About Us

The story of Trendline Co., Ltd. began in 1991 when Jackson Dai established Jackson Dai Industrial Co., Ltd. (JDI) in Shenzhen. Specializing in the production of high-quality resin items, the factory earned a reputation for excellence by producing replicas and retail products for prestigious institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA, alongside custom-made tap handles. By 1995, JDI had successfully entered the promotional products industry through the creation of the original Spinner Mug.

The company's scope expanded significantly in 1999 when Jackson Dai’s daughter, Sophie Tai, established a trading department to penetrate the promotional goods market further. To provide comprehensive sourcing and inspection services for gift importers, she registered a sister company in Hong Kong called M.S Distribution Ltd (MSD) and opened an office in Ningbo. That same year, Gaëtan Friese joined MSD as Business and Operations Director, a move that brought an international perspective to the growing enterprise.

A major shift occurred in 2004 when the Czech Republic-based promotional gift leader, Reda a.s., acquired MSD. The firm was renamed Reda China Limited, serving as a dedicated sourcing office to improve quality control and efficiency, with Gaëtan Friese appointed as CEO and becoming a shareholder of Reda a.s.. Leveraging this sourcing expertise, Reda a.s. expanded across Europe, increasing its warehouse capacity to 17,000 pallets and its printing facilities to 40,000 sq ft, while distributing a wide range of promotional products under the brand name Excursion.

While MSD was being integrated into Reda a.s., Sophie Tai focused her efforts on evolving the original family business, JDI. In 2015, she renamed the company Trendline Co., Ltd. to enhance its international visibility and introduced a new line of merchandising products for breweries to complement their existing resin production.

The paths of these industry leaders converged again in 2018 after the decision was made to sell Reda a.s. and close Reda China due to several shareholders reaching retirement age. Sophie Tai recruited Gaëtan Friese to join Trendline, where he spent a two-year non-compete period in the promotional industry focusing on the global expansion of the tap handle business. During this time, he represented the company at international trade shows such as BrauBeviale in Germany and various events in Bangkok, Munich, Nuremberg, São Paulo, and Singapore.

By 2020, Trendline had solidified its position as a market leader in high-quality, refined tap handle designs. Under the management of Gaëtan Friese, the merchandising team decided to re-enter the promotional items market, merging the tap handle and promotional departments into a single, unified operation.