More than 30 years ago, Hainan established a provincial special economic zone, and Thailand's Chia Tai Group set its sights on Hainan, becoming the largest foreign-funded enterprise investing in Hainan's agricultural field at that time. 30 years later, Hainan built a free trade port, chia tai group once again focused on Hainan, in Wanning Xinglong investment in the construction of Xinglong coffee city, polishing the well-known coffee brands in overseas Chinese.
Based on agriculture to promote economic development
In 1921, The Thai Chinese Xie Yichu and Xie Shaofei founded the Chia Tai Group in Thailand, with the three major undertakings of agriculture, animal husbandry and food, wholesale and retail, and telecommunications and television as the core, and simultaneously involved in more than 10 industries and fields such as finance, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and mechanical processing.
Xie Yichu named his four sons Xie Zhengmin, Xie Damin, Xie Zhongmin, and Xie Guomin, and the middle words in the names were "Zhengda China". In 1969, Xie Guomin inherited his father's business.
At the beginning of China's reform and opening up, when many foreign enterprises were still waiting, Xie Guomin came to China and registered the first foreign-funded enterprise in shenzhen Chinese mainland, and was approved by the certificate "Shenzhen Foreign Investment Certificate No. 0001". For more than 40 years, CHIA Group has actively participated in China's reform and opening up and continuously increased its investment in China. Up to now, Chia Tai Group has set up more than 600 enterprises in China.
Zhao Jinlong, senior president of the planting business of Chia Tai Group's agricultural and animal husbandry food enterprises in China and general manager of Chia Tai (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., Ltd., introduced that in 1988, Hainan established a provincial special economic zone, and Chia Tai Group entered Hainan in the same year, becoming one of the earliest foreign-funded enterprises to enter Hainan, and its business involves feed, livestock and poultry breeding, aquatic seedling breeding and breeding, food sales and other fields. At present, the enterprises that have been completed and put into production are distributed in Chengmai, Wenchang, Dongfang and other cities and counties in Hainan, with a total investment of 2 billion yuan and nearly 1,000 employees.
▲Zhao Jinlong, senior president of the planting business of Chia Tai Group's agricultural and animal husbandry food enterprise in China and general manager of Chia Tai (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., Ltd. Photo courtesy of Chia Tai (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., Ltd
Strengthen the coffee industry in overseas Chinese
Xinglong coffee has a long history. Since the 1950s, returned overseas Chinese from 21 countries and regions have come to Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm, and they have brought coffee planting technology, brewing technology and coffee drinking tradition here, forming a unique coffee culture. Today, the Xinglong area has become one of the main coffee producing areas in Hainan. Xinglong coffee became a national geographical indication product.
However, in recent years, due to the decline in the planting area of Xinglong coffee, the small output, the single product structure, uneven quality, and a series of "hard injuries" such as brand value loss, Xinglong coffee can only be attached to the Hainan tourism market as a tourism commodity, and the market share is limited.
"Revitalization" is imminent. At present, the Wanning Municipal Government regards Xinglong Coffee as one of the city's eight major industries, and strives to open up the "blockages" in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the industrial chain and re-polish the "Xinglong Coffee" brand.
This has become the focus of attention of chia tai group. In recent years, Xie Guomin, president of the China Federation of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs and senior chairman of Chia Tai Group, has led a team to Hainan for many times to inspect and attend the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia. He is optimistic about hainan's development prospects and is determined to expand the investment field and scale of Chia Tai Group in Hainan.
In April 2020, the Hainan Free Trade Zone (Hong Kong) Joint Conference on Investment Promotion Approved the Wanning Xinglong Coffee City Project, and in May of the same year, Chia Tai Group signed a cooperation agreement with the Wanning Municipal Government.
Zhao Jinlong said that the Wanning Xinglong Coffee City project will create a three-industry integration project integrating "coffee planting, coffee processing and brand marketing, and building a coffee industry city", covering an area of 253 acres and planning to be completed in 3 years.
The primary industry has built a three-dimensional planting demonstration base with coffee planting as the leading and high-efficiency tropical crops as the auxiliary, and trained technical personnel and new professional farmers in the Xinglong coffee industry. The secondary industry retains the traditional craft line and builds a new fully automatic coffee production line. At the same time, a new brand is created, and the dual brands complement each other to achieve comprehensive promotion. The tertiary industry takes coffee culture and overseas Chinese business culture as the core, and develops a coffee commercial culture city integrating coffee culture experience, research and development education, tourism, vacation, entertainment and leisure.
▲Renderings of Xinglong Coffee Factory after renovation. Photo courtesy of Chia Tai (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., Ltd
"Inheritance + innovation" promotes industrial upgrading
"The Xinglong Coffee Project has both heritage and innovation." Zhao Jinlong said that the company will continue the traditional drying and frying process of Xinglong Coffee, protect the geographical identification of "Sun River" brand Xinglong Coffee, and develop new products according to consumer demand. At present, the coffee packaging has been upgraded, and the coffee cooked beans, coffee powder, and hanging ear coffee have been launched, which are loved by young people.
At present, Chia Tai Group is cooperating with the Institute of Spices and Beverages of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences to develop new varieties of coffee, carry out demonstration planting, train local farmers, let farmers master modern planting technology, and improve coffee yield through "grafting + sleeve" technology.
Zhao Jinlong told reporters that Chia Tai Group is building a FMCG store based on the Xinglong coffee experience, with coffee as the core, and launching coffee ice cream, coffee milk tea, fruit coffee and other drinks. The first store is scheduled to open in August this year, and after the success of the pilot, it will be rolled out throughout the island.
▲ Xinglong coffee upgraded new packaging products, coffee beans, coffee powder, hanging ear coffee, etc. Photo courtesy of Chia Tai (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., Ltd
"Deeply rooted in the agricultural field for many years, Chia Tai Group has a huge food sales channels and logistics system. We put Xinglong Coffee in various physical stores of the Group to support the development of the industry. Zhao Jinlong said.
The construction of a free trade port in Hainan will provide more development opportunities for enterprises. "There is an environment suitable for investment, not only an excellent ecological environment suitable for agricultural development, but also an open policy environment." Zhao Jinlong said that many preferential policies for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port are quite good for investors. For Chia Tai Group, the development of modern agriculture, animal husbandry, international trade business, etc. will be a very good opportunity, Xinglong Coffee may take this opportunity to go abroad.
Source: China Overseas Chinese Network