The "Cross-Border" Journey of an Apple
On an autumn morning, the hills and valleys of Jingning County are bathed in dawn light, with apple orchards stretching across the mountains where red fruit weighs down the branches. Farmers move through the orchards with baskets, collecting "ruby-like" apples into containers. Among these orchards grows a special apple that is about to embark on an extraordinary journey.
This apple grows in the planting base of Jingning Longyuanhong Fruit Marketing Co., Ltd. It will not appear on the shelves of any fruit store or supermarket, but will instead undergo a miraculous "cross-border" transformation.
At 7:30 AM, the Longyuanhong base buzzes with activity. Workers in uniform clothing sort and pack apples picked in the early morning hours into baskets, while trucks wait nearby.
At 9:00 AM, the truck carrying this apple enters the Longyuanhong processing park, where fruit fragrance fills the air. Inside the workshop, machine roars blend with fruit aromas as washing and sorting processes proceed in orderly fashion. "This advanced domestic production line focuses on NFC non-concentrated juice. The cold-pressed fresh fruit technology processes 3 to 5 tons of apples per hour with a juice extraction rate of about 50%," says the workshop director, pointing to the equipment.
After automatic washing, the apple enters multi-level sorting. The optical sorting machine determines through infrared scanning that it is "premium fruit" and directs it to the high-end juice channel. Hours later, this apple, originally worth 1.5 yuan per jin, becomes 300ml of premium apple juice retailing for 8 yuan, multiplying its value several times.
While Longyuanhong achieves the leap from "fresh fruit to beverage," Xiwu Youpin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. makes apple cross-border applications even more "novel." Here, apples extend into face masks, health products, and more, achieving "every part is treasure."
Entering the Xiwu Youpin showroom, the shelves display not only apple preserves and apple crisps, but also apple flower tea, enzymes, polyphenols, and even apple flower handmade soap and extract face masks. "Since 2018, we've collaborated with Tianjin Agricultural College and Gansu Agricultural University for research and development, aiming to 'fully utilize' apple value," says Chairman Wang Xing, holding up apple flower tea.
The price tag data is impressive: one ton of fresh apples costs 2,000 yuan, processed into preserves worth 10,000 yuan, apple crisps 20,000 yuan; one jin of apple flowers costs 10 yuan, after processing and packaging an 84-gram gift box sells for 200 yuan; deep processing into polyphenol raw materials exceeds 100,000 yuan per ton. "This year's sales revenue exceeded 50 million yuan, with high-end products accounting for 30%," Wang Xing says proudly.
Xiwu Youpin also infuses apples with cultural significance. "For happy family occasions, give 'Peace and Joy,'" Wang Xing introduces. The "Gan Xiaoxing" brand combines the apple's "peace" symbolism with customized gift boxes to enhance premium pricing. The brand now cooperates with places like Changwu in Shaanxi, exporting models and technology.
In the R&D laboratory, researchers extract antioxidants from apple peels. "Pulp for food, peels for polyphenols, cores for oil extraction, pomace for feed - zero waste," Wang Xing says, pointing to samples. Apple peel extract handmade soap targets Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, with single bars at 100 yuan still in short supply.
Apple cross-border applications not only add value but also become the "golden key" for people's income increase. In Longyuanhong's packaging workshop, 52-year-old Sister Lu is packing juice gift boxes: "Previously growing apples earned less than 10,000 yuan annually, with possible fruit rot. Now working at my doorstep, I earn over 3,000 monthly and can still care for my family."
Xiwu Youpin's "company + cooperative + farmer" model benefits more fruit growers. "We provide technical guidance and purchase qualified apples at 10% above market price," Wang Xing introduces. The company employs 30 people long-term, hires over 80 temporary workers during peak season, paying nearly 3 million yuan in wages annually; through contract farming, it guides over 500 fruit growing households in standardized planting, with each household increasing annual income by over 20,000 yuan. "I grow 10 mu of apples. Previously I waited for buyers, now I have guaranteed income, earning over 80,000 annually," farmer Brother Li says with a smile while calculating.
"Previous primary sales made farmer income unstable," says Wang Juntang, Director of the County Forestry and Grassland Bureau. In recent years, the county has supported deep processing, cultivating 5 large-scale enterprises with annual processing of 150,000 tons, solving sales difficulties while creating over 2,000 jobs. The next step will attract more deep processing projects, promote industrial upgrading, and let fruit farmers enjoy more dividends.
As the sun sets, orchards grow quiet and farmers return home with full loads; workshop machines continue roaring as apples continue their transformation. This ordinary apple's journey epitomizes Jingning's apple industry upgrade - from primary agricultural products to high-tech products, from local to domestic and international markets, Jingning apples are leading villagers toward a prosperous future.