Billion dollar industry in the small vegetable industry (new economic orientation: transformation in clothing, food, housing, and transportation) Kimchi | enterprise | economy

The picture shows the automated production line introduced by enterprises in the "China Pickle City" industrial park carrying out product packaging and sorting.

Provided by the Management Committee of China Kimchi City

Drafted by Zhang Fangman

As soon as I entered the production workshop, I saw thousands of large pottery jars. The workers stood on the platform, holding filter screens and skillfully inserted and pried them in. Dozens of pounds of pickled radishes were steadily loaded into the nets and then placed in pottery jars

"Screening, cleaning, pickling, fermentation, processing, and packaging are all necessary steps for a jar of kimchi to be served on the dining table. Only by mastering factors such as temperature and humidity can the kimchi aroma be produced." In the "China Kimchi City" park in Meishan City, Sichuan Province, when talking about our own kimchi making skills, Yu Qing, the assistant general manager of Sichuan Laotanzi Food Co., Ltd., said, "Our making skills have been passed down for four generations and are a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage."

A jar of good dishes fills the city with fragrance. In recent years, Meishan City has promoted in-depth cooperation between industry, academia, and research in the kimchi industry, promoting the integrated development of culture and tourism in the kimchi industry, and continuously improving the quality and upgrading of the industry.

Industry university research cooperation——

Breaking technical bottlenecks

In the laboratory of the China Kimchi Industry Technology Research Institute in Dongpo, Sichuan, deputy chief engineer Wang Dongdong is holding two bags of kimchi samples and carefully comparing and observing them under the light. "Not only do we need to look at the color and appearance, but we also need to analyze the acidity and aroma through instruments, and then observe whether the storage process is bloating." Wang Dongdong said that using traditional production techniques to make kimchi is most likely to encounter post acidity and bloating, which many companies face in this regard.

"Traditional low salt kimchi uses a natural fermentation process of 'pottery jar+mother water'. After product packaging, lactic acid bacteria continue to ferment using substrates such as sugars in the raw materials, which can lead to increased acidity or bag swelling." Wang Dongdong introduced that he is researching techniques such as cold processing and shallow fermentation to solve this problem.

Enterprises set questions, research institutes answer questions. In order to overcome the technical difficulties faced by enterprise development, Meishan City has specially established a technology research institute, forming a traditional fermented food technology research and development platform mainly focused on kimchi. Deepening cooperation between institutions and enterprises, with individual enterprise needs becoming the main focus of the research institute.

Traditional production processes are greatly affected by the environment, resulting in low activity and poor fermentation stability of lactic acid bacteria used for fermentation. In the past, these issues have caused headaches for Bao Yongbi, the Food Technology Director of Sichuan Chuannan Brewing Co., Ltd.

Wang Dongdong and the team took over the difficult problem. In the laboratory, data records, layers of microbial plates, and rows of kimchi jars reflect the changes in microbial communities during kimchi fermentation under different environmental conditions. After repeated comparisons, the team proposed that there is a phenomenon of "steady-state fermentation" during the fermentation process of kimchi, and based on this, a composite microbial fermentation agent with high activity and stability was prepared, which can quickly ferment to produce acid, inhibit bacteria, and improve stability.

"By applying the new technology, the fermentation efficiency has increased by 40%, the fermentation cycle has been shortened to 48 hours, and the flavor and safety of kimchi have also been improved." Bao Yongbi said that thanks to the launch of the new technology, the company has also launched a production demonstration line.

Now, this achievement has been applied in the leading enterprises of kimchi, with a cumulative new production value of 316 million yuan. In recent years, the research institute has served more than 30 kimchi enterprises in Meishan City, transformed more than 50 achievements, and generated direct economic benefits of over 1 billion yuan.

Complementary work and agriculture——

Ensure the supply of raw materials

Early in the morning, facing a gentle breeze, farmer Leng Fengying from Yongshou Town, Dongpo District, Meishan City rushed to the field. Before my eyes, the drone slowly lifted up. "Fly forward and higher." Leng Fengying commanded the operator, and the UAV sprayed umbrella spray. "Now is the season for rice field management, and we need to prevent the borer disease."

Not only does Leng Fengying grow rice, but she is also a well-known mustard grower. She said that in the past, during the vegetable ripening season, either the supply of vegetables was too high and the prices were low, and farmers worked hard all season but couldn't earn much money; Either due to weather conditions and insufficient vegetable production, enterprises may encounter procurement difficulties and high prices that cannot be purchased.

How to ensure stable profits for farmers and kimchi enterprises has once become a difficult problem that restricts the development of the kimchi industry.

"To produce the aroma of kimchi, high-quality and healthy kimchi raw materials are essential," said Xu Yi, Deputy Director of the "China kimchi City" Management Committee. To this end, Meishan City has invested over 1 billion yuan to build 12 10000 mu kimchi raw material bases with interconnected fields, channels, and roads, forming a first-class vegetable base of over 400000 mu; On the other hand, implementing the "order+policy" model to achieve stable supply of high-quality raw materials and form a mechanism for complementary development between industry and agriculture.

April and May every year are the busiest months for Liang Chendi, the procurement manager of Laotanzi Company. Entering the fields to see the scale, coming to the market to see the price, Emperor Liang Chen did not hesitate to run outside. "We directly sign contracts with farmers, and their food quality is guaranteed, and our supply is also guaranteed." Liang Chendi said, "The contract specifies the order size and price, and if the price rises that year, it will also fluctuate according to the market.".

"I signed a purchase contract with them in April, and as usual, it's still 500 tons, with a protection price of 500 yuan per ton." Leng Fengying smiled happily, "We have been working together for several years, thank you for the order system!"

A while ago, we just signed an order for 3000 tons of radish with Chuannan Brewing. In Chongli Town, Dongpo District, Wu Zhixiang, the chairman of Qingyuan Vegetable Professional Cooperative, is preparing to sign contracts for vegetables with several other companies. Last year, the cooperative sold over 5000 tons of vegetables to kimchi enterprises through an order system, earning over 2.5 million yuan.

"Vegetables are most afraid of encountering various diseases that can affect production." Wu Zhixiang said that the local government has fully implemented vegetable specialty insurance, with 80% of the premium subsidized by the government. "This year's insurance has been purchased, and we only need to bear an average of ten yuan per mu of land." Nowadays, through the "order+policy" model, the local kimchi industry has driven 200000 households to plant vegetables, with an annual planting income of 900 million yuan.

Integration of culture and tourism——

Extend the industrial chain

Skilled in cooking and fond of delicious food, kimchi is a long-standing culinary tradition on the dining tables of Sichuan people, characterized by its sour, spicy, and delicious taste. To commemorate Su Dongpo, a famous literary figure from the Northern Song Dynasty who walked out here, the people of Meishan collectively refer to pickled kimchi as "Dongpo kimchi". "We have formed a rich Dongpo kimchi culture, and hold related expos every year to attract many enterprises and diners to participate." Xu Yi said that kimchi making skills, kimchi food, and knowledge of kimchi culture are all loved by the public.

How to play the cultural card of "Dongpo kimchi" well with cultural heritage?

Promote the integration with the cultural and tourism industry, and further extend and expand the kimchi industry chain. "We have built a kimchi museum and promoted the formation of an industrial tourism loop from the kimchi museum, kimchi style street to characteristic enterprise production lines." Xu Yi said that since the beginning of this year, the local area has attracted over 30000 people to study and experience.

"In just one month in April, we received 16 batches, totaling more than 4000 people, to study and experience." Yu Qing said that developing industrial tourism also brings more possibilities to kimchi enterprises. "It not only expands the company's revenue sources, but also allows more people to understand kimchi culture. Moreover, opening up visits and experiences to the outside world has a promoting effect on our production process management and improving the quality of workers."

Entering the kimchi style street, the "Old Pot Family Banquet" sign is particularly eye-catching. As soon as you enter, dozens of jars of various types of kimchi are dazzling. "Here, you can enjoy the most authentic Sichuan cuisine and the most flavorful kimchi." Store manager Duan Yunxiang is greeting customers.

What kind of kimchi is the best to eat? How can kimchi be cooked? Which dishes use kimchi seasoning? At the store, tourists like to inquire about the specialties of kimchi the most. "Some tourists, after listening to the knowledge of kimchi, can't wait to go to the company to visit and experience it on site," said Duan Yunxiang.

After walking through the Kimchi Style Street, then exploring the Kimchi Museum has become a new choice for many tourists visiting Meishan. "Last year, we achieved a sales revenue of 22.3 billion yuan related to kimchi," Xu Yi said. The park will strive to create a demonstration model for the integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in the next step.

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