Tiens

m. The company headquarters are in the port city of Tianjin. Smaller business operations were noted in September 2003 on NASDAQ and in April 2005 on AMEX. The business was founded in 1995 by Li Jinyuan. Starting in spring 1998, it was able to establish itself on the international market. Its first business activity was the export of traditional Chinese medicinal products, Calcium tablets and instant coffee. These products were sold via direct marketing directly to consumers, reaching 16 million customers in 190 countries as of 2009, according to the company's website. Most consumers were located in Russia, with some 60,000 in Germany. Through a multi-level marketing approach, Tiens supplies its products through independent agents to the final customer. As of 2009, Tiens claimed to have more than 12 million direct salespeople worldwide, including over 40,000 in Germany alone. In May 2015, the company sent 6,400 employees on a four day tour of France. While in Nice, they set a Guinness World Record for the longest "human made phrase".