Small Snacks, Big Impact! Taizhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative Assists in Taizhou's Bid to Become a "World City of Gastronomy"

Taizhou snacks have a long history, a rich variety, and delicious flavors. To promote the high-quality development of the Taizhou snack industry, the Taizhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative has actively leveraged its advantages since the beginning of this year. It has implemented a strategy for the standardization, industrialization, and branding of Taizhou snacks, driving the development of the entire snack industry chain and supporting Taizhou's bid to become a "World City of Gastronomy."

Approaching noon, Yu Qing Zhai on Tianti Street in Tiantai County is packed with customers. This shop specializing in Taizhou characteristic snacks is a well-known time-honored brand. Besides local residents, many out-of-town tourists visit after hearing of its reputation. Tourist Zhang Ying from Suzhou told the reporter she found the shop while searching online for local travel guides. Netizens recommended many internet-famous snacks here, so she made a special trip to check. "Not only did I get to eat delicious snacks, but I also learned about the local culinary culture and customs," Zhang Ying said.

Besides dine-in, the shop has innovated traditional techniques and introduced modern equipment, turning traditional snacks into easy-to-store, portable souvenirs. Zhang Juwen, provincial-level inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage technique for "Jiao Bing Tong" (a type of rolled pancake), said, "Previously, our snacks only targeted the local Tiantai area. Since turning them into souvenirs, we can sell them nationwide via the internet, and sales have naturally increased."

A couple of years ago, Yu Qing Zhai opened a branch in the United States, raising the profile of Taizhou snacks overseas. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently over 35,000 snack catering businesses similar to Yu Qing Zhai in the city, employing over 90,000 people and offering over 200 types of local characteristic snacks.

Last year, the municipal Party committee and government clarified the goals and pathways for Taizhou's bid to become a "World Capital of Gastronomy." The rich variety of snacks is an indispensable part of Taizhou's culinary culture. To promote the development of the entire Taizhou snack industry chain, the Taizhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative has fully leveraged its advantages, specifically issuing the Opinions on Promoting the Development of Taizhou Snacks, which outlines 11 tasks including industrial standards, skills training, industrial development, and brand building.

In October this year, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative also spearheaded the establishment of the Taizhou Snack Association. This association integrates resources from government departments, social organizations, market entities, and other parties to jointly promote the standardization, industrialization, and branding of Taizhou snacks. Huang Shunyong, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Council of the Taizhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and the first President of the Taizhou Snack Association, stated that the establishment of the association is beneficial for integrating resources across the city's snack industry, promoting industry exchange and innovative development. Simultaneously, through the association, the strengths of government departments and various social sectors can be better pooled to form a joint force promoting the development of the Taizhou snack industry.

Seventy-three enterprises, institutions, and market entities in the snack industry became the first members of the Snack Association. Among them, many leading snack enterprises, under the guidance of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, have developed into benchmarks for full industry chain development. Fengyuan Steamed Buns, headquartered in Xinhe Town, Wenling City, is one representative. "After implementing assembly-line mass production, we can make 2,000 to 3,000 steamed buns per hour. In a single day, we can produce around 20,000 steamed buns. The production capacity of one line equals that of 10 to 20 traditional steamed bun shops," said Feng Yongming, founder of Fengyuan Steamed Buns.

While advancing industrialization and standardization, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, together with departments like culture & tourism and commerce, will organize activities such as Taizhou snack exchange touring exhibitions. It will fully utilize various exhibition platforms and agricultural festivals both inside and outside the city to showcase and promote Taizhou snacks, increase publicity for them, and take the lead in designing a visual logo (identity logo) for Taizhou snacks, forming a snack visual identity system with Taizhou characteristics.

Moving forward, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative will focus on the three-pronged goal of standardization, industrialization, branding, formulate task lists and timelines, study them one by one, scale up, strengthen, and optimize the Taizhou snack industry, contributing the strength of the supply and marketing system to Taizhou's bid for the "World City of Gastronomy."

Translator：Jiayang Lin