"We carried out market research on more than 100 fruit varieties between 2015 and 2017. We have decided to promote two new varieties in the 'Uncle Ma's Melon'-series: Carotene watermelons and Lycopene watermelons.
We carried out small-scale promotional activities in several major production areas (such as Shandong, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, and Jiangsu). The superior display of our melons received approval from visiting traders, fruit traders, and planters." This is according to Poly Ma, the CEO of Arnott (Beijing) Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
Carotene watermelons and lycopene watermelons
"The names of these watermelon varieties are not arbitrarily chosen. These watermelons do not just share carotene with carrots and lycopene with tomatoes, they also contain the important vitamins of these vegetables. This is very attractive for Chinese consumers who are always looking for healthy foods. We do hope these watermelon varieties will become quite popular in the Chinese fruit market. In addition, these watermelon varieties have their own unique, sweet fragrance, and their sugar content can be as high as 12-14.5. This is one of the greatest advantages of our watermelons, which gives us a competitive advantage in the Chinese fruit market."
Carotene watermelons and lycopene watermelons
"We received positive market feedback, so in 2019 we decided to implement large-scale plantation on a field of 10 hectares. The watermelons from this plantation arrived on the market in early April. We sold them through e-commerce platforms and fruit stores. The e-commerce platforms mostly sold individual watermelons. The e-commerce platforms include Hema, Taobao, Dianshou, and Xianfu. The offline sales channels include large supermarkets, fruit chain stores, and wholesale markets, such as Joy Wing Mau, Jia Jia Yue, Qupai, Yipin Guohui, and Yili Guozi. Our second large plantation is around 6.7 hectares, and the harvest from that plantation entered the market in the middle of June. The third large plantation covers around 5.3 hectares. The harvest from that plantation entered the market in early October. The fourth large plantation covers around 6.7 hectares. the harvest from that plantation entered the market in the middle of November. The fifth large plantation covers around 2 hectares. This harvest will enter the market around New Year's."
Cherry tomatoes in the supermarket
Cherry tomato plantation
"The company plans to have an area of 100 hectares in operation for year-round production by 2020. The main production areas will be located in Shandong, Hainan, and Ningxia. We expect a production volume of 4.5 million kg. The market price of these varieties is on average higher than the price of other watermelon varieties. We efficiently integrated the entire supply chain through the development of various aspects including the selection of seeds, the cultivation of seedlings (exclusively managed by the company), cooperative plantations (with signed agreements that guarantee a competitive price), and the management of retail channels (with online and offline channels working in tandem)."
Watermelons
Carotene and lycopene watermelons
"Apart from this, we also plan to promote festive packaging for Christmas and Chinese Spring Festival [25 January, 2020] to satisfy market demand during the holidays. This project will easily unfold because in China gifts of fruit represent good fortune, health, and peace. We are currently working hard to promote our products in every market across the country. We therefore do our best to guarantee the product quality of every individual watermelon as well as their unique color and sweet flavor. When our brand has achieved greater recognition in the Chinese market, we will strengthen our investment in product quality control and improve the price of our products."
For more information:
Poly Ma - CEO
Arnott (Beijing) Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 186 6069 1099