When Americans think of Campbell's Soup, they picture tomato, chicken noodle, maybe cream of mushroom. But walk into a supermarket in Hong Kong, and you'll find something entirely different on the shelf: watercress and duck gizzard soup.

It sounds like a prank, but it's absolutely real—and it's been a regional favorite for over fifty years.

How Duck Gizzards Ended Up in a Can

Campbell's entered the Hong Kong market in the 1960s and quickly realized that American comfort food wouldn't cut it. Cantonese cuisine has a long tradition of slow-simmered soups featuring organ meats and medicinal herbs. Watercress soup, in particular, is beloved for its supposed "cooling" properties in traditional Chinese medicine.

So Campbell's did something radical: they created a soup specifically for local tastes. The watercress and duck gizzard variety launched in the 1970s and has remained in production ever since.

Not the Only Unusual Flavor

Campbell's Hong Kong lineup includes several soups you'll never see in Western markets:

Cream of snake soup (a winter delicacy)
Fig and pork soup
Chinese mushroom and chicken
Pork lung soup

These aren't novelty items gathering dust—they're staples that compete with homemade versions for busy families who don't have time to simmer stock for hours.

The Gizzard Factor

For the uninitiated, duck gizzards are the muscular part of a bird's digestive tract. In Cantonese cooking, they're prized for their chewy texture and ability to absorb surrounding flavors. Combined with peppery watercress, they create a soup that's earthy, slightly bitter, and deeply savory.

The canned version doesn't quite match a grandmother's recipe, but it scratches the same itch—especially when you're craving something warming at 2 AM.

A Lesson in Localization

Campbell's Hong Kong strategy is a masterclass in understanding your market. Rather than pushing American favorites and hoping they'd catch on, the company invested in developing products that felt authentically local.

The result? Campbell's has maintained a strong presence in Hong Kong for decades, even as competitors have come and gone. The duck gizzard soup isn't just a curiosity—it's proof that sometimes the weirdest-sounding product is exactly what customers want.

Next time someone tells you American companies don't understand international markets, tell them about the duck gizzard soup. Then watch their face.

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