Twenty years of cold chain

Shortly after the refrigeration exhibition concluded at the beginning of the year, Chunrong Cold Chain made a new move, securing financing from North American Morgan Stanley Capital under the name of an independent subsidiary of Chunrong Group.

This round of financing has progressed very smoothly. Just recently, Chunrong Cold Chain and Mofu Capital jointly held a press conference to launch "Huanshi Fresh," a cold chain brand they jointly created.

Based on the above, Chunrong Cold Chain thus began its foray into the high-end cold chain market.

Such financing is also a form of foreign capital involvement in the domestic cold chain industry. Foreign countries have technology and mature brand operation experience, while large domestic cold chain companies have channels for high-quality goods. If there is an intermediary with high trust between the two parties, it is easy to reach an agreement.

Another point is that while the momentum of domestic e-commerce is growing stronger year by year, many e-commerce companies that take a high-end approach cannot actually fully control their own supply chains. The rise of high-end cold chain brands...

It also has considerable potential in the e-commerce sector.

Since Liu Zhiying returned from Ganzhou, he has been closely monitoring the situation. Chunrong, who always seems to fall short, has this time set her sights on a high-end blue ocean market involving both domestic and international collaborations. It must be said that Tongxing can't achieve this level of branding in the short term.

Chunrong's strategy of focusing on high-end positioning is nothing new, but the impact this time is still noteworthy. Chunrong's intentions are not hard to understand: if it can expand its market share, given its scale, this sector will become a competitive vacuum for the entire Qingning industry. Every industry has a "sales pyramid," where the brand awareness of high-end products effectively drives the sales of lower-tier products.

The operational mindset of cold chain industrial parks is quietly changing, and the era of relying on strong brands to capture the market may not be far off.

On a summer day with the occasional croaking of frogs, accompanied by a gentle evening breeze, Hu Shutong and Liu Zhiying once again walked through the park.

"Ji-young, what do you think of Global Fresh?"

"To be honest, I think its functions are a bit complicated. It claims to serve high-end seafood companies,"

Essentially, it still hasn't escaped the scope of a central kitchen.

Its collaboration with the high-end seafood market remains within the broader framework of third-party logistics. Furthermore, its plans to establish physical stores—while we can't predict the future—seem somewhat rushed from the outset in its current approach to building a cold chain brand.

Hu Shutong nodded. He guessed that Dou Shaojie must have played a huge role in this. He probably couldn't swallow the refrigeration exhibition's defeat, which was probably why the progress had far exceeded the expectations of industry insiders.

This person is truly remarkable. Not only is he capable of manufacturing refrigeration equipment, but he has also managed to secure both internal and external financing in such a short period of time. It's clear that he has made significant efforts in North America.

Liu Zhiying never makes judgments without reason. These words stemmed from his recent research on cold chain branding. "That said," he said, "over thirty years ago, European and American cold chain giants relied on substantial capital to establish a presence at various market terminals. However, they suffered losses at the refrigeration exhibition. This time, Chunrong will definitely take a rational approach to the so-called foreign models and instead tailor a more suitable path based on reality. If Chunrong can truly succeed..."

For us, it's actually a suggestion.

We have no room for trial and error.

We should have some expectations for it.

These words made Hu Shutong take notice, revealing Liu Zhiying's strategic vision. With the changing industry landscape under the new environment, Chunrong is not an insurmountable obstacle for Tongxing, because no one can predict when another hot topic of hundreds of millions in financing will suddenly emerge. Don't be fooled by the fact that we are in the same field now; who knows when someone else might take flight.

It was precisely because Chunrong always regarded Tongxing as a thorn in her side that, over the years, the more she tried to pull it out, the more swollen it became. In the past, Hu Shutong was not certain about some things, but after listening to Liu Zhiying's words, he felt a sense of security from the shared thoughts and efforts.

"Zhiying, let's put the brand aside for now. Chunrong's recent moves have made me think that perhaps we can operate the high-end seafood sector independently as well."

Liu Zhiying smiled and said, "Who says otherwise? In my opinion, you've laid a solid foundation. I've always believed that the key to expanding the market is volume. Even the most high-end products in our industry need a large supply to make a name for themselves."

"Given the current progress in the production of live fish without water, it will eventually become a mature transportation method, and it seems you've already taken the lead in transporting abalone, sea cucumber, and clams from marine ranches. To be honest, it's no longer a question of whether or not to do it, but rather how to do it. After all, we are service providers to both our superiors and subordinates, and we absolutely cannot afford to be caught off guard at the last minute."

Hu Shutong smiled and said, "For now, let's focus on supplying this market segment. Our colleagues in the channel and marketing departments will handle the negotiations first. Once things have officially taken off, we'll think about brand transformation."

Liu Zhiying found these words insightful. Given Tongxing's current situation, the sudden emergence of a new brand under its umbrella would not only lack customer trust in the initial stage but would also attract the attention of competitors. The saying "focusing on one thing and disrupting one's path" is no exaggeration.

The most reliable approach is to first establish a bond with customers through product supply, thus subtly creating a dependence on Tongxing's channels.

"Senior, this isn't something that will happen someday; it's just around the corner. With the supply in hand, we'll have nothing to worry about."

"How can I not be worried? Just think about it, establishing this independent section is enough to give us a headache. If the basket is too big, it won't have a sense of hierarchy; if it's too small, it won't have any influence. More importantly, we need to have a clear vision for this section first. Ji-young, what do you think we should do?"

But then Liu Zhiying deliberately crossed her arms, glanced at Hu Shutong, and said, "What else can we do but see a ready-made solution?"

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Hu Shutong laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I will fully cooperate with you."

"To be honest, I can't think of anything more familiar than this."

"screw you!"

Walking in Tongxing under the evening lights, the car horns on the highway seem so far away. A person with no worries can escape the hustle and bustle, while a person with many thoughts can find a moment of peace. This land seems to possess a kind of magic, like a base camp described in a book, bringing a sense of security to the heart when one steps here.

Tomorrow, we will all be busy with our own lives, dealing with many people. Perhaps everything will go as planned, or perhaps we will encounter disapproving looks and cold shoulders. But if we have high expectations for our return, all of that will seem trivial and insignificant.

Speaking of being busy, before coming to Tongxing, Liu Zhiying had never imagined such a pace, because every time he thought he had finally come to an end, a new chapter was already in the pipeline.

Over the years, Tongxing has never followed a straight path. When acquiring land, it needs to provide support funds; when transporting vegetables to the south, it needs to consider the second phase of Yuncheng; flower gardens, individual warehouses, and R&D centers—it has to advance everything simultaneously.

During the years when Hu Shutong was working alone, he had to deal with both garlic and grain reserves. He wanted to get free funding while being sued for illegal contracting. When he was full of confidence, he was suddenly asked to take on the responsibility of the national meat reserve. When someone was unhappy, methamidophos came out.

This time was no exception. Having personally experienced Ganzhou, Liu Zhiying had many things he couldn't help but mention.

"How so?"

"In my opinion, that guy is no ordinary pragmatist; he's got a real knack for cold chain logistics. Given the environment in Ganzhou, he'll make it big very quickly. We need to speed things up in the Northwest too!"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.