Twenty years of cold chain

Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, bringing a rare period of peace.

Since the incident in the southern suburbs, Hu Shutong has spent most of his time in the laboratory. In front of those senior experts, Hu Shutong plays more of a supporting role, but this has far exceeded the experts' expectations, because whether it is plastic wrap, preservatives or miniature cold boxes, Hu Shutong not only provides a lot of data, but also sorts out similar categories.

With another one or two decades of experience and refinement, such a person will undoubtedly become a leading expert in the industry.

The refrigerated food laboratory has yielded fruitful results, and Hu Shutong, as a research member, is appearing in more and more places. Naturally, Hu Shutong is receiving more and more attention, and some companies are already eager to establish connections with him before he graduates from graduate school.

After the experiment ended that day, Pang Shiyou called Hu Shutong to his office.

Upon entering, Hu Shutong immediately sensed something was amiss. He knew his teacher's office all too well, and now it was impeccably organized. Pang Shiyou had arranged all the books and materials neatly, placing them on shelves or stacking them tidy.

"I'm planning a long trip, are you interested, Xiao Hu?"

Hearing such a relaxed tone, Hu Shutong immediately nodded, "Teacher, what do you want to do?"

"If we're going this time, it'll probably take some time. Can you make a decision yet?"

Pang Shiyou's suggestion further piqued Hu Shutong's interest. "Why don't you just give me the task directly?"

"Sit down and take a look at these materials first."

The materials presented to Hu Shutong included plans, documents, technical drawings, and even maps, all collectively illustrating something truly remarkable—

Miniature cold storage.

Unlike previous micro-warehouses often built in industrial parks, these micro-warehouses are specifically designed for farmers. Before the new century, China had tried micro-construction warehouses, but these had problems such as long construction periods, complicated construction for farmers, and high construction costs. At the beginning of this year, some provinces proposed changing from brick-concrete structure to sandwich panel composite structure, an innovative approach that solved the previous problems.

Even more encouraging is that this model has shifted from civil engineering projects to complete sets of agricultural machinery manufacturing projects, thus qualifying for national agricultural machinery purchase subsidies. Furthermore, the agricultural machinery sector has developed eight types of storage tanks ranging from 15 to 200 tons, and the state has approved and standardized several specific tank material and equipment specifications.

Seeing this, Hu Shutong was pleasantly surprised. Essentially, this is still a problem of the "first mile" in the entire cold chain process. How to ensure that agricultural products leave the fields in a healthy manner and how to reduce waste in the fields are all of great significance in this initial step.

The "Lianghuzhuang Village" mentioned in the material is very representative. It is located in the southernmost part of Minh Giang Province. Although the transportation environment is not outstanding, the fruits and vegetables here are fragrant all year round and the yield is quite good.

Fruit farmers sell their fruit in two main ways: either by selling to passing trucks or by finding their own way, such as pushing a handcart to a village five or six kilometers away or setting up a stall along the county road to sell to passing vehicles.

In addition, Hu Shutong also saw a survey form that showed that fruit waste in Lianghuzhuang Village reached an astonishing 40%! The reason is not complicated: most fruits have a very short shelf life in room temperature environments, especially fruits like strawberries, which can change overnight. Lianghuzhuang Village does not have the conditions for goods to be transported by truck.

Therefore, micro-storage facilities for farmers are essential. They will significantly reduce fruit growers' reliance on timeliness and prevent large-scale spoilage. Some fruits can be stored in cold storage for a month or even a quarter. This not only means reduced losses but also provides greater protection for the farmers' own income.

"Lianghuzhuang Village is the first case in Mingjiang. What we need to do is not only to handle the procedures, but more importantly, to promote, demonstrate, train, and popularize it. Seeing that staggering waste is worth our careful investment."

Hu Shutong nodded repeatedly, "Currently, miniature warehouses are the best way to preserve first-grade agricultural products."

"We're leaving early the day after tomorrow. We'll bring plenty of materials; there might be a lot of more specific things to discuss once we get there."

"Understood, I'll go back and prepare."

As Pang Shiyou watched Hu Shutong's retreating figure, a sense of satisfaction welled up within him. The solid foundation Hu Shutong exuded reminded him of when he first read Hu's graduation thesis. This guy had designed both civil engineering and prefabricated warehouses himself, followed the entire process of building large warehouses in the park from start to finish, and now he was embarking on the exploration of the first kilometer of micro-warehouses.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

He no longer has much to worry about regarding cold storage, and the refrigerated trucks—this guy who once learned from Bingneng—have a much larger inventory than he does. It's gratifying that he's understood the "two legs" of the cold chain so early on.

On the eve of his departure, Hu Shutong brought alcohol into his dormitory for the first time.

Li Zhou has already graduated with his doctorate and his dissertation has been approved. He can leave the University of Minnesota at any time.

Li Zhou is a man who rarely drinks, but he accepted the offer this time. He thought back to when he was sent to the University of Ming's laboratory, he had refused, but now he realized that it was a good decision.

The small table on the balcony, where the wind blows, exudes a lively atmosphere; peanuts and braised pork, vegetables and wine are served.

"Next month, I guess. When the time comes, we have to set off."

"You make it sound so sinister, but it's a bright future, a world of stars and seas."

Li Zhou laughed. "Da Ye promised that I could build my own research lab. I think what you guys are doing is more interesting."

"What do you mean by 'your line of work'? We've been in the same line of work for a long time."

As he spoke, Hu Shutong picked up a few peanuts and scattered them on the table. "What I'm doing is trying to make things smoother and more organized, with warehouses here and cars there. You're like the invisible wind; when you blow in, you bring about big changes and make things simpler."

"It sounds like you're praising me, giving me a parting gift." Li Zhou laughed again.

Hu Shutong was surprised to see a bronze-colored ocarina in front of him.

"I don't know when we'll meet again, but this little gift will help me remember this time together."

Whether it was the man's temperament or the sadness in his words, Hu Shutong frowned slightly. "It's just a temporary farewell. We'll see each other again soon."

"Who knows?"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.