Recently, Shuangdacai (vegetables harvested after frost) finally appeared in the Hema Fresh store. In the past, Shuangdacai came on the market one after another after the First Frost. But Hema's Shuangdacai was "late" by nearly a month this year, and it was not until Light Snow that it was launched one after another.
Cheng Yonghong, a vegetable buyer from Hema Fresh, said that this was because it was "warmer than the previous winter" and the temperature across the country was generally high. Although many vegetable planting bases had already prepared for harvesting vegetables, they had been "waiting for the frost". Hema Fresh postponed the launch of Shuangdacai, and it was not until recently that the vegetable bases in Ningxia, Shandong, Hubei, and other places began to get frost.
At present, the first batch of Shuangdacai from Ningxia, Shandong, and other regions has been put on the shelves one after another, and the Shuangdacai from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guizhou, and other regions will also be on the market soon. Through this "migratory bird" layout, Hema Fresh's Shuangdacai can be sold from November to the end of January next year.
Shuangdacai is popular among consumers because they are easy to cook, soft and glutinous in taste, and sweeter than ordinary vegetables. With the increase in demand, more vegetable planting bases have also begun to plant Shuangdacai, and their production has also increased significantly. Every year after the First Frost and before the Beginning of Spring, Shuangdacai is indispensable on the shelves of vegetable markets and supermarkets.
"The key to Shuangdacai is whether the vegetables have really experienced frost before harvesting. Otherwise, it will gradually become a marketing gimmick," said Cheng Yonghong.
Market research found that the taste of various vegetables on the market under the name of "Shuangdacai" did not meet consumer expectations. One is because some vegetable varieties have no obvious taste and texture changes after frosting. Another is because the number of times that the vegetables experienced frost is not enough, or it has not experienced frost yet.
Therefore, Hema Fresh focused on the construction and monitoring of the supply chain of Shuangdacai this year. It has secured 33 vegetable planting bases from north to south across the country and established a traceability link for Shuangdacai through the digital management system of the supply chain. On the one hand, it monitors the fact that the vegetables in the planting base have experienced frost before harvesting. On the other hand, it traces the harvesting situation of the base through user feedback, and at the same time further screens the varieties suitable for Shuangdacai.
"After two years of supplying Shuangdacai, we found that consumers' favorability and awareness of it have increased significantly. The sales are expected to increase by 50% compared to last year." Cheng Yonghong said that although the launch was delayed by one month this year, however, the upstream farmers were expected to increase income by 30% compared with last year.
Source: China Food News