Lenovo parent company now diversifying with fruit
China: Legend Holdings uses technical back ground to its advantage
Chaired by renowned businessman Liu Chuanzhi, the company has invested more than one billion Yuan in its agricultural arm, Joyvio Group, which will cover the complete industry chain from production to food processing, to distribution, and on to retailing. The sale of fruit is just a starting point.
After launching its own branded blueberries the middle of this year, Joyvio announced last week that around 4,000 tonnes of golden kiwifruit from its farms near Chengdu City will be available in supermarkets and online stores from this month. The fruit will be branded "Liu Kiwi" as a tribute to Chairman Liu, who has masterminded the shift in the group's focus to food.
Over the past two years, Joyvio acquired blueberry farms in Qingdao in China's Shandong province, as well as in Chile in South America. It has also become the largest kiwi fruit planter in China after purchasing planting bases in China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces, as well as in Chile.
Cherries and grapes from its bases in the United States, Australia, and Chile, are scheduled to enter the market by the end of this year, and plans to introduce other fruits and vegetables are also in the pipeline. "Modern agriculture is actually very much a high-technology industry. Our rich experience in the IT industry is of great help," said Chen, who was previously the former senior vice-president of Lenovo Group in charge of development in emerging markets.
Joyvio has taken advantage of its know-how in IT to set up a "tracking system" to ensure the quality and safety of its produce. By scanning codes on its product packages, customers can learn which field the fruit came from, who was in charge of its production, what tests it went through before entering the market, as well as information on soil and water in the fruit's "birth place".
It has also changed the traditional way of farming by holding "drills" with local farmers to get prepared for bad weather and extreme climates. "We follow the advice of agricultural experts and teach farmers how to protect our fruit from hail or high-temperature weather before it really happens," Chen said.
For more information: scmp.com
