The picture shows the slogan inside Zuogong Wanda Food Co., Ltd
Shen Kaicheng, a cadre of state-owned enterprises who came to Zuogong County in 2018 to provide counterpart support, is now the general manager of Zuogong Wangda Food Co., Ltd. "The annual output of walnuts in Zuogong County has reached more than 1.6 million catties, but the unsalable is very serious, and once it could not be sold for 2 yuan a catty. Shen Kaicheng said.
In order to solve the problem of unsalable walnuts, Shen Kaicheng and his colleagues thought of many ways. The original idea was to collect walnuts from the local people's homes and sell them wholesale. However, after doing a lot of research and analysis, it was found that there was a lack of feasibility. More than 90% of the walnuts in Zuogong County are pecans, which are very hard, plus transportation costs, management costs, etc., and the selling price is much higher than the market price. However, Zuogong's walnuts also have their unique advantages, with less kernels and thick skin, good sealing, and at the same time, the raw materials are easy to store, with high oil content and rich oil fragrance. Shen Kaicheng told reporters: "In the end, we decided to make walnut oil. We have high-quality, stable renewable means of production, if we can open the market, we can establish a complete walnut industry chain. ”
The picture shows the secondary product after walnut processing
In October 2021, Zuogong Wangda Food Co., Ltd. was officially established, and Zuogong County established a modern walnut oil processing plant. "The cold-pressing technology does not destroy the nutritional value of walnuts, and at the same time, due to the low temperature, the production of walnut oil does not produce toxins such as aflatoxin. The sales price of walnuts is 2 yuan to 5 yuan a catty, and the sales price is 100 yuan per bottle after the production of walnut oil. This not only greatly increases the added value of pecans, but also provides employment opportunities for local residents, allowing them to earn money to support their families at their doorstep. In the current walnut picking season, the local people are highly motivated to pick walnuts. During the peak picking season, the queue to sell walnuts at the entrance of the company is lined up every day. Shen Kaicheng said happily.
The picture shows the "Yuqu Heron" walnut oil gift box
In order to let Zuogong's walnut oil go out of the mountains and into the market, the Xiamen Tibet Aid Task Force has also made great efforts in brand building and marketing. They helped to register the trademark "Yuqulu" and put on a beautiful coat for the product. The Yuqu River is the mother river of Zuogong, and the heron means the heron island, which fully reflects the family of Xiamen Zuogong. In 2023, Zuogong Wangda Food Co., Ltd. and its product walnut oil will be included in the recommended catalogue of consumption assistance enterprises and products in Zuogong County, Xiamen City, and enjoy an annual consumption assistance quota of more than 30 million yuan in Xiamen. Through the organization of consumption assistance activities, Zuogong's walnut oil was brought to Xiamen and the whole country, so that more people could taste this precious gift from the plateau. By the end of 2023, the company has sold a total of 215,000 bottles of walnut oil, with an output value of more than 16 million yuan.
The picture shows the staff carrying boxes of walnut oil onto the car (local photo)
Education and personnel training is another key point of the work of the Xiamen Tibet Aid Task Force. Shen Kaicheng believes that only when the local people have mastered the technical and management knowledge can the sustainable development of the industry be truly realized. Therefore, they have established a mentor-apprentice pairing system, imparting skills one-on-one, and cultivating batches of local talents, who have become the backbone of promoting the economic development of Zuogong County. According to Shen Kaicheng, Wanda Food Co., Ltd. has 40 employees, including 14 graduates of Zuogong University, including 8 fresh graduates, and a total of 145 local employment;
Today, the walnut oil industry in Zuogong County has begun to take shape and has become a bright business card of the local economy. Behind all this is the hard work and unremitting efforts of the members of the Xiamen City Tibet Aid Task Force on the plateau for countless days and nights. They bring not only money and projects, but also advanced technology and sustainable development concepts. They interpreted the "deep love between Fujian and Tibet" with practical actions, and wrote a touching story of aiding Tibet on the plateau of "Pearl of Eastern Tibet". (China Tibet Network Reporter/Yang Meixiao, Yan Jie, Long Zhen Duoji)