GBP Chapter 525: Truly on the Right Track
Chapter 525: Truly on the Right Track
Early in the morning, Li Xiangyang drove his truck from the purchasing station to the factory, carrying two sacks of ginseng and a box of frogs.
Old Zhang was already busy in the workshop, checking the operation of each piece of equipment.
"Mr. Li, you've come at the right time." Old Zhang dusted off his hands. "The equipment is all set up and ready; we're just waiting for the raw materials."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou poured the ginseng onto the washing table. These ginseng roots were carefully selected by them, with intact roots and smooth skin.
"This ginseng looks quite good." Old Zhang picked one up and examined it closely. "Products made from this kind of raw material will definitely sell well."
Xiao Liu also came over to help and started processing the frog. He was skilled and quickly cleaned out its internal organs.
"This frog is quite plump," Xiao Liu exclaimed. "Judging by its size, it must weigh at least three ounces."
Fatty Ma stood to the side, watching with great interest: "I've never seen such professional operation before."
"This is just the beginning," Old Zhang said, starting the cleaning equipment. "The key is the drying effect afterwards."
After being washed, the ginseng is fed into a slicing machine. With the rumbling of the machine, slices of ginseng of uniform thickness slide out of the discharge port.
"This thickness is just right." Old Wang picked up a piece and held it up to the light. "If it's too thick, it won't dry completely; if it's too thin, it'll crumble easily."
Next comes the drying process. Old Zhang carefully adjusted the temperature: "Ginseng needs to be dried slowly at a low temperature to preserve its nutrients."
The dryer started working, and a faint ginseng aroma filled the workshop.
Meanwhile, the forest frogs also entered the processing procedure. Soaking in salt water, draining, and plating were all carried out in strict accordance with the process requirements.
"How long will this process take?" Old Ma asked anxiously.
“Ginseng takes eight hours, and forest frogs take twelve hours,” Old Zhang replied. “It can’t be rushed.”
Li Xiangyang nodded. Quality truly cannot be rushed. In his previous life, he had seen too many examples abroad of brands ruining themselves because of short-sighted pursuit of quick profits.
In the afternoon, Ma Laosan received a phone call.
"What? The customer wants to come and see the goods early?" Ma Laosan asked, somewhat troubled. "But we're still in trial production."
After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Ma Laosan's expression gradually turned serious.
"Okay, okay, I got it." After hanging up the phone, Ma Laosan turned to everyone and said, "The boss of that health product company in the south is coming tomorrow; he wants to see our products and equipment."
"So soon?" Li Xiangyang frowned.
"They said if we're satisfied, the first order will be for ten thousand sets," Ma Laosan said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "At twenty yuan per set, that's an order for two hundred thousand sets!"
Fatty Ma swallowed hard: "Two hundred thousand? How much money would that make?"
"The key is whether we can secure this order," Li Xiangyang calmly analyzed. "The quality of the products tomorrow will directly determine our success or failure."
Old Zhang patted his chest confidently: "Don't worry, we're confident."
To ensure a good presentation tomorrow, several technicians stayed at the factory that night. Li Xiangyang also stayed behind, guarding the first batch of products with everyone else.
At 11 p.m., the ginseng slices were finally ready.
Old Zhang carefully took out a piece, held it to his nose, and smelled it: "The fragrance is just right, and the color is good too."
Li Xiangyang took it and tasted a small piece. The taste was indeed good, with a sweet aftertaste.
"Let's package it up and see how it goes."
Xiao Zhao started the vacuum packaging machine, and soon bags of beautifully packaged ginseng slices were ready. Inside the transparent bags, the golden ginseng slices were neatly arranged, looking very appealing.
The next morning, the frogs were dried. The processed frogs had an appealing golden-yellow color and felt dry and non-greasy to the touch.
At 10 a.m., a black sedan drove into the factory yard.
A middle-aged man in his forties got out of the car. He was wearing a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses, and looked like a seasoned businessman.
"This is General Manager Chen," Ma Laosan quickly stepped forward to introduce him, "General Manager Chen, these are our partners, Li Xiangyang and Ma Qingfu."
General Manager Chen shook hands with everyone and glanced around the workshop: "The equipment looks quite professional."
"Please take a look at our products, Mr. Chen." Li Xiangyang took out the freshly packaged ginseng slices and forest frogs.
Mr. Chen unpacked the product and examined it carefully. He first smelled it and then touched the texture.
"This looks quite good," Mr. Chen nodded. "May I try some?"
"sure."
Mr. Chen carefully tasted a slice of ginseng, raising an eyebrow slightly: "The flavor is authentic, and it's been processed very cleanly."
Then he looked at the forest frog: "This size is quite standard, and the packaging is also very nice."
Old Zhang explained the process in detail, and General Manager Chen listened attentively, nodding in agreement from time to time.
"How is your production capacity?" General Manager Chen asked.
"Currently, this equipment can produce 500 jin of ginseng slices and 300 jin of forest frogs per day," Old Zhang answered truthfully.
Mr. Chen mentally calculated: "If we need 10,000 gift sets, how long would it take you to complete them?"
"One month," Li Xiangyang said confidently, "while ensuring quality."
"What about the price?"
Old Ma cleared his throat: "Ginseng slices are twelve yuan a pound, forest frogs are twenty-five yuan a pound, and gift boxes are twenty yuan a set."
Mr. Chen thought for a moment: "This price is a bit high."
"You get what you pay for," Li Xiangyang said calmly. "We use only wild-grown ingredients, so the quality is guaranteed."
"May I see your raw materials?"
Li Xiangyang led General Manager Chen to the raw material warehouse, pointing to several sacks of ginseng and saying, "These are all wild ginseng from the Xing'an Mountains."
Mr. Chen picked up a ginseng root and examined it closely: "Are forest frogs also wild?"
“We caught them ourselves in the mountains,” Wang Ergou interjected. “Absolutely wild.”
Mr. Chen spent more than an hour touring the factory before finally sitting down in his office.
“Your products are indeed excellent,” Mr. Chen said bluntly, “but I have one condition.”
“You say.”
"I want exclusive distribution rights, at least in South China," Mr. Chen said earnestly. "Also, we need to discuss the price further."
Li Xiangyang exchanged glances with Ma Laosan and Ma Pangzi.
"Isn't this inappropriate?" Li Xiangyang said hesitantly.
Mr. Chen smiled and said, "How about this then? If you can agree, I can prepay 30% of the payment."
This offer is indeed very attractive. Prepayment means significantly reduced financial pressure.
"How exactly will we cooperate?" Ma Laosan asked.
"Let's sign a one-year framework agreement first, with an initial order of 5,000 units. Further orders will be determined based on sales performance." Mr. Chen produced a contract. "This is our preliminary plan."
Li Xiangyang took the contract and looked at it carefully. He could accept most of the terms, but the price and settlement method still needed to be refined.
"Could you give us a day to think about it?"
“Of course.” Mr. Chen stood up to leave. “I’ll be waiting for your news at the guesthouse in town tomorrow.”
After seeing Mr. Chen off, the partners gathered together to discuss things.
"Once we get this order, we'll officially be on our way," Fatty Ma said excitedly.
"The key is whether we can keep up with the follow-up." Li Xiangyang was thinking further ahead, "Raw material supply and staffing all need to be replanned."
Wang Ergou calculated the figures: "At this order volume, we should earn at least tens of thousands of yuan a month."
"Don't be too happy yet," Li Xiangyang cautioned. "The bigger the business, the more problems will arise."
Despite saying that, Li Xiangyang was still very excited. This marked that their business had truly gotten on the right track.