1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 273 Entering Jiangnan
"Mr. Ye, Manager Tan, do my dishes look alright?"

Before Chen Jiazhi had even crossed the road, he shouted to the two people on the other side.

Ye Canjiang turned around and laughed, "It's more than just okay, Mr. Chen, you manage this market very well."

I've traveled all over the country and seen all sorts of vegetable farms, but a clean and refreshing market like this is rare.

Chen Jiazhi stepped forward and shook hands with the two men.

Tan Qiu also said, "Boss Chen, I didn't expect you to have such a big patch of green peppers besides snow peas. It looks like you're going to have a bumper harvest!"

Ye Canjiang said, "Speaking of Dutch beans, Mr. Chen, you probably had a premonition when you stocked up on those Dutch beans at the beginning of the year."

"If you don't get rich, who will?"

Listening to the two men's flattery, Chen Jiazhi felt quite pleased and realized that the Jiangnan market at this time was indeed very ordinary.

He also has his own understanding of operating a wholesale market, and the logic is actually the same as that of Didi Chuxing (a ride-hailing service).

First, attract merchants and buyers with various preferential conditions.

Once a monopoly advantage is established or the traffic reaches a certain level, various charges will be introduced.

Like the Jiangnan market at its peak in later years, all the tricycles used to transport goods in the market had to be licensed. Stall owners could not deliver goods themselves; all deliveries had to be handled by licensed tricycles, and a license could cost as much as 30 yuan at its peak.

This is equivalent to the market receiving the delivery fee.

Other fees, such as entrance fees, parking fees, and commissions, are also exorbitant. Even buyers in the secondary market have to pay booth fees to enter.

However, the Jiangnan Market is currently facing competition from surrounding markets such as Yuexiu and Dongwang, and is still in the customer acquisition phase.

It's not even fully open yet.

Strong and capable merchants are also important to the market.

After several encounters, Chen Jiazhi realized his own strength. He wasn't a big spender, but with the support of Jiangxin Market, he was qualified to be served at the table.

He led the two of them back and forth along the provincial highway, where both the north and south sides were covered with green peppers and snow peas laden with fruit.

It looks presentable from any angle, whether viewed from above, below, left, or right.

Not long after, he returned to his office to drink tea and chat.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Mr. Ye, can my stall and warehouse be finalized now?"

Ye Canjiang asked, "Mr. Chen, I have a question. Why are you so insistent on renting a warehouse? It can't be for stockpiling goods, can it?"

Chen Jiazhi shook his head and said, "I have other business to do, which is not convenient to talk about at the moment. Once it gets going, Mr. Ye will naturally find out."

Ye Canjiang then looked at Tan Qiu, "A Qiu, what do you think?"

Tan Qiu thought for a moment and said, "I think it's a good idea. Currently, the market lacks merchants who own their own production bases. Boss Chen has a vegetable market, which can at least guarantee a basic supply of goods."

“Yes, that’s what I think too.” Ye Canjiang extended his right hand again. “Mr. Chen, welcome to join us. I look forward to cooperating with you.”

The stall and warehouse were taken over just like that.

They didn't discuss the rent in detail because rent in Jiangnan is very cheap; a stall of just over 100 square meters only costs 300 to 500 yuan per month.

However, there is also an entry fee: 2 yuan/ton.

If you produce 20 tons of vegetables a day, the daily entry fee would be 40 yuan.

And as one can imagine, as market traffic increases, various costs will also rise.

Compared to wholesale markets that charge high rents, Jiangnan's business model is very flexible, which may be one of the reasons why it will stand out in the future.

It's only the beginning. After nearly half a month of struggle, Chen Jiazhi has managed to secure a position relatively easily.

Overall, when attracting businesses to this market, the main focus is on the competitiveness of the merchants.

Compared to state-run wholesale markets, there are fewer complex interpersonal relationships.

The next morning, Chen Jiazhi, along with Li Cai and Chen Zhengxu, went to the market to complete the contract signing and rent stall number 63 in the fresh vegetable section.

And a somewhat remote but spacious bungalow will be used as a warehouse, planned to be used as a sorting and distribution center.

The rent can be paid monthly or annually. Chen Jiazhi paid 15 years' rent upfront, which is 15 yuan.

He actually wanted to sign a permanent lease agreement, but Tan Qiu was surprised to say that this was not an option at the moment.

It would be good if they could sign a 15-year contract.

The market operator doesn't lose money either; rent accounts for a very small percentage of its income, which comes more from entry fees and other sources.

On the contrary, recovering funds as quickly as possible will help its next stage of development and construction.

After signing the contract, Chen Jiazhi, Li Cai, and Chen Zhengxu were placed in slot 63, which is currently the last slot, in a relatively late position.

It has an area of ​​about 120 square meters and is about the size of three or four trailer parking spaces.

The stall was empty; there was nothing there.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Li Cai, we can buy a table and put it here so you can sit and write orders later."

Li Cai asked, "Should we buy a trailer, a flatbed truck, or a tricycle?"

Chen Jiazhi shook his head. "From now on, we'll hire porters for loading, unloading, and transportation. We won't need to buy these transportation vehicles, and it will make things easier for you."

The three then went to the warehouse used for sorting and distribution, which was located in a corner of the market and didn't even have a door number yet.

The space is indeed very spacious, nearly 200 square meters, which is more than enough for sorting.

Chen Jiazhi also adjusted the division of responsibilities, with Li Cai in charge of stall sales and Chen Zhengxu in charge of sorting and delivery.

In addition to a stall and a distribution center, Chen Jiazhi also arranged for the two to rent dormitories nearby so they wouldn't have to travel back and forth.

The transportation can be handled by Yan Hao, a driver from Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

As for external procurement, Chen Jiazhi decided to take Xue Jun along to give it a try first. This is the current situation: each line has a person in charge, who may not be qualified or excellent, but Chen Jiazhi felt for the time being that these people were reliable.

In early April, stalls and distribution centers began operating one after another.

The opening was uneventful, and the menu was limited that day, consisting of only a few thousand kilograms of snow peas, which were sold by Li Cai.

But the 300 mu of sweet peppers at Jiangxin Vegetable Market will be on the market soon.

Compared to snow peas, bell peppers yield a much higher harvest per acre.

Based on the current fruit yield, harvesting over ten tons at a time is easily achievable.

This is the real highlight of Gangnam No. 63 after its opening.

For the first two or three days of April, Chen Jiazhi stayed at stall number 56 in Haizhu every night to communicate with old customers and exchange markets.

This has once again aroused dissatisfaction among many people.

Most of them are unwilling to change markets because the volume is small and the distance is also greater.

Of course, many people are also interested in his new stall, such as Curly Hair, who has recently been picking up vegetables near Zengcuo Road.

Chen Jiazhi also talked to other stall owners in the market, and most of them were quite interested.

Mr. Hu, the owner of stall number 57, was particularly stunned when he learned that he had a large batch of green peppers to be sold in the next few days.

"Mr. Chen, where did you find so many green peppers? They've been a bit hard to buy lately!"

"I grew them myself," Chen Jiazhi said with a smile. "Mr. Hu, if you're interested, you can come and buy some to try later."

Mr. Hu nodded blankly, recalling how Mr. Chen would talk to him about green peppers every now and then during this period.

So it was premeditated all along!

"I'll definitely come and support you if I have the chance."

"Okay, then I'll thank you in advance, Mr. Hu. Remember the location: stall number 63 in the fresh vegetable section of Jiangnan Market, Zengcuo Road, Baiyun District."

Chen Jiazhi had already thoroughly investigated who in this market preferred to sell green peppers and who preferred to sell leafy greens.

These secondary wholesalers are his potential customers.

A moment later, it was Old Wu's turn to work at booth number 18.

Old Wu said dejectedly, "What are you thinking? You've only been here for a few days, why are you leaving again?!"

Chen Jiazhi: "Don't worry."

Old Wu said with a hint of anger, "How can I not be anxious? You had already decided to leave, so why did you pull me back?"
"I meant why you called me back to buy groceries? Were you just playing with me for fun?"

Chen Jiazhi took out a cigarette and laughed, "Want a smoke or not? If not, I won't explain."

Old Wu glanced at him, sensing his confidence, and said, "Smoke! Why aren't you smoking! I want to see what tricks you're up to!"

Chen Jiazhi lit a cigarette for him, took a slow puff himself, and said, "If you can't bear to part with your stall number 18 and don't want to go to Jiangnan, I can sort and package it for you according to your standards and the weight of each order, and then send it to you all at once."

Of course, the prices are different, but you'll have a much easier time.

However, I would recommend that you also visit Zengcuo Road. If you are familiar with Huacheng's transportation and urban planning, you will find that its geographical advantages are very obvious.

"As for this market now, to get to the city center you have to cross the Pearl River, and the road across the bridge will only become more and more congested, especially in the mornings when it's packed with all kinds of vehicles. Many city shoppers are unwilling to come here anymore; its potential has already been exhausted. Relocation or even disappearance is quite possible."

Chen Jiazhi left, having repeated the same lines many times.

Old Wu sat in his stall, smoking silently. He remembered a saying: "I'd rather have a bed in Hebei than a room in Henan."

'Henan' refers to Haizhu District, and 'Hebei' mainly refers to Xiguan District and Yuexiu District.

"Young masters from Dongshan, young ladies from Xiguan, and rotten tomatoes from Henan" is also a popular saying among the people of Guangdong.

This demonstrates Haizhu's social status.

Most of the city's government agencies are located in Hebei, so Lao Wu has to cross the bridge to deliver goods every morning.

He truly felt the traffic congestion that had been worse each year, with each month getting more congested than the last.

He originally came to Haizhu because the traffic jams at the city's street markets for wholesale vegetables were too severe, and the prices were too high.

That's why Haizhu, where vegetable prices are even cheaper, came here.

But now that I've analyzed it this way, it seems like there's something wrong with this place.

"White clouds, make the road easier~"

Old Wu plans to ask around to see if the location is really that good.
If it's good, then I'll go to another place to buy groceries. It's just a bit of a pity about stall number 18.

Many people shared the same thought as Lao Wu: either they would ask around or they would go and see for themselves.

After all, many people witnessed the rise of a small vegetable farmer in this year.

From selling vegetables by bicycle to now selling one or two truckloads of goods at a time, it's impossible that luck was the only factor.

Perhaps their perspective is unique.

After another night of selling vegetables, Chen Jiazhi, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but look back at the empty No. 56.

Now, new faces replace the old. Number 56 used to be a sweetheart, but now she won't even be a "Cow Lady" anymore.

April 7th afternoon.

Two and a half months later, in addition to snow peas, Jiangxin vegetable market also had a bumper harvest of chili peppers.

The green peppers, as vibrant as jade, hang heavily on the branches, and vegetable workers can be seen everywhere busily picking, bagging, and loading them onto trucks...

For Chen Jiazhi, this was a visual feast.

Even more astonishing is the yield; a rough estimate suggests that the first harvest may yield 20 tons!
(End of this chapter)