It used to be the emperor's royal use, but now no one cares, why is the "soft gold in oil" coming to an end?
(All statements in this article are based on reliable sources)
There used to be a kind of edible oil, noble and elegant, known as the pearl of the "palace imperial meal", but now it is eclipsed, deep in the lonely cold palace, this is tea oil, once "soft gold", but now it is cold and misunderstood, tea farmers are hard to cultivate, the market prospect is hazy, how did the former "king of oil" enter the decline?
In the big family of edible oil, tea oil seems to be the little-known elder, with a heavy history of 2000 years, since the Han Dynasty ancestor Liu Bang gave it the reputation of "palace imperial meal", to the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang enshrined it as "imperial meal oil", tea oil has always been the darling of the royal table.
The "king of oils" does not come from peanuts, beans or the popular olives, but from a plant called the Camellia oleifera tree, a tree with tenacious vitality and known as a "cash cow", not only because of its preciousness, but also because its fruit can be used to make tea oil.
The reason why camellia oil is highly regarded is not only because of its low fat content, but also because it contains tea polyphenols and camelliasides, and its nutritional content is comparable to olive oil, which makes the price of camellia oil remain high, and it was once named "soft gold in oil".
Despite the advantages of tea oil, its high price is prohibitive for ordinary people, and the price of hundreds of yuan per catty is still too expensive compared to traditional edible oils such as peanut oil.
The production process of camellia oil is not easy and simple, it is a craft that tests patience, the growth place of camellia oil has strict requirements, it needs beautiful mountains and rivers, and it is difficult to carry out large-scale artificial planting, this tree is naturally resistant to pests and diseases, eliminating the cumbersome agricultural work, but also making the production cycle of camellia oil become long.
From the planting to the maturity of Camellia oleifera trees, the whole process takes 8 to 10 years, and it takes 3 years to grow the fruit suitable for making tea oil, and in order to obtain normal quality tea oil seeds, you have to wait for another 13 months, which is a long cycle, making tea oil one of the oil crops with the longest maturity cycle in the world.
It is this long growth cycle that makes the yield per mu of Camellia oleifera relatively low, and the production cost of camellia oil is high, and one mu of Camellia oleifera forest can usually only produce 3-5 kg of camellia oil, which is very little compared with the traditional high-yield oilseeds.
The problem of tea oil industrialization does not stop here, the taste of tea oil itself is slightly bitter, although some people like this unique flavor, but most people often feel difficult to accept when they first taste it, which may be one of the reasons why tea oil has always been difficult to stand out in the market.
There are also certain defects in the tea oil market, and if there is no real brand effect, it will lead to limited sales channels. Although the product is a good product, it has not yet formed a unique brand made in China, and the lack of brand premium makes it even more difficult to sell tea oil.
The production of camellia oil is still mostly made by traditional technology, which also makes some people question its hygienic conditions, although some companies use new processes in order to improve the taste of camellia oil, but the resulting rise in production costs makes it difficult to reduce the price of camellia oil.
Tea farmers also feel lost in the relevant industrial chain, because the camellia oil industry is not perfect, and the bulk tea oil grown by individuals does not have relevant qualifications, so it cannot be sold online, but offline sales are hindered by fake and shoddy products, making it difficult for many people to achieve profitability.
For people who want to devote themselves to the camellia oil industry, this is a road full of dangers, in addition to the technical problems of planting itself, the cognitive problems of the market have also made camellia oil in the promotion of many obstacles, there are not enough consumers to understand, no matter how good the product is difficult to usher in the vigorous sales.
Perhaps tea oil needs more promotion to make consumers understand its uniqueness.
Camellia oil, the former "soft gold", has declined for various reasons, and how to reverse the decline and make this "king of oil" emerge again may require the improvement of the industrial chain, the improvement of market awareness, and the intervention of more technology. Tea farmers also need more support and protection, so that the traditional delicacy of tea oil will once again become the darling of people's tables.
Information sources: NetEase News, China Research Network
