Both are tea farmers, so why are the results so different?

Baixikou Village in Sha County, Fujian Province, is a key local tea production village, with 5 tea factories in the village and a tea garden area of 1035 mu. As soon as the Fujian research group of the Ministry of Agriculture, which was "staying close to the ground and observing public sentiment," arrived in the village, group leader Wu Kaifeng took team members to visit two elderly tea farmers: 51-year-old Qian Meiqing and 59-year-old Hong Chongchun.

"Both tea farmers have been operating tea factories for about 30 years and have deep feelings for tea, but in terms of brand management, management techniques and development planning, they have different 'tea business approaches,' and the results are also very different," Wu Kaifeng said.

Different brand awareness makes the added value of tea very different. Sister Qian pays attention to branding and operations. In 2000, she registered the trademark "Jinfu Lan" for tea, and according to market demand, graded and priced the tea, with prices ranging from 100 to 600 yuan per jin; in 2008, Jinfu Lan Tea Factory joined the "Fujian Provincial Commercial Industry Association" and the "Sanming Tea Association," expanding the tea factory's influence; she produced promotional brochures and filmed short videos for brand promotion. Because of her proper management, local media reported on Jinfu Lan Tea Factory many times. By contrast, Uncle Hong said, "I am getting older and do not want to keep fretting," and his tea has no trademark, no brand publicity or promotion, and a lower price, with a wholesale price of 90 yuan/jin and a retail price of 120 yuan/jin. Uncle Hong sighed, "No matter how good the taste is, it is useless. Without a brand, no one knows it, and you cannot make much money."

Different degrees of attention to management techniques make product assurance very different. Sister Qian believes that only improvements in management and technology can guarantee tea quality, and only then can the tea taste better and better. She introduced high-quality Tieguanyin tea tree varieties from Anxi to guarantee quality from the source; participated in various local tea skills training classes and in 2010 won third prize in the "Sha County Tea-Making Expert Competition"; implemented centralized training and unified management for tea factory employees, and the tea factory was rated a Sha County "Women's Demonstration Base" in 2010. Uncle Hong's tea garden management, however, is relatively extensive, and tea-making mainly relies on old experience, so tea quality is unstable, and sales mainly depend on old customers. In 2012, Uncle Hong joined with 5 tea farmers to establish a tea cooperative, but due to factors such as neglect of management, the cooperative existed in name only.

Different development ideas make the fate of the tea factories very different. Sister Qian is devoted to making Jinfu Lan Tea Factory "bigger and stronger." In the first half of this year, she applied to establish a family farm. At present, it has a tea garden area of more than 100 mu and can harvest 4 times a year. She said, "I will definitely keep operating it, and I will operate it better and better." Against the backdrop of a sluggish tea market, Uncle Hong has left part of his tea garden abandoned. At present, the tea garden is only more than 20 mu, and he has no next development plan. He said, "I will work as long as I can, and I do not know how much longer I can work."

"Sister Qian has already stepped into the ranks of new types of business entities, while Uncle Hong is still a tea farmer in the traditional sense." Research group leader Wu Kaifeng believes that "the government needs to support, encourage and guide these two types of tea farmers, implement differentiated policy standards, and promote their development."