Xu An didn't say these things to the village chief of Hua'an Village to make things difficult for him. He simply told him that if Xu's Catering wanted to sell these processed foods, it would need to build a factory, purchase equipment, apply for qualifications, and so on.
This is a complicated and lengthy process. The factory can be built slowly, the equipment can be purchased gradually, and the qualifications can be expedited by entrusting the poverty alleviation office to help. However, the grapes in the orchard cannot wait.
If we can find a suitable way to store the grapes, we can process them into food and sell them. This is obviously a great idea, and it was my initial thought. I just didn't expect that we would start producing them before I even started developing any related plans.
Moreover, as the village chief of Hua'an Village introduced each item and as each food item entered his mouth, the fog in Xu An's mind was dissipating, and what was hidden behind the fog was slowly becoming clear.
Behind the fog was still a factory, but this factory was not a newly renovated one built on the site of an abandoned paper mill. Instead, it was a factory built from scratch!
Along with the factory came an orchard and a village. Early in the morning, villagers would change into their work clothes, carry baskets on their backs, and head to the orchard. Using scissors, they would cut bunches of juicy grapes, carefully wrap them in tissue paper, and gently place them into their baskets.
Vehicles arrived one after another, and the grapes were loaded onto them and transported to the brand-new factory for sorting, washing, and processing. They were then transported to different workshops where, through various machines and processing methods, they became a variety of products and were finally delivered to consumers.
Xu An's subconscious told him that processing grapes into various food products for sale was a fantastic decision!
But reason reminded Xu An that it was already October, winter was approaching, and those poor grapes still hanging on the vines might not even survive the winter and be able to wait for the factory to be completed.
How can grapes, such a delicate fruit, be preserved to survive the winter and last until the factory is finished?
If we let them hang on the vines or fall to the ground, slowly withering and turning into dust, wouldn't that be a terrible waste?
"How did you preserve those unsold grapes in previous years?"
Xu An didn't continue to criticize the village chief of Hua'an Village, whose eyes had already lost their light, and went straight to the point—how to properly handle these delicious grapes.
"How do you save it?" Still reeling from Xu An's words, the village chief of Hua'an Village was stunned for a while before he reacted, stammering, "What do you mean by 'how do you save it'?"
? ? ?
"I heard from Secretary Li that the orchard had some grapes produced last year," Xu An explained in detail. "But only a small portion was sold last year. How did you preserve the remaining grapes?"
"Oh, oh!" The village chief of Hua'an Village finally understood what Xu An was asking, but his expression remained very confused. He said with a puzzled look, "If they can't be sold, what's the point of preserving them? Anyone who wants some can just pick some and keep them at home."
"Well," Xu An had no choice but to follow up and ask, "Do the villagers eat them as soon as they pick them, or do they preserve them to eat slowly?"
"Pick as many as you want to eat."
“You can put them in the cellar,” Li Sixin interrupted the village chief of Hua’an Village, explaining to Xu An, “We’ll put up some bamboo poles above the cellar and hang the grapes on them to preserve them. They should keep for about two months without rotting, spoiling, or getting moldy.”
Hearing Li Sixin's words, Xu An breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Li Sixin was there; otherwise, Xu An felt he would have lost half his life just from communicating with him.
After muttering a curse to himself, Xu An's attention returned to what Li Sixin had just said.
Can grapes really be preserved in cellars?
Moreover, it can be preserved for up to two months without spoiling. My understanding of cellars is still too superficial!
"Village Chief He, I can't give you any guarantees, but you can organize the villagers to harvest the ripe grapes and store them in the cellar. Perhaps—and I say perhaps—that after the factory is built, I will purchase a small batch of grapes to try it out."
As he spoke, Xu An added, "But I'm not sure if the food products made from these grapes will be popular with consumers. If the market response is not good, then the rest of the grapes will have been a waste of time."
Upon hearing Xu An's words, the extinguished light in the eyes of the village chief of Hua'an Village instantly rekindled. He excitedly waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. The grain in the fields has all been harvested. We're just idling around anyway, picking some grapes is a good thing. Just like they say in the city, it's good exercise, isn't it? Hahaha."
After receiving a somewhat inaccurate but still positive reply, the village chief of Hua'an Village placed all the grape-based foods from the bamboo basket on the table, then bid farewell to everyone and left.
"You just mentioned so many rules and regulations, I thought you were going to refuse Village Chief He!" Xu Heping sat down at the table with Xu An, chatting as they ate.
"How could that be?" Xu An pointed to the grape-based foods and laughed, "Didn't you try them too? The taste is no worse than what you get from those pastry shops and bakeries, is it?"
"It really is quite delicious!" Xu Heping nodded, then gently tapped the two seemingly identical bottles of grape juice with the end of his chopsticks, and asked in puzzlement, "I found it strange when I drank them just now. Why do these two grape juices taste so different? One is refreshing and delicious, while the other is mellow and rich."
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