Organic Farms in Shanghai: Kiwing Fine Foods
Shangahiist has a short interview of Denise Cheng, founder of Kiwing Foods, that I found interesting.
How does a group of people that has no experience in the business of farming go about doing it?
We brought in experts that had done work at the School of Agriculture here. We also are surrounded by farmland that is tended to by small farming families. It was just a matter of bringing in the right people at the beginning. It’s not as if members of my family and I are the ones out there actually planting everything. But these experts know the best growing practices, know which seeds are the best.
and on the industry itself
What is your take on the local organic food industry in China? Is there increasing awareness and interest and thus more competition?
This is already happening. Around Shanghai, there is a growing interest in organics in bigger cities like Hangzhou and Nanjing. There are actually organic farms and companies that have been around for over a decade, but it has been a bumpy a ride. From my knowledge, a lot of them have gone out of business, and those that have hung around may only now be seeing the kind of market develop the way they anticipated earlier on.
With their home delivery business still not off the ground, when I spoke to Kiwing at the recent Greenovate party, they told me that they have been operating on a wholesale basis and will continue to seek opportunities there.. and given the order size and stability of restaurants is better, that is clearly a smart move in such a competitive market.
Quickly turning into a sizeable industry here in Shanghai, a number of new farms open their farm doors and have placed their goods in City Shop, JiuGuang, Lianhua, Carrefour, and others.
Shanghai seems to be a great market for products that often seen as a luxury, and while I have my own ideas for organic in Shanghai, I must admit that I am enjoying seeing these groups come online at the speed they are. they are entering at a time when confidence in local goods is at an all time low, and that will open doors.
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