Stay true to the original aspiration and make good tea: the slow and the fast on the road of entrepreneurship
"Being able to become the national standard sample of Lu'an Guapian is the greatest affirmation of my 30 years in the tea business." Recently, Yue Hu, chairman of Anhui Yuewang Tea Industry Co., Ltd., said: "Many people remind me that after working diligently in tea for decades, I have just developed a bit slowly. I also deeply regret this, but running an enterprise is like building a high-rise building: only when the foundation is solid can there be the basis and opportunity to go up another floor..."
The Dabie Mountains have interdependent mountains and rivers and a suitable climate, making them very suitable for tea growth. Lu'an Guapian and Huoshan Huangya are both produced here. Near Longmenchong Village, Xihekou Township, Yu'an District, there is a famous "Shiba Pan." An ancient road crosses mountains and ridges from here, winding and spiraling, connecting the deep mountains with the outside world. For thousands of years, tea farmers here carried loads on their shoulders and backs, moving step by step, transporting tea out of the mountains. This route is called the "Ancient Tea Horse Road." Yue Hu's home is right on the ancient road. Growing tea, making tea, and selling tea were the entire life of the villagers. Influenced from childhood, Yue Hu mastered a full set of good tea-making skills from a young age.
Steep mountains and lofty ridges were the unique geographical conditions for tea growing in western Anhui, but they also became a barrier to people becoming wealthy. In the 1980s, the "east wind" of reform and opening up also blew into the Dabie Mountains. "In 1985 I entered a tea company and was responsible for production, processing, and technology, and began to comprehensively and systematically understand Lu'an tea and tea-making techniques." Yue Hu said, "This east wind came too fiercely, causing the tea company and other collective enterprises where I worked to close down in response."
With skills in hand, one need not fear wherever one goes. In 1993, Yue Hu brought his experience and skills to Xianhualing, Mabu Town, Jinzhai County, to open a tea factory. He then went to Qishan, Biandudong, Dushan Yanjiangchong, and the core production areas of Lu'an Guapian and Huoshan Huangya such as Huoshan Dahuaping, Jinjishan, and Taiyang, selecting high-quality fresh leaves and learning traditional tea-making craftsmanship. A decade of honing made a sword. At the beginning of this century, the tea made by Yue Hu rose to fame and became another famous brand of Lu'an tea. In 2003, the Anhui Lu'an Dashan Tea Factory founded by Yue Hu, with the concept of "gathering the essence of the Five Sacred Mountains and forging the tea king of western Anhui," registered the "Yuewang" brand and carefully produced famous tea, Dendrobium, mountain delicacies, scented tea, and more. It also established its own ecological tea garden near Biandudong, a core original production area of Lu'an Guapian, and established a wild-environment Dendrobium base in Taipingfan, Huoshan.
"Establishing a company and building a brand put us on a path of rapid development. In 2005 the 'Yuewang' brand was awarded the title of the first Lu'an Famous Brand Agricultural Product by the municipal government; in 2006 'Yuewang' brand Lu'an Guapian won first place at the Lu'an Guapian Cultural Festival... Honors such as Lu'an Famous Trademark and Anhui Province Famous Trademark followed one after another." Yue Hu said that remaining calm in the face of honor and disgrace is what reveals a true hero. Afterward, he did not blindly expand production. Instead, based on the principle of "doing things earnestly and being an honest person," he devoted himself to making and selling tea, attracting attention from well-known supermarkets inside and outside the province such as Anhui Huifu Tea House, Walmart, Baida, and Shangzhidu.
Today, the figure of "Yuewang" can be seen in almost all well-known supermarkets and tea shops in Lu'an. "We have nearly 200 tea varieties ranging from 30 yuan/jin to 1,800 yuan/jin, and most prices are 100-200 yuan per jin. Letting every ordinary person be able to afford tea and drink good tea is our ultimate goal." Yue Hu said that when products are made well, service must also keep up. In order to let the people of Lu'an drink more good tea, he also purchased famous teas such as Keemun black tea, Anji white tea, Taiping Houkui, and Anxi Tieguanyin. "While selling tea, we are also selling tea culture, service concepts, and health awareness." Yue Hu told reporters that once an old customer asked a salesperson in the shop whether there was safe and reliable lingzhi for sale. After understanding the situation, Yue Hu immediately used his own channels to bring a portion from the mountains for the elderly person. Today, the elderly person and their relatives and friends are all loyal customers. Mountain delicacies and specialties from the Dabie Mountains such as Huoshan Dendrobium and Jinzhai lingzhi have also become star products of his company.
Today, with the development of the industry and the building of brands, the Lu'an tea industry has developed rapidly. At the same time, internet sales have also opened a door to a "new world" for the tea market.
"The changes brought by the internet are obvious to all, and online shopping also receives mixed reviews. As a new thing, one must study it and learn to make the best use of advantages and avoid disadvantages. Today, we have already cooperated with JD.com, and our self-operated online store is also in full swing." Yue Hu said that in the past the pace was slow, and now a opportunity to speed up has arrived, but no matter what, "Yuewang's" quality cannot change, its conscience cannot change, and its original aspiration cannot change.