Tainan's Madou has recently gained a new hotspot for photos. The Madou Farmers' Association has transformed its original storefront into a boutique supermarket, decorated like a department store. From fresh produce to pomelo flower shampoo produced locally in the township, products are available in full range. Small farmers can bring their own produce to stock the shelves themselves. Inside, there are comfortable tables and chairs for resting, and the flowers placed on the tables also come from local farmers, making outsiders exclaim how beautiful it is. "What you can buy at PX Mart, we have; what you can't buy at PX Mart, we also have," said Sun Tzu-min, the beautiful director-general of the Madou Farmers' Association, confidently.

The Madou Farmers' Association is famous for pomelo but also under great pressure, having once faced operational difficulties

When it comes to Madou, the mind automatically adds "pomelo." "We are famous because of pomelo, but we are also under considerable pressure because of pomelo," Sun Tzu-min said. This year is her third year as director-general. Having worked at the farmers' association for more than twenty years, she previously served in the planning department and as an auditor. Unlike many farmers' associations where the director-general comes from the extension department, she admitted that when she first took over, she was actually very afraid.

The Madou Farmers' Association is well known, but carrying the weight of its reputation is also very stressful. Sun Tzu-min said that in the past, the farmers' association had poor finances due to improper management. Because of financial constraints, the previous director-general had little room to hold extra activities, which at one point caused farmers to misunderstand the association. When she was asked whether she was willing to take over, she was very afraid she would not do well, but relying on her affection for the farmers' association, she still agreed.

On her first day taking over, Sun Tzu-min looked at the financial statements and felt the pressure rise. "The previous director-general worked so hard, and the farmers' association's finances were still very tight. When he took over, he must have been under even more pressure than I am." Looking at the statements, and at the farmers' association's 77 employees, Sun Tzu-min decided to take the initiative.

Going north and across the sea to sell externally, holding local events to attract people to Madou

"After Director-General Sun took office, the Madou Farmers' Association's activities changed a lot," said Yi-ju, an employee of the Madou Farmers' Association. Because the director-general did not come from the extension department, she even went to National Taiwan University to study in the EMBA program at the Department of Bio-Industry Communication and Development specifically for the farmers' association. Over the past two years, both local and external activities in Madou have increased, and even existing local activities have incorporated new elements, allowing the entire Madou area to be seen by others.

"The previous director-general also held local events. I am just leading everyone to go out," Sun Tzu-min said. For external sales events, Sun Tzu-min personally led farmers' association employees north to Banqiao, and even across the sea to the Hong Kong, China Food Expo, continuously making the Madou Farmers' Association's agricultural products visible.

Among Madou's local events, there is the Pomelo Flower Festival in March and the Pomelo Festival in August. Sun Tzu-min refined the events, limiting tourists attending the Pomelo Flower Festival to no more than thirty people per group, and having them take turns being held in pomelo orchards across each village. "The premise is that the orchard must be well maintained. Now farmers compete to host the events, so the farmers' association can also require farmers to take good care of their orchards and reduce pesticide use."

Purchasing pomelo flowers solves the pomelo production and marketing problem, increases farmers' income, and helps pomelo trees grow better

Besides events, Sun Tzu-min also wanted to improve the annual pomelo production and marketing problem. Madou's cultivated area is more than two thousand hectares, nearly half of which is planted with pomelo. Sun Tzu-min said that pomelo sales are concentrated in the period before the Mid-Autumn Festival each year, but they often encounter problems such as climate impacts and large fruit. This year, she decided to respond early by purchasing pomelo flowers from new pomelo trees to make processed products, thoroughly solving the large-fruit problem.

Pomelo trees under 8 years old are called new trees. The large fruit they produce has coarser flesh fibers, is less favored by consumers, and its price differs greatly from that of old-tree pomelo, so it can usually only be sent for processing. Last year, the Madou Farmers' Association purchased one million jin of large pomelo fruit, accounting for about 20% of the annual output of the Madou production area. However, processing is quite labor-intensive, from peeling to cutting the flesh, all done by hand. Moreover, purchasing large quantities in a short time requires freeing up cold storage space and processing as quickly as possible, creating great time pressure.

Sun Tzu-min believes that large fruit from new trees entering the market will lower pomelo prices, affecting not only Madou but also pomelo from other areas. The best way to reduce large fruit is to directly purchase pomelo flowers from new trees. In this way, no fruit will form, farmers will have income, and they can save the cost of tending fruit while cultivating the pomelo trees well.

Developing processed products such as pomelo-scented black tea and cosmetics; the farmers' association does not compete with farmers but helps increase their income

Last year, the Madou Farmers' Association already tried using pomelo flowers from new trees provided by farmers and cooperated with the Yuchi Township Farmers' Association to create a new product, pomelo flower black tea. Sun Tzu-min said that last year's pomelo flower black tea sold quite well. If pomelo flowers can continue to be developed into high-value-added processed products, farmers' willingness to sell will increase further. This year, skin care products such as cosmetics and face masks will be the research and development products.

The current purchase price for pomelo flowers is set at 200 yuan per kilogram. Sun Tzu-min said that meetings have already been held with each production and marketing team leader. The purchase requirement is pomelo flowers from new trees in complete areas where no pesticides are needed, preferably in a state of being in bud but not fully open. If petals are present, the price will be higher. After purchase, pesticide residue testing will be conducted. All Madou pomelo farmers are welcome to register.

"Farmers sell old-tree pomelo, and the farmers' association properly handles secondary fruit. This is the positive cycle," Sun Tzu-min said. Most Madou pomelo farmers have their own sales channels, and the farmers' association will not compete with farmers for business. What the farmers' association can do is reduce large fruit from new trees entering the market, keep pomelo prices good, and convert secondary fruit into income for farmers.

Not only pomelo farmers, but other large and small farmers are also cared for

Besides pomelo, Madou still has other crops. "There are many pomelo farmers, but other farmers also need to be cared for." Sun Tzu-min pointed to the cutting plant and collection and distribution center across from the farmers' association and said that large farmers growing other agricultural products in the Madou area can sell to the farmers' association. The farmers' association's own cutting plant processes them before delivering them to school nutrition lunches and the Coast Guard Administration's group meals. "We also handle meat products with production and sales traceability."

As for small farmers, Sun Tzu-min did not neglect them either. The Madou Farmers' Association's supermarket opened in a completely new form on January 18 this year. The farmers' association spent heavily, redesigning everything from the overall color scheme and visual arrangement to the displays, creating a completely refreshed farmers' association supermarket. "The supermarket is meant to be a sales platform for young farmers and small farmers, so it absolutely must be eye-catching."

Sun Tzu-min recalled that in the past, the farmers' association supermarket was mostly visited by local elders buying daily necessities, but sales speed was limited. After the new main visual display and sales approach, a new group of customers has been expanded. "On holidays, tourists keep coming in to buy souvenirs," Sun Tzu-min said. There is a parking lot outside the farmers' association supermarket, which is very convenient for tourists and can also increase their time spent there.

The farmers' association supermarket is beautified and charges no shelf fees, all to care for Tainan's local small farmers

The first thing you see upon entering the supermarket is dried fruit, fruit slices, shampoo, and body wash made from pomelo. The first cabinet displays processed products from farmers' associations and farmers in various districts of Tainan. "The best positions should first be reserved for Madou and Tainan farmers." To make it convenient for tourists to carry, all souvenir gifts have been repackaged, and their portions and sizes reduced, so that people can buy multiple flavors in one bag.

The following cabinets display processed products from farmers' associations and farmers in other areas, such as sake from the Wufeng Farmers' Association in Taichung, peanut oil from the Huwei Farmers' Association in Yunlin, red beans from the Meinong Farmers' Association, and honey-scented black tea from the Ruisui Farmers' Association in Hualien. Almost all processed products were personally selected by Sun Tzu-min. She said, "For tourists, coming to Madou also lets them buy products from other places. For other farmers' associations, it also gives them one more place to sell."

Moving to the fresh and refrigerated/frozen section, you can see meat products from the Liuqiu and Donggang fishermen's associations in the refrigerators, while the large fresh produce area displays an entire row of vegetables. A large sign reads "Rural Community Small Shop," and beside it stands a board listing the names of all producers, farms, and agricultural products. "Local people and tourists both like it very much. I once met a housewife from Shanhua who drove here specially to buy."

Sun Tzu-min pointed to the vegetables displayed on the shelves and explained that the cooperating farmers are all local small farmers, and when they come to deliver goods, they also stock the shelves themselves. The role of the farmers' association is to assist with consignment sales. "Farmers set prices and stock the shelves freely. We only charge ten percent as electricity and personnel costs, and we do not charge shelf fees." She said that small farmers have higher production costs and limited sales channels. The farmers' association provides a sales location, so small farmers do not have to struggle to rush to markets in Taipei.

On the other side of the fresh produce area, there is also a production and sales traceability section and a young farmer section. "We sold these before too, but after labeling by section, consumers understand more clearly, and more people buy them!" Sun Tzu-min said that at the opening, the association bought some processed products from young farmers. The young farmers thought they were only for display and never expected them to sell well, while the production and sales traceability section also boosted products from other farmers' associations.

Not only agricultural products, daily necessities can also be bought, and in the future there will be cooking classes and holiday markets

In addition to displaying and selling agricultural products, the Madou Farmers' Association fresh supermarket also sells other daily necessities, such as toilet paper, laundry detergent, and even pet food. "Although it is a farmers' association supermarket, it still has to look like a supermarket!" Sun Tzu-min explained that the farmers' association supermarket must also have a business mindset, allowing people to buy everything in one trip, which can increase repeat visits.

"We also have tables, chairs, and restrooms for resting," Sun Tzu-min said. The more complete the farmers' association supermarket's functions are, the more comfortable visitors will feel. Daily necessities that ordinary supermarkets also carry are only basic. The agricultural products and small-farmer vegetables sold by the farmers' association supermarket are more persuasive than those of any supermarket and can better demonstrate the value of the farmers' association.

The tables and chairs inside the supermarket are available for resting, and every flower placed on the tables also comes from local farmers. The two island counters beside the checkout counter also have a function. Sun Tzu-min plans to hold various cooking activities in the supermarket later, using the island counters as teaching areas and using various agricultural products in the supermarket for instruction, showing visitors on the spot how to use them.

Not only is the in-store space used for maximum benefit, Sun Tzu-min said the outdoor space has also been tidied up and backdrops have been arranged. Next, local small farmers are expected to set up markets on holidays. "The supermarket has refrigerators, so we can chill vegetables for farmers." She explained that the supermarket's refrigerated space can solve the problem of preserving vegetables for the market, and preparations will begin once foot traffic is sufficient.

In the future, cooperation with other farmers' associations across regions will continue

The farmers' association supermarket has been open for less than two months, and sales are quite good. Coupled with the previous two years of running around for exhibitions and sales, Sun Tzu-min said that the Madou Farmers' Association's finances have now become healthy and it can do more things to support farmers. "If it weren't for the pneumonia outbreak, our performance would be even better." Sun Tzu-min said that in addition to assisting sales, the farmers' association also secured environmentally friendly and cheaper fertilizer for farmers. The farmers' association sells it at nearly cost price, helping farmers reduce production costs.

The Madou Farmers' Association will also cooperate with other farmers' associations soon. Sun Tzu-min said that each regional farmers' association has different strengths and characteristics. Exchanging and cooperating with one another also broadens the customer base. Take pomelo-scented black tea, for example: it is equivalent to caring for farmers in both Madou and Yuchi at the same time. Cross-regional cooperation will be the future trend of operations.