International certification brings glory, and a flood of orders marks the beginning of a new journey.

In the golden autumn of 1985, the weather was clear and sunny, with a crisp, refreshing air. The Hongqi Production Brigade was enveloped in a golden warmth. The rice stalks in the fields bowed heavily, the plump grains glistening in the sunlight. A gentle breeze stirred up waves of gold, carrying the sweet fragrance of ripe rice that permeated the fields. In the orchards, bright red apples hung from the branches like festive little lanterns, and golden pears weighed down the branches. The aroma of fruit and rice mingled together, creating the rich scent of the harvest season.

Inside the "Natural Flavor" food factory, a joyous atmosphere prevailed. Two bright red ribbons hung before the vermilion gate, their gold-embossed characters proclaiming "Congratulations to Natural Flavor for Passing International Food Safety Certification," gleaming brilliantly in the autumn sunlight. Along the main road of the factory, colorful flags fluttered in the wind, like enthusiastic cheers. The employees, dressed in uniform light blue overalls, beamed with undisguised joy, walking with a confident stride. When they met, their eyes met with excitement and pride, and their hushed conversations, though seemingly quiet, exuded a vibrant energy.

In the general manager's office on the top floor of the office building, sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the floor until it shone like a mirror. Lin Wanqiu stood by the window, clutching a gold-embossed certificate tightly in her hand. The certificate's cover bore the international food safety certification logo, with delicate patterns embossed along the edges, and it felt thick and smooth to the touch. She wore a beige suit skirt, her long hair neatly styled in a bun, revealing her slender and graceful neck. Her face was lightly powdered, and the weariness of the past had faded from her eyes, replaced by undisguised joy and relief.

Sunlight bathed her face, outlining soft contours. Fine lines at the corners of her eyes appeared faintly in her smile—medals left by time and hard work. Her fingertips gently caressed the gold-embossed lettering on the certificate, the texture clear and real, and an indescribable excitement welled up in her heart, like a tide that lingered for a long time.

For this moment, she, Shen Tingzhou, and the entire "Natural Taste" team have sacrificed so much. Ever since "Natural Taste" products began to go global and received their first overseas order, she has known that while the international market is vast, the barriers to entry are also much higher. Overseas customers have almost demanding requirements for food safety, with strict standards and regulations governing everything from the planting environment and growth process of raw materials to every step of production and processing, as well as packaging, transportation, and storage.

To meet these standards, she spearheaded a special task force, while Shen Tingzhou leveraged his network to bring in food industry experts and technical consultants from the provincial capital, Beijing, and even abroad. They comprehensively upgraded the planting base, establishing a complete green planting system, strictly prohibiting the use of banned pesticides and fertilizers, replacing them with organic fertilizers cultivated in the space, and installing professional environmental monitoring equipment to monitor soil, water, and air quality indicators in real time, ensuring that every fruit and vegetable grows in a pollution-free environment.

The production workshop underwent a major overhaul. They invested heavily in internationally advanced production equipment and purification systems, raising the cleanliness of the workshop to the highest standards in the food industry. Walls and floors are entirely made of non-toxic, odorless, and easy-to-clean environmentally friendly materials. Real-time monitoring cameras were installed on the production line, making every process fully visible. Employees also received round after round of professional training, from raw material selection, cleaning, and cutting to processing, drying, and packaging. Every action was strictly performed according to international standards, and even the proper wearing of masks and gloves was repeatedly practiced to ensure absolute safety.

Countless sleepless nights, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou stayed in the workshop, watching every detail of the production line and checking for potential hazards; countless weekends, they gave up their rest to work with technicians to study and improve processes and optimize production flow; countless late nights, the office lights were still on as they studied thick international standard documents repeatedly, interpreting them word by word, and developing rectification plans based on the actual situation of the food workshop.

Several times, because some indicators consistently failed to meet the requirements, some members of the team began to waver, feeling that it wasn't necessary to be so meticulous. They thought the domestic market was already doing very well, so why bother venturing into the international market and suffering the hardship? Director Zhang from the production workshop once privately approached Lin Wanqiu, his tone tinged with confusion: "President Lin, our current product quality is already good enough. Domestic customers are scrambling to buy them. The overseas market is so tough, and the standards are so strict. We've put in so much effort; what if we ultimately fail to pass the certification? Wouldn't it all be for nothing?"

Lin Wanqiu didn't directly refute him at the time. Instead, he took Director Zhang to the warehouse, pointed to the mountains of domestic orders and the few potential overseas orders, and said earnestly, "Director Zhang, you see, the domestic market is like a pond. Although we are well-fed now, the pond is only so big, and it will eventually become saturated. The international market, on the other hand, is a vast ocean, with a wider world and longer-term development. When we run a business, we can't just look at the immediate benefits; we must look to the long term. Obtaining international certification is not just about getting overseas orders, but also about gaining global recognition for the quality of 'Natural Taste,' and enabling Chinese food brands to go global. This is a responsibility, and also an honor."

Her words were resounding, and her eyes were firm and determined, which deeply moved Director Zhang. From then on, he never mentioned giving up again, but instead devoted himself even more to leading the workshop staff to implement the various rectification requirements.

Shen Tingzhou gently embraced her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head, his warm breath brushing against her ear, his voice low and gentle: "Wanqiu, we did it." His embrace was firm and warm, carrying a reassuring strength. During this time, he, like Lin Wanqiu, had been under immense pressure. To ensure the certification went smoothly, he not only had to manage the food workshop but also coordinate relationships with various parties and solve various problems encountered during the rectification process. Sometimes, when faced with technical bottlenecks, he would even personally step in, working late into the night with the technicians, so exhausted that he could fall asleep on the sofa in his office.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!