\u201cIt\u2019s the most painful part of being a pet parent<\/a>. Nothing feels exciting about it,\u201d he told news.com.au checkout.<\/p>\n Qinghua attributes the dread to existing pet brands<\/a> and their \u201cboring\u201d cat litter and accessories.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you browse online or go to the brick and mortar stores, you find all those kitty litter brands<\/a>, all those kitty litter accessories<\/a> \u2013 litter box, litter mat and scoopers \u2026 you find they are pretty much boring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are all big brands and big names with designs like back in the 1990s. Boring and old \u2013 it won\u2019t excite me when I\u2019m cleaning the cat\u2019s business<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Cat litter<\/a> or kitty litter has long been around since the early 1950s, particularly in the form of clay, and while it was considered the standard at the time, it shared negative impacts<\/a> on humans and cats, the house, and the environment.<\/p>\n Frustrated at the lack of \u201cexciting\u201d and eco-friendly options<\/a>, Qinghua took matters into his own hands. <\/p>\n NICE TO MICHU<\/p>\n With a degree in Economics, strong marketing knowledge and a passion for cats<\/a>, Qinghua Siluo founded Michu<\/a> in April 2022. It\u2019s a leading premium pet care brand that specialises in tofu cat litter<\/a> and in less than three years, it has generated over $10 million in sales<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like this was an opportunity for me to disrupt the market<\/a>. Like finding something interesting<\/a> for people like the younger generation, Generation Z,\u201d Qinghua explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThey definitely don\u2019t want old things, they don\u2019t want old school stuff. They grew up in an environment with TikTok and Instagram<\/a> influencers telling them what\u2019s \u2018in\u2019. So that\u2019s the motivation<\/a>. That\u2019s where we started our business and where we\u2019re positioning ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n But getting Michu<\/a> off the ground required more than just a good idea \u2013 it needed a product that truly stood out<\/a> from the rest and strategic marketing.<\/p>\n DISRUPTING THE MARKET<\/p>\n While Michu<\/a> didn\u2019t necessarily invent tofu litter,<\/a> the brand certainly pioneered introducing the litter alternative to the Australian market<\/a>.<\/p>\n Michu\u2019s tofu cat litter<\/a> is eco-friendly, biodegradable, dust-free, and offers excellent odour control. But the defining factor of what truly sets it apart is its aesthetic appeal<\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s colourful, available in various scents (or unscented), and wrapped in stylish and fun<\/a> packaging.<\/p>\n And to Qinghua, that\u2019s exactly what makes Michu \u201creally outstanding\u201d<\/a> compared to other brands.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people are browsing our product in Petbarn or Coles, their attention will be immediately attracted<\/a> to our product,\u201d he told news.com.au checkout. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bright and it\u2019s enough to get someone interested to pick it up, look at it and consider transacting with it. The colour is very beautiful but it isn\u2019t too bold. It can be easily blended<\/a> into their home lifestyle and in their home decoration environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind Michu\u2019s carefully thought out designs and aesthetics<\/a> is a deeper brand mission: showing that mundane tasks like scooping cat litter don\u2019t have to be boring<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur company is not really selling the product. What we are selling is our value, the emotional value<\/a> to the public,\u201d Qinghua said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you feel like \u2018I don\u2019t want to get bored of doing this everyday cleaning job for my cat\u2019, choose Michu<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n THE PLAN: RAISING BRAND AWARENESS<\/p>\n Qinghua knew that functionality alone wasn\u2019t enough<\/a> to make noise in the highly competitive pet care industry<\/a>. He needed to invest a significant amount of time and money into building a social strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore we officially launched our products<\/a>, we planned for half a year. Since 2021, we have been making the strategy,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took us about half a year to educate our audiences, to reach the public<\/a>, get them familiar with us and to raise social awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n Qinghua reached out to influencers<\/a> to create content and invested money in Google Ads, Facebook, and TikTok Shop, as well as Chinese social media sites like RedNote to get the brand out there.<\/p>\n While the strategy was expensive, it eventually paid off<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018I KNOW YOUR BRAND, YOU ARE EVERYWHERE\u2019<\/p>\n After investing a tonne of money into social media and marketing, Qinghua saw the fruits of his labour<\/a> in an unexpected way.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we reached out to Petbarn or Pet Circle<\/a> to introduce our products to them, the buyers said to me, \u2018I know your brand. You are everywhere<\/a>.\u2019 I realised that money [I invested] finally works,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It was this key moment that sealed the deal<\/a> for Michu. It showed that their marketing strategy had successfully planted them in the heart of the industry and raised brand awareness<\/a> before major retail partnerships were formed.<\/p>\n THE GLOBAL SUCCESS STORY<\/p>\n Today, Michu has seen continuous success \u2013 amassing over $10 million in sales<\/a> since its launch in 2022.<\/p>\n The Michu Natural Clumping Tofu Cat Litter<\/a> is their number one bestseller<\/a> to date, followed by the premium Wonder Litter<\/a> and the cat litter boxes<\/a>. With multiple sellout periods due to high-demand and selling over 2 million bags globally<\/a> \u2013 approximately four bags sold every minute \u2013 the Aussie-based brand has since scaled internationally<\/a> to the US, with products sold in key stockists like Walmart<\/a>, Petco<\/a> and Chewy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Qinghua believes the successful US launch<\/a> comes down to one common denominator: consumers in developed markets share similar values<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have these similarities like they all need environmentally friendly products<\/a>,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey all have purchasing power and they all want something new. They want to be emotionally satisfied<\/a>. These are things in common and this is what we are offering. That\u2019s why we are growing rapidly<\/a> in the US.\u201d <\/p>\n The brand\u2019s milestones followed. Michu was named the number one Smart50 Company<\/a> in the 2025 Smart50 Awards \u2013 an annual program that celebrates and recognises fast-growing and innovative small-medium Australian businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n They also received the 2026 Silver Award at the New York Product Design Awards<\/a> \u2013 an international competition honouring creations that improve daily life \u2013 for their container cat litter box<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, the most rewarding moment for Qinghua was seeing the brand\u2019s devoted fanbase<\/a> in real life at the 2025 Cat Lovers Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a queue for over 200 fans. They lined up there to buy from us or get the freebies from us because the show ground opened at 8:00am,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at 7:30am, the line already had 500 people<\/a>. That was really rewarding because I know they\u2019re not there just for freebies, but because they love us<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as the door opened, everyone came to us and I was like a Hollywood celebrity<\/a>. It made me feel that way. And oh my god, that was really satisfying and very rewarding<\/a>, and from that point I felt like we have social responsibility abilities. We\u2019re not just making profits, we need to spoil our community.\u201d<\/p>\n THE FUTURE OF MICHU<\/p>\n With Michu\u2019s ongoing success and international expansion, Qinghua revealed there are plans to go more global<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an Australian born brand<\/a>, we first of all, are taking care of our Australian customers. The second mission is to expand to other countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are talking about a deal with New Zealand<\/a> right now because we had a lot of emails from New Zealand flying to my inbox asking us \u2018where are you?\u2019. After New Zealand, it will be Canada<\/a>,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n While many pet care brands eventually expand to include both dogs and cats for wider consumer reach, Qinghua is firm on keeping Michu cat-centred<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not wise for Michu to expand too wide and not be an expert on kitty litter,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cSo we want to tell the public that when you talk about Michu, you have an idea and impression like \u2018oh this brand is an expert in kitty litter<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is I want everyone talking about Michu<\/a> to have the idea that we\u2019re a kitty litter provider and solution provider.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more shopping news? Make sure to sign up to our weekly shopping newsletter<\/a> (it\u2019s free) to stay on top of the latest deals, trends and product roundups.<\/p>\n Harriet is a Shopping Writer at news.com.au checkout. As the team’s resident Gen Z, she has a keen eye for the latest trends \u2014 whether it’s a recent fashion fad, a viral beauty product, or that one thing you need to make your home look amazing, she’s got her finger on the pulse and is always ready to share her fabulous finds. Harriet meticulously scours the web for the hottest deals, must-have products and dupes, and insane sales to help Aussies save cash and make informed buying decisions. When she isn’t working, you’ll most likely find her buying into the latest TikTok trends, playing video games, or gushing over her dogs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Qinghua Siluo, 36, being a cat parent is one of the many joys in his life. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2095,64,265168,63,689,265181,265180,99,485,2065,265159,199135,265170,265178,265184,265157,265161,265145,265149,265160,265167,2456,265156,1973,265147,265179,795,265174,265175,265171,265169,265183,265163,265148,265155,265154,1025,1736,265151,2041,2067,677,265173,265172,265165,265153,265176,265158,265166,265164,265144,265177,265185,1314,265182,265150,265152,265146,265162,2614],"class_list":["post-534334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-america","tag-au","tag-aussie-man","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-customers","tag-brand-mission","tag-business","tag-california","tag-canada","tag-care-brands","tag-cat-litter","tag-cat-litter-boxes","tag-cat-owners","tag-cat-parent","tag-cat-problem","tag-cat-products","tag-consumer-reach","tag-container-cat","tag-defining-factor","tag-everyday-cleaning-job","tag-facebook","tag-global-success-story","tag-hollywood","tag-home-decoration-environment","tag-home-lifestyle","tag-inc","tag-international-expansion","tag-kitty-litter","tag-kitty-litter-accessories","tag-kitty-litter-provider","tag-leading-premium-pet","tag-litter-alternative","tag-melbourne-based-cat-lover","tag-mortar-stores","tag-multiple-sellout-periods","tag-new-york","tag-new-zealand","tag-news-com-au-checkout","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-odour-control","tag-pet-care","tag-pet-care-industry","tag-pet-problem","tag-premium-pet-care","tag-product-roundups","tag-raised-brand-awareness","tag-retail-partnerships","tag-rewarding-moment","tag-school-stuff","tag-small-medium-australian-businesses","tag-social-media","tag-social-media-sites","tag-social-responsibility-abilities","tag-solution-provider","tag-tiktok-shop","tag-tofu-litter","tag-united-states-of-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Harriet](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8b705763-e82e-4955-a1e6-e4d33d4bd8cf.png\")
<\/a>Harriet Amurao<\/a>Senior Shopping Writer<\/p>\n