(Yicai) March 4 -- Wahaha’s bottled water and other drinks are selling out on some e-commerce platforms as consumers snap them up in memory of the founder of the Chinese beverage giant who passed away last week and who, as a farmer turned billionaire, embodied the country’s entrepreneurial spirit.

A number of Wahaha products were out of stock on the company’s store on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, yesterday, Yicai noticed. And Wahaha distilled drinking water can only be pre-ordered now, with deliveries only available after April 2.

Wahaha’s mineral water, 100-gram carton of AD Calcium Milk, eight-treasure porridge, Nutri-express drink and iced black tea are all out of stock on the firm’s online store on JD.com.

Zong has died from an undisclosed illness, the Hangzhou-based company said on Feb. 26. Born in 1945, Zong was one of the first private entrepreneurs in China even though he only started his first business at the mature age of 42. Born to a poor family in Xuzhou, eastern Jiangsu province, the talented businessman was named China’s richest person three times.

Wahaha’s beverages have been selling much better in the past week than before, Yicai learned from shops in Beijing’s Zhongguancun area although no specific figures were given. The sales of AD Calcium Milk, for instance, have at least doubled.

Zhong Shanshan, founder of Wahaha’s biggest rival Nongfu Spring, published an article on the company’s WeChat account to commemorate Zong.

Editor: Kim Taylor