1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 427 New arrival
Nowadays, most vegetable sales are done on a cash-on-delivery basis.

For some familiar, long-term customers, we at stall number 63 will write the order and ship the goods first, then settle the payment later, but generally, customers will come to settle the payment the next day. The same goes for the distribution center; restaurant owners often urge you to bring your order to settle the payment.

This situation will continue for many years.

But things changed later. The payment period became longer and longer, and some even ran away and defaulted on their debts. Chen Jiazhi had fallen into this trap several times in his previous life, so he never indulged his customers after that. If they didn't want to buy, so be it.

However, he did not expect that such suicidal competition had already emerged in order to export shiitake mushrooms to Japan, completely handing over the initiative to the Japanese.

In comparison, it's nothing unusual for vegetable markets in the Pearl River Delta to proactively extend payment terms for the Southeast Asian market.

But that's how customers get spoiled.

At the same time, it also sent a chill down Chen Jiazhi's spine. If the payments for exports to Southeast Asia also couldn't be recovered, how many vegetable markets in mainland China would end up in dire straits?

As the person in charge of the company's development, Chen Jiazhi had to do his best to avoid such risks. He could not accept the practice of agreeing to extend the payment period for customers in order to make more profits.

Fewer export orders won't affect the company's overall vegetable sales.

After finishing his call with Fang Shaohua, Chen Jiazhi noticed that Li Xiu had been waiting for him for a long time.

At this moment, Li Xiu sat on a wooden chair, leaning against the wall, her head slightly tilted back, her eyes closed, and she was breathing softly.

Li Xiu is a hard worker who doesn't slack off. In the past few days, she has been active at the stall and distribution center, helping out whenever she can. She must be exhausted by now.

For a business like Kaopu Fresh, which relies on personal connections, a boss like Li Xiu, who takes the lead in getting things done, is far better than someone who just gives orders.

Her value is hard to quantify in data, but it provides more intrinsic strength to Reliable Fresh.

Chen Jiazhi stood up, walked over, and studied Li Xiu's face for a while before gently patting her shoulder.

"Xiu, go back to sleep."

"Hmm~ Are you done with work?"

"Busy working."

When Chen Jiazhi arrived at the hotel, it was nearly 10 o'clock. He ran into Xu Wenxiang at the hotel, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went back to his room to rest.

Looking at their tired expressions, Xu Wenxiang knew they had stayed up all night again, but they were better off than her at least having someone to keep them company.

Lying in bed, Chen Jiazhi was still thinking about the Japanese goose formation model that Xue Chenglin had mentioned.

He didn't quite understand it, but he did grasp the two characteristics of import substitution and export orientation, which Southeast Asia is now deeply influenced by.

Japan was once like that, and still has close economic ties with Southeast Asia.

Chen Jiazhi speculated whether leafy vegetable exports to Japan would also be affected in the next two years.
He felt the possibility was very high.

The fact that there is little competition for Shanghai's bok choy and broccoli exports to Japan has allowed the prosperous vegetable market to thrive this year.

However, some risks must be guarded against.

Chen Jiazhi mentally adjusted his itinerary for the next day. He would first go to Fanrong Market, then to Yuanmou. However, before going to Fanrong Market, he would need to check out the stalls and distribution centers in Shenzhen.

Li Xiu had already fallen asleep right next to him, and Chen Jiazhi also slowly drifted off to sleep.

At the Duomeili Fast Food Restaurant, Liu Yunfan ordered a serving of spring chicken and some snacks and drinks. Just as he sat down, a man wearing a striped shirt walked towards him.

"Mr. Fan, why are you eating fast food? I told you I'd treat you to seafood, but I'm heading back to Conghua this afternoon, so I can't treat you tonight."

"I want to eat this." Liu Yunfan patted the seat next to him. "Old Chang, order whatever you want. I didn't order yours."

After ordering the food, Lao Chang noticed Liu Yunfan's gloomy expression and asked, "What's wrong? You look unhappy."

Liu Yunfan sighed, "We could be exporting and earning foreign exchange, but we insist on making a pittance domestically. Do you think our boss is crazy?"

Old Chang understood. He'd heard about Reliable Fresh Life a lot lately. "Why don't you come and join us at Congyu?"

Liu Yunfan turned his head and frowned.

Old Chang added, "Besides Hong Kong, we are also actively expanding into overseas markets, and we need talents like you."

"Think about it, you have resources. Coming to our company is like bringing your own investment into the team. You'll be given important responsibilities as soon as you join."

Liu Yunfan hesitated and said, "But that's not a good idea."

Old Chang laughed and said, "Look, you still have a student's mindset. As an adult, as long as you can bear the consequences, what can't you do?"

"What are the consequences of leaving Kaopu Fresh and joining Congyu Vegetable Industry?"

"No, there are only benefits. You can do more export business and earn higher income, and what responsibility can Kaopu Fresh hold you accountable for?"

"Furthermore, your boss is short-sighted, lacks decisiveness, is timid and hesitant, and practices nepotism. Do you think such a company has a future?"

Liu Yunfan shook his head almost imperceptibly, wondering how the boss could have grown such a large company if he was really that bad.
However, upon closer reflection, it seems that he said these words while drunk.

Old Chang's earlier words also had a magical quality, making Liu Yunfan keep imagining that things would be better for him if he went to Congyu.

After all, the boss doesn't seem to value exports much these days, which is far from the great opportunity to showcase one's talents that one imagined when joining the company.

He still felt that this behavior was wrong, and Lao Chang said that it was student thinking and a sign of immaturity.

Liu Yunfan hesitated and told Lao Chang that he needed to think about it. Then he found a phone booth and called Fang Shaohua.

On the phone, he listened to Fang Shaohua describe how the export business of Fanrong Vegetable Market was becoming increasingly successful.

In addition to Taihang Co., Ltd. in Fukuoka, Seika and Banana Market in Ota Market, Tokyo, have successively reached cooperation agreements with two Japanese companies and one Korean company.

The export business is booming, with foreign exchange earnings constantly reaching new highs.

He also said that the market is becoming more and more profitable, and the market manager is planning to expand the base. Next year, he also wants to take advantage of the seasonal tariff policy to grow more broccoli, and even has the idea of ​​building a processing plant... Listening to one plan after another, Liu Yunfan could feel Fang Shaohua's passion and his bright yearning for the future.

His response gradually cooled.

Fang Shaohua also sensed something was wrong and asked, "Yunfan, how are the exports going in Huacheng?"

"not too good."

"Actually, there's no need to rush. We've only been with the company for a few months, so there are still plenty of opportunities."

"Hmm..." Liu Yunfan's tone was somewhat indifferent. He made an excuse and hung up the phone.

He felt that now was a great opportunity, with Southeast Asian merchants looking for vegetables everywhere.

Moreover, he knew that Kaopu Fresh currently had a sufficient supply of goods.

Heli Vegetable Market and Congyu Vegetable Market are the only two large vegetable markets in Huacheng with an area of ​​3000 mu.

In addition, the company has Jiangxin Vegetable Market, Lianzhou Cooperative Base, and Pengcun Base as supplementary facilities.

If necessary, goods can also be shipped from Shanghai in the north.

At the same time, through contact with Congyu Vegetable Industry, Liu Yunfan also learned that Kaopu Fresh has a very obvious advantage: yield per mu.

Take bok choy as an example. The yield of bok choy per mu in Jiangxin vegetable market in summer can be at least 200 jin higher than that in Congyu.

This gives them a slight advantage in the production cost per kilogram of vegetables.

In terms of sourcing, apart from potentially lagging behind national team players like China Resources Ng Fung, Kaopu Fresh has few rivals.

If the boss can overcome his prejudice against Southeast Asia and make a slight compromise on payment terms, the export business can instantly surge.

But no matter how he tried to persuade him, the boss insisted that the Southeast Asian economy was facing a potential crisis and that exports were too risky, so he was unwilling to focus on exports.

Instead, they were determined to cultivate the domestic market, which made Liu Yunfan see no point in persisting.

...

Early morning, Hong Kong, Cheung SW Market.

The market passageways were lengthened by the moonlight, casting crisscrossing shadows that reflected the market's bustling activity.

"15 boxes of bok choy, 5 boxes of lettuce, 5 boxes of kale, 5 boxes of romaine lettuce, 5 boxes of bok choy... Lao Xia, your stock is getting more and more complete."

"Haha, I'm thinking of the customers, so you don't have to make an extra trip."

"You know how to do business." The man asked, "Old Xia, tell me, where do you source your goods?"

"Hehe, this is a vegetable market that I built with someone more than two months ago."

"Wow, that's impressive! They've produced dishes in just over two months, and they look so good!"

"Just lucky, just lucky~"

Within a few days, Tongxingtai was reborn after changing its source of goods, and news of its cooperation with others in the vegetable market spread like wildfire, surprising everyone.

Many people came to inquire about the news and seek advice, and Xia Youche hadn't felt so proud in a long time.

The commissioning of Heli Vegetable Market was like an aphrodisiac for him and Tongxingtai, powerful and long-lasting.

Now all his leafy vegetables come from Heli Vegetable Market, with a daily supply of 30 to 40 tons, a stable supply.

He no longer needs to worry about the problem of having too few sources of goods; that's the true value of ten million yuan.

After selling vegetables for only a few days, he felt more and more that the ten million was worth it, even if it was only a 20% stake.

With 30 to 40 tons of vegetables every day, he could earn back 10 million yuan in one or two years at most.

Judging from the current sales situation, Heli Vegetable Market won't be far from breaking even.

Thinking about this, Xia Youche admired his own decisiveness back then. Who else would agree to invest half but only own 20% of the shares?

Mr. Chen is right. He was willing to invest in Heli Vegetable Market because he valued Mr. Chen and his team.

Throughout the entire Yangtze River Delta region, there are many entrepreneurs who invest in vegetable markets in inland areas. However, there are very few who can produce vegetables so quickly in just over two months, like him.

Some business owners haven't figured out how to run a vegetable market even after one or two years.

It makes sense, considering how few people in Hong Kong who do vegetable wholesale business have ever actually farmed.

But Boss Chen and Yi Dinggan's group all started out growing vegetables, which naturally creates a gap between them.

After this battle, Xia Youche completely gave up his idea of ​​controlling Chen Jiazhi.

He can't control someone like that.

Therefore, maintaining stable cooperation and relying on Mr. Chen's supply of goods to seize more market share on the island is what Xia Youche should do.

After a busy night, Xia Youche made a special call to Chen Jiazhi, not for any other reason than to maintain their relationship. Even a few words of small talk were better than no contact at all.

Chen Jiazhi was completely baffled. He and Li Xiu were at the Buji Agricultural Wholesale Market in Shenzhen at the moment.

Kaopu Fresh rented a small stall here; it was so small that it barely provided any shelter from the wind and rain.

However, for someone new to the area, having a place to set up a stall is enough.

(End of this chapter)