Twenty years of cold chain

The meeting was attended by Tongxing's core team, including Su Mu, Chu Lihe, and the heads of departments specifically responsible for storage, marketing, transportation, and branding for clients. Aside from the weekly Monday morning meeting, Tongxing rarely held such meetings, and Hu Shutong was not a fan of meetings; he preferred to discuss things in small groups before issuing directives. This made everyone realize the unusual nature of this meeting.

Seeing these people from Tongxing, Luan Qizhen inexplicably felt like an outsider. But he sat upright, his expression solemn, and wondered what kind of scheme these smartly dressed men were planning to set him up with.

The meeting began with a projection, on which the words "Introduction to the Mozi Orchard Brand" were prominently displayed.

Instantly, Luan Qizhen blinked rapidly. Clearly, this was not something he had done, and looking further down, it was even more impossible for him to have done it!

Hu Shutong began to speak, "Mozi Orchard can be traced back to 85, starting in Mozi County. In 01, it began to expand into the Qingbei market. In other words, further north of the five counties in Shibei that we are familiar with, Mozi Orchard is a brand recognized by more than ten counties. In 00, Mozi Orchard promoted the construction of warehouses as a demonstration project, and started the operation of prefabricated warehouses in 02. You can rest assured about the cold storage standards."

Hu Shutong's words transported Luan Qizhen back to a time filled with memories of Hu Shutong. On the screen, the production areas, product categories, and distribution of Mozi Orchard were detailed, presented in small, self-contained modules. To be honest, even he, the owner, was surprised by how clearly Mozi Orchard was presented.

But upon closer reflection, Hu Shutong has been involved in the orchard since he went to university in 97. He focuses on technical training during summer and winter vacations and produces results after graduation. His records and perspectives are unmatched by Luan Qizhen.

"The farm-to-supermarket project has been launched in Qingyan City, but Mozi Orchard is a production-oriented wholesale market. Compared with the direct connection between farmers and supermarkets, there is an extra layer of aggregation, so Mozi Orchard cannot achieve point-to-point supply. Various counties are also calling on fruits and vegetables to go out. The reason for this call is that the previous product circulation model will become increasingly narrow, and more and more fruits and vegetables from other places will enter and squeeze the market."

Luan Qizhen's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil. This person in charge of Tongxing had explained the pressure facing Mozi Orchard thoroughly and succinctly. In reality, Luan Qizhen only knew that cooperation was necessary, but he had no idea how to do it. The old relationships and acquaintances, like vegetable vendors, were gradually fading away.

This is 06, not 96.

"Everyone knows the quality of the products from Mozi Orchard. If it wants to expand beyond its local market, it can only become a wholesale market. Mozi County lacks the capacity to radiate influence, making it difficult for its products to gain traction in Qingyan City or even other cities, and it cannot generate a strong brand effect. The purpose of this collaboration with General Manager Luan is self-evident. What are your thoughts?"

Chu Lihe spoke first, "Mr. Hu, Tongxing currently doesn't have a fruit division, but many of our market customers have a demand for fruit. I think we can combine the two lines into one. After vegetables and pre-processed vegetables, we can promote fruit to our customers. Whether it's farmers' markets or supermarkets, our previous cooperation is an existing foundation. As for brand building, we already have successful cases. By focusing on the overall packaging and sub-packaging, it won't take too long to establish a presence in the market."

Su Mu nodded immediately, "Besides sales within the province, we can also explore sales channels outside the province, such as the route to Panzhu. Fruits and vegetables together form our business chain, which I think is entirely feasible. Based on the volume of goods at Mozi Orchard, we can open the right third zone of warehouse No. 1 and the left second zone of warehouse No. 3 at the same time. These two places have the highest shipping frequency, and the allocation work can be carried out in parallel for fruits and vegetables."

The person in charge of transportation also said, "Mr. Hu, if the rental plan for Panzhu fish and shrimp continues, the transport capacity of Tongxing refrigerated trucks will be released. We will be able to start the Mozi-Qingyan line and build a dedicated fleet to be responsible for supplying Mozi orchards."

Hu Shutong nodded repeatedly. "Since everyone has no objections, let's prepare three plans: one for marketing, one for transportation, and one for warehousing. The marketing plan will be done in collaboration with the brand department. As for promotion, I hope everyone will pay close attention to both packaging and product design. Don't do too much analysis for transportation and warehousing; just come up with an implementation plan. In three days, summarize the plans with the commercial bid and submit them to General Manager Luan for review."

Only then did Luan Qizhen realize the brilliance of this meeting. Hu Shutong's words were absolutely true. People had made the situation and approach clear to his face, which was more efficient than the two of them talking a thousand times in private. Only now did Luan Qizhen see clearly Hu Shutong's "deliberate planning".

Time has passed and years have changed, but some things can remain as steadfast as ever. Lao Luan originally thought that everything in a company was complicated and intertwined, but what is happening now is just like what they talked about six years ago about the cold storage, as solid as ever!

For Hu Shutong, this was undoubtedly a great comfort. He had considered such cooperation since the beginning of Tongxing. However, circumstances had other plans. In the past, it wasn't that he didn't want to do it, but that he couldn't. It wasn't just about the storage capacity; there were also the daily struggles. Back then, it wasn't a question of continuing, but a question of survival.

This meal made Luan Qizhen feel that it was just a change of scenery and a change of method. The details hidden in the room had not changed at all, which brought him a deeper sense of peace.

Some things, in the end, are not too far off.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.