"No! Backpacks, cameras, mobile phones cannot be brought in, nor can earrings or necklaces." Before the research team of Renmin University of China's International Journalism and Communication Master Class entered the peanut processing factory, Qingdao Jixing Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Jixing) General manager Yu Songkui repeatedly emphasized to everyone, "These may cause pollution to peanut processing. Strict disinfection is required before entering our factory."

Jixing Company Products

Qingdao Jixing Food Co., Ltd. is located in Pingdu, Qingdao, one of the three largest peanut planting bases in the country. Under the background of the primary processing of peanut processing enterprises in Pingdu City, Yu Songkui, who has more than 30 years of experience in peanut butter production, has positioned the company's business as deep processing of peanuts, mainly producing peanut butter, sesame butter and fried peanuts.

Elementary school in work clothes

After changing into food sanitation overalls, protective caps, masks, shoe covers, washing hands with hand sanitizer and disinfectant water, and blowing off the dust through a wind shower, the students of the research group officially entered the Jixing production plant.

As soon as the curtain opened, a scent of rich peanut butter smelt, everyone marveled: "It's so fragrant!" There are silver-gray peanut processing machines and pipes everywhere in the plant, and a few workers in white protective clothing Perform auxiliary work such as screening at the machine. Jixing has fully automated production equipment, including glass bottle peanut butter washing and filling integrated automatic production lines, Belgium Aspergillus flavus detector, etc., among which, the detector can automatically screen out unqualified peanuts that exceed the aflatoxin standard.

"Our raw material is high-quality peanuts from Jiaodong Peninsula. The quality of peanuts here is internationally recognized," Yu Songkui picked up a can of peanut butter and showed us. "Also, our fried peanuts are also 100% exported. Because the raw materials are high quality, the prices are higher than similar domestic products. We mainly export."

Jixing's products have been exported overseas

Jixing products have been exported to Russia, Japan, Sri Lanka and other countries. Yu Songkui introduced: "Our aim is to produce around peanuts. We want to build our own brand. In the future, we will consider other derivatives based on changes in market demand, but the core of" peanuts "will not change. "

A three-minute drive from Jixing Company, the "Peanut E-commerce Industrial Park" in Hejiadian, Qilan Town is located here. This industrial park is established on the basis of Qilan Pingdu large peanuts, and is mainly operated and managed by Qilan Township peanut professional cooperative . According to the person in charge, He Zhouwen, Tonglan Town now has 137 peanut processing plants, with an annual output value of 1.5 billion yuan in 2017.

It is worth noting that the 137 peanut processing plants in Qilan Town only carry out initial processing of peanuts, that is, the work of peeling and classifying peanuts. After simple initial processing, tons of peanuts are traded in the peanut market and sold throughout the country. "Yu Songkui is a visionary and Jixing is one of the few local companies that are engaged in deep processing of peanuts," said He Zhouwen.

Thanks to the current influence of the peanut market in the Jiaodong Peninsula, the peanut processing plant in Qilan Town still has considerable profits. Many manufacturers have not considered the transformation of deep processing of peanuts, but maintained the status quo and continued the low-tech initial processing mode. However, according to Song Kui's observation, there is no further development of the peanut raw material market. With the change of people's eating habits, consumers' demand for the processed peanut products has decreased, and the market is gradually shrinking.

The high price of production equipment and insufficient technology make it difficult to replicate the "Jixing Model." Yu Songkui particularly emphasized the need to grasp and predict the changes in market demand and market development prospects. He said: "If I chose the primary processing at that time, it would be satisfied by the benefits obtained at that time, there would be no high goal pursuit and hard work. The market for deep processing has great prospects and the competition is cruel, but I am a permanent Those who are not satisfied with the situation at hand, I like challenging work. "(Interview: Chen Wenxin, Jiang Jing, Zhang Qiuting, Zhou Jiayi)