Compared to apples and oranges, the proportion of pomegranates in Chinese fruit production is small. Apart from a short supply period, pomegranate scares away many consumers because it is difficult to eat. It's hard to peel, you have to spit out the seeds one by one and the fruit juice is not sweet enough. When the Sichuan soft seed pomegranate and a Yunnan variety were brought to the market, the interest in pomegranate increased and sales went well. This consumer reaction proved that eating convenience is a major influence on the sales of pomegranates. Now, Liu Juan brings out a 'Tunisian soft seed pomegranate' where you don't have to spit out the seeds.
Tunisian pomegranates actually produced in China
When you talk about Tunisian pomegranates, most people think it's an imported fruit. But it is actually a Chinese fruit. Why is it called 'Tunisian pomegranate' then? That has everything to do with the diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia.
In 1986, when diplomatic relations were established between China and Tunisia, Tunisia gave the first Tunisian soft seed pomegranate to China to commemorate the event. The pomegranate was cultivated in Henan province and the testing region was located in the village of Liu Yuan's family, the village of Liugoucun near Xingyang city.
After more than ten years of research in cultivation, the Tunisian pomegranate has totally taken root in Chinese soil. On December 10 2002, the Forestry Department of Henan announced that the N° 3 Linmu variety was a success. This full-red pomegranate was formally named the 'Tunisian soft seed pomegranate'.
Snow storm blows 'Tunisian soft seed pomegranate' to Sichuan.
Liu Juan's father planted a pomegranate garden at home, establishing a steady business. But a sudden snowstorm hit the Henan region in 2009 and all pomegranates froze to death. The family was forced to leave home to find a more suitable place to cultivate Tunisian soft seed pomegranates. After some investigation, they arrived in Huili county in Sichuan. The place was renown for the green pomegranate. Liu Juan's father became the first Tunisian pomegranate farmer in the county.
Snow storm blows 'Tunisian soft seed pomegranate' to Sichuan.
Liu Juan's father planted a pomegranate garden at home, establishing a steady business. But a sudden snowstorm hit the Henan region in 2009 and all pomegranates froze to death. The family was forced to leave home to find a more suitable place to cultivate Tunisian soft seed pomegranates. After some investigation, they arrived in Huili county in Sichuan. The place was renown for the green pomegranate. Liu Juan's father became the first Tunisian pomegranate farmer in the county.
Liu Juan was 25 years old at the time. As her parents grew old, she inevitably became the backbone of the the pomegranate garden. When they first came to Sichuan, the family wasn't familiar with the soil. The location of the garden they rented wasn't good. The water volume for irrigation was hard to pinpoint and they couldn't anticipate the new climate. Liu Juan suffered through all these difficulties. After four years, things started to change for the better. Her ecologically cultivated Tunisian soft seed pomegranates got the favour of the Beijing market.
Sweet and juicy red pomegranate with soft seeds. Do you want to try?
What helped Liu Juan's Tunisian pomegranates enter the Beijing market, was the outstanding quality of her products. Both on the outside and the inside, her Tunisian variety completely changed the consumers' impression of pomegranates.
The outside of the pomegranates are different from Chinese varieties in that they aren't green. When the Tunisian variety is ripe, the fruits facing the sun are completely red, the fruits away from the sun are half red. They are also easy to peel. Inside, the seeds of the Tunisian variety look like red agate. The seeds are also very soft, so they can be eaten. The fruit juice percentage is 91.4% with a sugar content of 17 brix. In brief, the pomegranates are juicy and sweet, and you don't have to spit out the seeds.
Pomegranates that look good and are easy to eat very swiftly earned the appreciation of the consumers.
Branding, tracing and standardising
The Beijing market is only the beginning. After cooperation with Pagoda, Liu Juan is now also gradually opening up the southern market. As demand grows, Liu Juan expands the cultivation ground in Sichuan. She also started over in her hometown near Xingyang. At present we have 80 hectares of privately owned cultivation ground for pomegranates in Xingyang and Sichuan. Under the cooperative we have 200 hectares. We produce more than a million kilograms. The cultivation ground in Xingyang covers 24 hectares, with a production of 350,000 kg.
Pomegranates that look good and are easy to eat very swiftly earned the appreciation of the consumers.
Branding, tracing and standardising
The Beijing market is only the beginning. After cooperation with Pagoda, Liu Juan is now also gradually opening up the southern market. As demand grows, Liu Juan expands the cultivation ground in Sichuan. She also started over in her hometown near Xingyang. At present we have 80 hectares of privately owned cultivation ground for pomegranates in Xingyang and Sichuan. Under the cooperative we have 200 hectares. We produce more than a million kilograms. The cultivation ground in Xingyang covers 24 hectares, with a production of 350,000 kg.
Liu Juan's pomegranate garden
Bagged pomegranates
As the production volume increases, Liu Juan becomes more careful with sales. To protect the reputation of Tunisian pomegranates on the market, deceit towards the costumers must be prevented. Liu Juan branded her Tunisian pomegranates as 'Spring Red'. Every pomegranate also gets a sticker with a tracing number. So every fruit has a unique identity.
The tracing system to check the source and prevent fakes.
"Costumers can use their phone to scan the tracing number. Then they can search online where the pomegranate was cultivated. With this system, we hope that we can help the customers to buy Tunisian pomegranates with guaranteed quality. In the future we hope to expand the tracing system, so customers can understand the production process. That way they can be more at ease when they eat our fruit."
Welcoming the 2016 production season
"With the cold and the rain this year, the packaging of the pomegranates has been delayed by two weeks. We plan to harvest mid August, formally starting the harvest in Sichuan by the later half of August. Delayed or not, the quality of the pomegranates this year is very good. We have more medium fruits (300gr-400gr) to satisfy the demands of the customers."
The Tunisian soft seed pomegranate is harvested rather early compared to other Chinese varieties. The supply period lasts some 4 months, with holidays like the national holiday and mid-autumn festival. "In the later half of September, we start harvesting the pomegranates in the Henan cultivation grounds. We are also looking for a refrigerated storehouse with good storage conditions. We hope to supply for a longer period of time if we are better able to preserve the quality of our fruits. That way, our customers can even eat our precious red pomegranates during Chinese the new year."
For more information,
For more information,
Mrs. Gao Yuan
Huili Spring Red Ecologic Agriculture
General sales manager
General sales manager