Twenty years of cold chain

Although Tongxing is not far from home, Hu Shutong doesn't come back often each year, so he can easily see many changes in the county. In the past two years, there have been more and more milk stations in Mozi County, distributed throughout the east, west, north, and south of the county town. Multiple companies share the same site, and the milk tankers coming and going have become a new sight in the county town.

People in the outskirts of Mozi County still mostly make a living by growing vegetables, but further down the county, many towns and villages have started raising dairy cows. In recent years, many dairy companies have begun to follow a model that has attracted many farmers, called "dairy cows going to the countryside and milk going to the city".

In other words, companies buy dairy cows but don't raise them; instead, they sell them to farmers. What happens if the farmers can't afford to buy the cows? It's simple: they pay off the debt with the milk. Generally, with diligent management, the cows can be owned within two years at most, after which they can profit from the milk sales.

To Hu Shutong's surprise, Qingyuan Dairy became increasingly entrenched in this path. Back then, Jiang Zhipeng expanded the group's business, establishing production assembly warehouses in many counties in northern Qinghai. However, as time went on, these assembly warehouses all turned into milk transfer and storage stations. Among these milk stations in Mozi County, the largest one was transformed from a former assembly warehouse by Qingyuan Dairy.

At the same time, Qingyuan Dairy's business focus has gradually shifted towards milk powder. Two years ago, it invested heavily in introducing production lines and published articles in newspapers to talk about its corporate strategy, showing great ambition to seize a share of the milk powder industry.

This Spring Festival is the Year of the Golden Pig, and many families want to have a baby born in the Year of the Pig. People predict that the number of babies born in this year will increase significantly, so many companies have started planning early, leading to a sharp increase in the demand for fresh milk.

Since taking over the management of the company, Hu Shutong has witnessed too many food safety issues, which makes him constantly on edge and exceptionally sensitive to such matters, because any incident is no small matter. This particular incident, being closely related to Jiang Zhipeng, compels him to give it even more thought.

In his view, such milk stations pose too many hidden dangers. A single tanker of milk may come from dozens of dairy farmers. Milk stations need a rigorous testing system, but even so, it is impossible to control the frontline dairy farmers, and any unified measures to improve the quality of milk sources are difficult to implement.

It has to be said that this business model is incredibly convenient, saving a lot of costs compared to building their own ranches, raising dairy cows, and adhering to standardized procedures.

"Nitrogen measurement" is Jiang Zhipeng's complete answer. The nitrogen content in milk protein is relatively constant, so diluted milk cannot escape this test. Hu Shutong is a chemist; if he used something to increase the nitrogen content, wouldn't it be easy to pass this test? And if there were additives, how would they be detected?

Seeing the bustling milk stations of Qingyuan, one can sense an urgency, an urgency to transform. The promises made years ago about expanding factories and strengthening advantageous products like ice cream and milk candy have been completely forgotten. It seems to be a microcosm of dairy companies across the country, all rapidly expanding, aiming for higher profit margins and increased consumer spending power—children's money is the easiest to earn.

This matter remained in Hu Shutong's heart for a long time.

The rapid pace of modern life has made it increasingly difficult for people to remain calm and focused. Many are thinking that if they get ahead now, they'll be hard to catch up with later. In many aspects of the food industry, much like the investment field, "not missing out on opportunities" has become the golden rule.

Sitting alone in the room, Hu Shutong thought about the development of Tongxing. In fact, sometimes he couldn't calm down and always cared too much about the people and things chasing him from behind. Gradually, he got used to the feeling of being pushed.

Much of his anxiety and sleeplessness stemmed from looking too much into the past and too little into the present. Sometimes he felt his enthusiasm was being neglected, and he felt disheartened and saddened by the misfortune. His mind was cluttered with thoughts that had no practical meaning. He hadn't truly found the right mindset for this entrepreneurial journey.

What to do next should not be what the customers need, but more importantly, what you should plan for Tongxing. Just like the solid foundation you have built from your time on campus, that is the Hu Shutong that people are familiar with.

"Director Lei, is there any new information regarding the food supply team to Austria?"

"I was just planning to tell you after the New Year. Tongxing's qualifications have been submitted, and the first round of sample testing will begin soon. I expect the support team will be stationed on-site for supervision in April or May. This is a huge undertaking, with companies from 22 provinces across the country participating, totaling over 400 companies, supplying thousands of varieties, and the total volume is expected to exceed 10,000 tons. Shutong, you need to keep a close eye on this from beginning to end. If Tongxing achieves good results, it will be easier to secure opportunities in all aspects. You need to be fully focused and give it your all this year!"

"Don't worry, Director Lei. I already gave instructions on these matters before the New Year. I will start working on them as soon as I get back."

"That's good. I heard that your two families met and talked, Auntie. How did it go? When are you planning to get married?"

"You said you'd be fully focused and ready for the battle."

"No, no, no! I won't take the blame for this! To be honest, I'm terrified of Old Luan. Especially when it comes to you, all his bluster and glaring are my fault. He's really got a lot to say about you."

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.