Didi and Meituan Clash in Brazil as Food Delivery Battle Goes to Court
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Didi entered Brazil in 2018 through its investment in local ride-hailing startup 99.
Chinese tech rivals Didi Global Inc. and Meituan are taking their feud to Brazilian courts, intensifying competition in one of Latin America’s most contested food delivery markets.
On Aug. 19, Didi’s local unit 99Food sued Meituan’s overseas delivery brand Keeta in a São Paulo court, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition. The filing came only five days after Keeta accused 99Food of signing merchants to exclusive contracts and using cash advances to block cooperation with rivals.
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- Didi’s 99Food and Meituan’s Keeta are suing each other in Brazil over alleged trademark infringement, unfair competition, and contract exclusivity.
- Meituan pledged to invest $1 billion over five years to launch Keeta in Brazil; Didi relaunched 99Food there in April 2025.
- Market leader iFood holds over 80% share and plans to invest 17 billion reais by March 2026 to defend its position amid intensifying competition.
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Who’s Who
- Didi Global Inc.
- Didi Global Inc. is engaged in a legal battle with Meituan in Brazil's food delivery market. Its local unit, 99Food, sued Meituan's Keeta for trademark infringement and unfair competition. Didi first entered Brazil in 2017, acquired local ride-hailing company 99 in 2018, and relaunched its 99Food delivery service in April.
- Meituan
- Meituan, a Chinese tech company, is involved in a legal dispute in Brazil with Didi Global Inc. over its overseas delivery brand, Keeta. Meituan expanded Keeta to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in 2024 and plans to invest $1 billion over five years to establish the brand in Brazil, despite its formal launch still pending.
- Rappi
- Rappi is a Colombian delivery group referenced in the context of the competitive Brazilian food delivery market. 99Food, a Didi subsidiary, allegedly required merchants to promise not to work with Rappi, among other rivals, in exchange for financial incentives. iFood, the market leader, plans to spend significantly to defend its position against competitors including Rappi.
- iFood
- iFood is the leading food delivery service in Brazil, holding over 80% of the market share. It's backed by South African investment group Prosus and plans to invest 17 billion reais by March 2026 to counter competitors like Keeta, 99Food, and Rappi. iFood aims to increase monthly orders from 1.2 billion to 2 billion and active users from 55 million to 80 million within three years.
- Tencent
- Tencent is mentioned in the article as an entity that formerly distributed Meituan's shares to shareholders as dividends in 2022. Prosus, a South African investment group, holds a major stake in Tencent.
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What Happened When
- 2017：
- Didi entered Brazil through its investment in local ride-hailing startup 99.
- 2018：
- Didi fully acquired local ride-hailing startup 99 in Brazil.
- 2019：
- Didi launched 99Food in Brazil.
- 2022：
- Prosus distributed Meituan’s shares to shareholders as dividends.
- 2023：
- Didi shut down 99Food in Brazil.
- 2023：
- Meituan launched Keeta in Hong Kong.
- 2024：
- Meituan expanded Keeta to Saudi Arabia.
- April 2025：
- Didi relaunched 99Food in Goiânia and São Paulo, Brazil.
- May 2025：
- Meituan pledged to invest $1 billion over five years to establish Keeta in Brazil.
- August 2025：
- Meituan sued 99Food for buying Keeta-related search terms on Google to divert traffic.
- Aug. 11, 2025：
- A São Paulo court ordered 99Food to stop manipulating Keeta keywords within three days or face a daily fine.
- Aug. 19, 2025：
- Didi’s local unit 99Food sued Meituan’s overseas delivery brand Keeta in a São Paulo court.
- Aug. 19, 2025：
- Meituan rolled out Keeta operations in Qatar.
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