1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 375 Diffusion
"Hey you there, be gentle, don't be so rough, you're splitting the mustard greens!"

After inspecting a basket of mustard greens, Liu Haitao immediately shouted at everyone around him.

"Our mustard greens are crisp and tender; if they split open, it will affect the price!"

Someone asked, "Haitao, do you know how much mustard greens cost per pound?"

"Just do the work, why worry about so much? We haven't shortchanged you by a single penny." Liu Haitao raised an eyebrow, though he didn't actually know the price either.

The day passed quickly and busily; on the first day of harvesting, the Pengcun mustard greens base shipped out three truckloads of more than 20,000 jin (10,000 kg) of goods.

Pengcun mustard greens were popular in the past, but they were mostly famous in Dianbai County and Mianyang City, and further afield in Zhanjiang. There was rarely such a concentrated large-scale shipment, and it was sold to the more developed Pearl River Delta region.

Many people were surprised and curious about this, and then they all started asking about the price.

After finishing his work in the fields, Liu Haitao came to the office and happened to run into You Fei and Ao Deliang chatting under the camphor tree.

"What are you talking about, Director Ao and Teacher You Fei?"

“We’re talking about mustard green production. Come on, Haitao, come sit down with us for a bit.”

Liu Haitao pulled up a stool and sat down. "How's the mustard green yield today?"

You Fei is a technician at the Shuidong Town Agricultural Technology Station, and is also responsible for screening and optimizing Pengcun mustard seeds. He is also an external expert hired by the Pengcun mustard base.

"The yield is about what we expected, with a yield of 3400 to 3600 jin per mu. However, Director Ao and I agree that there is still great potential for increasing production, and we are discussing how to increase it in the future."

"It just so happens that you've been growing mustard greens for many years, so I'm here to offer some suggestions."

Liu Haitao's attention was still focused on the yield; a yield of around 3500 jin per mu in such a short time was not low.

Based on recent vegetable prices, how much can one acre sell for?

Thinking of this, he said, "Manager, are we still harvesting mustard greens tomorrow? I need to go and answer the workers later. If not, tell them to come back in a couple of days."

Ao Deliang said decisively, "If you're going to cut, everyone come tomorrow."

Liu Haitao asked in surprise, "How much should be cut?"

"It's not decided yet, we'll wait for news." Ao Deliang pondered, "It will at least be similar to today."

"Oh~" Liu Haitao was a little surprised. After pausing for a moment, he asked, "Some villagers in the village also grow mustard greens, following our instructions. They are asking us how much we will pay for the mustard greens?"

Although the promotion in the village last time was not very effective, two or three households still followed suit and started planting mustard greens.

It is reasonable and ethical to acquire it.

Although Ao Deliang knew the market price of mustard greens, he couldn't set a price on his own.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Tell them to wait. We will definitely acquire them, but I don't know the price. We'll have to let the market decide."

At this moment, a villager who had been listening from behind the camphor tree said, "If the price is too low, I might not sell. Vegetable prices have been good lately."

Ao Deliang smiled and said, "I can't guarantee anything else, but I can tell you one thing first: the company's purchase price will definitely be higher than what you can sell it for locally!"

"That's pretty much it."

The villager smacked his lips and left, and Liu Haitao went to inform the workers to continue harvesting vegetables tomorrow.

Ao Deliang continued to discuss with You Fei the topic of increasing production and improving quality.

The current yield is 3500 jin per mu, and the potential for increasing production is actually quite high. For every 10% increase in yield, the increased benefits will be very considerable.

...

Reliable Fresh, distribution center.

Wen Rong stood up and stretched her body; it was already getting dark outside.

Before I knew it, I had been on the phone all day.

Fortunately, the result was pleasing, and at one point she even found making the phone call quite enjoyable.

After all, out of 10 calls, 8 often receive a positive response, or even place an order directly.

This feels great.

blah blah~
Footsteps came from the stairwell. She frowned and looked over. Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai were walking down, both wearing leather jackets. They were handsome, but they didn't quite fit the image of selling vegetables.

"Wen Rong, are you done making the call?"

Wen Rong laughed and said, "I'm exhausted after finishing the test, but the result is gratifying. About 80% of the customers on the list you gave me placed orders today."

Of the remaining 20%, some customers didn't need mustard greens today, while others had pre-ordered and will consider us for future orders.

In short, the situation is good.

Chen Zhengxu, who was still a little sleepy, was also awakened by this good news.

How many kilograms are there in total?

"I haven't had time to calculate it yet." Wen Rong took out a small booklet. "The list is all written here."

“Reset to zero…reset to zero…30+25+70+45…”

Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai sat in front of the calculator and calculated the final delivery data.

"5820 pounds!"

"President Xu, that's amazing!" Li Cai exclaimed in shock, "So many on just the first day!"

"It's alright, barely." Chen Zhengxu tried to suppress the urge to smile.

"We plan to donate another 3000 jin (1,500 catties) free of charge to Foshan and surrounding areas, which will bring the total to about 9000 jin (4,500 catties)."

After doing the math, Chen Zhengxu asked again, "God of Wealth, can the stall handle 5.5 tons of mustard greens?"

"Can you please stop calling me the God of Wealth? I'm just a wage earner."

Because of the high demand for Chinese kale, customers at the stall nicknamed Li Cai "God of Wealth," a nickname that he found rather awkward.

"5.5 tons of water mustard, plus some more from the base, totaling about six or seven tons."

The market is good recently, so there shouldn't be any problem with shipping, but the price will be much lower than the delivery price.

Normally, mustard greens sell for 2.2 yuan per jin (0.5 catties), but today I'll try offering 2.5 yuan per jin for Shuidong mustard greens.

“That’s not cheap either.” Chen Zhengxu smiled. “It seems there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. You’re destined to be known as the God of Wealth.”

Because of the large volume and the significant sales pressure, we didn't dare to quote too high a price at first.

However, the price of water mustard at the stall is 2.5 yuan per jin. If it can be sold out, the daily sales volume can reach 2.75 yuan.

In addition, there are five or six thousand kilograms to be delivered. Chen Zhengxu's delivery price is 3 yuan per kilogram, which brings the total to 1.75 yuan.

The total sales for the day reached 4.5 yuan. That's already quite impressive.

In addition, they are continuing to expand into the high-end catering market in Foshan, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai by offering free gifts.

The growth potential is still very high.

After the two finished calculating the accounts and assigning tasks, a truck fully loaded with water mustard arrived at the distribution center.

"Let's get to work! Let's get to work!"

"Remember your assigned area, everyone!"

After unloading several thousand kilograms of water mustard, Chen Zhengxu also loaded several boxes of water mustard into a van.

He even went back to his office and wrote down the cooking method on a piece of paper, then placed it on the surface.

Then they set off south.

Li Cai then took the remaining water mustard greens into the market, and as soon as he arrived at the stall, someone came to ask him about them.

"God of Wealth, is this cartload of kale or some other vegetable?"

"There's not much kale left. This whole truck is full of chicken heart mustard greens, which are of excellent quality and so delicate that they break at the slightest touch. They're absolutely delicious when stir-fried."

Li Cai enthusiastically introduced the dish, almost describing it as something that should only exist in heaven.

He even demonstrated how the chicken heart mustard could be easily broken open with a gentle snap.

"What about the price?"

"It's 30 cents more expensive than regular mustard greens, 2.5 yuan per jin (500g), 75 yuan per piece!"

Most people hesitate when faced with a price difference, as a 3-cent difference might be someone else's profit, and only a small number of people will choose to try it.

However, the market is still in good shape, and there is a general shortage of vegetables. The shipment of water mustard is gradually picking up.

"I don't care if it's chicken heart mustard or duck heart mustard, I want 20 pieces!"

A large man noticed the crispness of the water mustard greens while inspecting the goods, broke off a piece, took a bite, and then placed an order for 20 pieces.

This generosity made Li Cai abandon the idea of ​​lowering the price.

No rush, this is only the first day.

Let's wait and see. Once word gets out, more people like Da Han might emerge.

So what if it's 3 cents more expensive?

Still in high demand!

...

The truck traveled through the countryside at night, and somehow ended up in the city again.

The city was still awake, and when we arrived at the entrance of the Buji Agricultural Wholesale Market, it was bustling with activity and traffic.

"Over there, Zhou Xiaoxiong!"

After Chen Jiazhi shouted, Zhou Xiaoxiong, with his sturdy face, ran over, followed by Liu Minghua.

"A total of 3000 jin of water mustard was brought in. How did Zhengxu arrange it, and where was it sent?"

Zhou Xiaoxiong pulled Liu Minghua forward, "I just arrived too, Liu Minghua will take us there."

Chen Jiazhi casually offered cigarettes, and Liu Minghua followed up, saying, "I took President Xu on two trips. He asked us to deliver the vegetables to several stall owners in the market."

Xue Jun asked in surprise, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? 3000 catties only to be delivered to a few bosses?"

Liu Minghua: "That's what President Xu said."

"Alright, do as Zhengxu says."

Chen Jiazhi wasn't entirely sure either, but he believed in trusting those he employed and not employing those he didn't trust. When the time came, he would follow the plan.

After a while,

The Isuzu truck arrived at a certain stall and unloaded 20 pieces, which weighed 600 jin (300 catties) of mustard greens.

The boss, a slightly overweight man, was equally surprised.

"Damn, are you serious? Really giving it away for free?"

This 600 jin (300 catties) is worth at least 1000 yuan.

"They're all at your stall, how could they be fake?" Chen Jiazhi smiled and offered a cigarette. "What's your surname, boss?"

"My surname is Ye." After lighting a cigarette, the man surnamed Ye said, "How about I just pay you? Mustard greens aren't cheap these days, young man."

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "We don't sell it cheaply either. We're giving it away for free now, but it will be more expensive than regular mustard greens next time you want to buy some."

"It seems you really are very confident in your dishes."

The man surnamed Ye squatted down, removed the leaves and ice packs from the vegetable basket, and took out a mustard green.

With a gentle pinch, the thick rhizome splits open.

"So crispy!"

"It's delicious. Mr. Ye, you can try stir-frying mustard greens with pork fat when you get home. You can also recommend this method to your restaurant clients."

Using the same method, Chen Jiazhi and his group delivered vegetables to several merchants in succession, and 3000 jin of vegetables were gone in no time.

After observing for a while, he gradually understood Chen Zhengxu's thoughts.

These are all big merchants who can afford to pay. When they offered to give them away for free, several of them offered to pay.

These are clearly high-quality merchants who are not short of money, and they naturally have many long-term restaurant clients, some of whom are even involved in supplying Hong Kong.

By sharing some of the profits with these large merchants, we can expand our business more quickly.

At the same time, we will gradually develop our own end customers through the newly built urban distribution centers.

One fast and one slow approach, walking on two legs, is the fastest way to expand the influence of water mustard.

With the help of the influence of water mustard, the distribution center can more smoothly carry out its business in new cities.

After thinking it through, Chen Jiazhi also felt that this approach was good.

Now that one batch has been delivered, all that's left is to wait for it to spread and become known.

(End of this chapter)