How the oil-tea camellia industry leader, the "Oil Boss," did it
Hu Fengxiang introduces the "original wood ancient method oil pressing" technique
The Shenlangxiang oil-tea camellia industry cultural park in the Youxi Economic Development Zone of Fujian Province has now become a distinctive calling card of Youxi, in the hinterland of central Fujian in the "West Taiwan Strait" region. And the owner of this calling card is Hu Fengxiang, president of the Fujian Oil-tea Camellia Industry Association and chairman of Youxi Shenlang Edible Oil Co., Ltd. Hu Fengxiang has positioned developing the oil-tea camellia industry as his own life's work. On the path of development, he has continually explored industrial transformation and upgrading, rolling out a "combined punch," optimizing the entire industry chain, erecting a new milestone for the development of Youxi's oil-tea camellia industry, and forging Fujian's "Oil Boss" path of development.
When it comes to oil-tea camellia, Hu Fengxiang has a special feeling for it. He is a native of Xinyang Town, Youxi County. In his childhood memories, camellia seed oil seemed to have magical powers. When he was little, whenever he had a sore, swollen throat, a dry, itchy sensation, or an upset stomach, his grandmother would take a bowl of boiled water, drip in a few drops of camellia oil, and have him drink it, and the oil would cure the ailment. It was precisely this feeling, rooted deep in his heart, that set him on the path of developing and utilizing camellia seed oil.
Building demonstration bases
Taking the path of development and utilization
In December 2003, Hu Fengxiang took over the oil-tea camellia processing plant and founded Youxi Shenlang Edible Oil Co., Ltd. From personally overseeing quality management to emphasizing the integration of production, education and research, from winning the "China Well-Known Trademark" to the "Shenlangxiang" brand gradually gaining market recognition. Shenlang Company is like a raw, astringent oil-tea camellia seed that, through many pressing processes, becomes golden camellia oil, continually refined through every drop of tempering. Now, the company's 5 production lines are running at full capacity busy with production. In 2016, the company's output value exceeded 200 million yuan, an increase of 20%.
Establishing oil-tea camellia demonstration bases to help farmers escape poverty and become prosperous. Youxi has a long history of oil-tea camellia cultivation, and now the oil-tea camellia planting area in Youxi County has grown to 266,000 mu, making it a "Hometown of Chinese Oil-tea Camellia." "Youxi Camellia Seed Oil" has obtained the national geographical indication collective trademark. At present, Shenlang Edible Oil Co., Ltd. has established oil-tea camellia bases in Xibin Village of Tangchuan Township, Xinyang Village of Chengguan Town, and Yuanxi Village of Chengguan Town, fully demonstrating ecological and economic benefits. At the same time, the company takes driving large-scale growers and members of oil-tea camellia professional cooperatives to prosper together as its core business philosophy, and through funding and technical support, drives villagers to increase their income and escape poverty.
Hu Fengxiang stated that all management measures at the bases are strictly carried out in accordance with national standardized production practices for organic camellia oil, and are implemented under the guidance and monitoring of base managers and technical personnel, exploring and summarizing a set of cultivation techniques suited to Youxi's mountainous environmental conditions.
Youxi County has introduced the concept of modern agricultural development, committed to the whole-industry-chain development of oil-tea camellia in which "the primary industry connects with the secondary industry and links with the tertiary industry." As the boss of Shenlang Edible Oil Co., Ltd., Hu Fengxiang persists in walking the broad path of modern agricultural development, persisting in innovation in technology, products, marketing, management and more, adapting to changes in market demand.
A marriage of production, education and research
Producing first-grade camellia oil
Shenlang Edible Oil Co., Ltd. has built the largest single factory building in the national oil-tea camellia industry, with an area of 16,000 sq m and an annual production capacity of more than 9,000 tons. "To ensure the quality of camellia oil, we use Model 250 large presses with a physical low-temperature cold-pressing process. We ensure the oil output temperature is less than 70°C, guaranteeing the quality of the camellia oil, so that the pressing oil yield is ≥95%, and the residual oil in the pressed cake drops to below 5%." When talking about oil-pressing technology, Hu Fengxiang speaks with great familiarity.
From the primitive oil-pressing techniques all the way to the current processing capacity, they are willing to spend money, as long as the investment helps improve production processes and processing capacity. The annual research and development funding invested is no less than 5% of that year's total sales.
"Company + universities and colleges + base + farmers + market" is the company's industrialization business strategy. The company has formed production-education-research partnerships with Fuzhou University, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and other higher education and research institutions. The company owns independent intellectual property rights in core technologies and key products, and has obtained certification from authoritative institutions and many high-level awards. The "Shenlangxiang" brand first-grade camellia oil passed organic certification by a domestic authoritative institution as early as July 2005. In 2011, it passed testing by the food hygiene inspection body of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. In 2003, it won the only gold award at the First Cross-Strait Food Science Expo, and most of the company's existing 12 invention patents have already undergone transformation of scientific and technological achievements.
Hu Fengxiang said: "It is precisely because the company places such emphasis and investment that I dare to beat my chest and put forward the quality goals of 'a one-time production qualification rate of over 98% and a factory qualification rate of 100%.'" Only high-standard products can reflect high quality. Now, his company has invested 10 million yuan to build the country's first "Cross-Strait Woody Oil Science and Technology Research and Development Center," and has successively developed more than 20 product series including edible oils, health products, daily chemicals and agricultural specialties.
In recent years, CCTV programs such as "Sheng Cai You Dao" and "Zhi Fu Jing" have successively featured special reports on the "Shenlangxiang" brand. Last August, Hu Fengxiang won the "Sixth National Guangcai Project Land Greening Contribution Award."
Integrity forges the brand
Quality wins the market
"Formulating high-standard corporate standards is the lifeline of the company's development. The existing testing equipment and experimental conditions can meet the needs of edible oil production testing." Hu Fengxiang said confidently.
The company has compiled a "Quality and Food Safety Management Manual," implementing full-process tracking from the introduction of product raw materials to product sales. A series of technical achievements from his company's planting bases have now been written into the "Youxi Oil-tea Camellia High-Yield Cultivation Technical Regulations." The company has increased its research efforts, established a dedicated research department, and, strictly referring to national standards, adopted advanced inspection and testing technologies and methods to formulate a "Zhipin" camellia oil corporate standard higher than the national first-grade standard, establishing and perfecting a targeted, well-standardized industry quality standard system. The "Shenlangxiang" brand "Zhipin" organic camellia oil was rated as a "Quality Award of the Second China International Forestry Industry Expo."