In February 2017, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi remarked that the coffee produced by Hougu Coffee, a rapidly growing domestic brand, was the most delicious in the world. In that same year, Luckin Coffee, a domestic cafe chain destined to become a major rival to Starbucks, was founded by Lu Zhengyao and Qian Zhiya. These two were executives at CAR Inc. (Shenzhou Zuche), a major car rental chain that had experienced rapid growth since 2010.