its expansion goals.
A reporter from the Xinmin Evening News recently found that many Pate Fresh stores have ceased operations. A search on the “Dianping” app for “Pate Fresh” shows a total of 19 stores, of which 7 are marked as “temporarily closed” or “closed for business”. Some of the suspended stores, like the Long Dream store in Zhongshan Park, which opened on April 5 this year, operated for only over 200 days.
Pate Fresh is the first entrepreneurial project initiated by Hou Yi after stepping down as CEO of Hema. In September of last year, just six months after leaving Hema, Hou Yi began preparing to enter the pet food sector.
In February this year, the first Pate Fresh store opened in Haisu Cultural Plaza in Changning District, Shanghai. With a store area of 200 square meters, it featured sections for pet supplies, fresh food production, social interaction, and other functional areas. Its product line not only included traditional dry and wet pet foods but also focused on introducing innovative categories such as freshly prepared and sold foods, refrigerated fresh foods, noodle main dishes, and baked pastries.
Hou Yi positioned Pate Fresh as a new retail chain store, with a core concept of freshly prepared and a fresh approach. At a brand strategic partnership meeting, he announced plans to deepen its presence in the Shanghai market by Opening 100 stores across major areas of Shanghai by 2025.
On May 7 of this year, Pate Fresh announced the completion of a $25 million angel round of financing, equivalent to approximately 177 million Chinese Yuan, setting a record for angel financing in the pet industry.
However, despite receiving substantial financial support, Pate Fresh failed to achieve sustainable development. Its Little Red Book official account’s last update was on November 7, focusing on a promotion for the Double Eleven sales event.
Hou Yi has extensive experience in the retail sector. Hema Fresh, founded by him, was once a benchmark in China’s new retail industry. The company has now become a subsidiary under the Alibaba Group, selling fresh food products.