Nut producer commits to freezing retail prices, despite rising costs of import
Nut producer commits to freezing retail prices, despite rising costs of import
2023-03-06
Nuts are a popular treat at this time of year. They’re great for giving to loved ones, and for keeping at home for a healthy snack. But global inflation has seen the price of importing nuts soar. Today we meet one Taiwanese nut producer that insists on keeping its retail prices stable, despite the risk. Their commitment to healthier processing keeps loyal customers onboard. And they’re hoping the rise in online sales will see them through the turbulent post-pandemic period.
Trays of nuts revolve 360 degrees in the oven, so that each nut gets heated evenly with minimal rancidity. They’re baked at a low temperature, just 100 degrees, and each batch spends six to eight hours in the oven. During that time, the chef opens the oven door to check on their progress. Traditional deep-drying techniques take just 15 to 20 minutes. This baking process is much slower and more labor-intensive.
Hsu Chin-tang
Nut producer strategy director
We process them in the most responsible way possible. Our aim is to preserve as much nutrition as we can, as well as the natural flavors of the nuts, after all, we are a subcontracting factory. So we tried out lots of different processing techniques, before discovering that this is actually the best way to handle the nuts.
The company’s commitment to producing healthy nut products started with their founder, Hsu Kuan-sheng. When he developed cancer 20 years ago, he decided to pivot the company from subcontracting deep-frying food products, to working specially with nuts. In their heyday, they processed a staggering 80% of the nuts sold in the bustling Dihua Street market area of Taipei. Revenue then was almost NT$100 million annually. But the pandemic was a hard blow, and sales fell. Now inflation means it’s 20% more expensive to import nuts from abroad.
Hsu Chin-tang
Nut producer strategy director
The price comes from the fact that you can’t keep nuts for too long, so the price fluctuates quite significantly, even to the degree that you might get one price offered today, and if you don’t say yes, the next day the price will have gone up.
So import costs have risen, but the company has frozen its retail prices for the last eight years, for fear of losing customers. However, the good news is the pandemic saw online sales rise from 7% to 13% of total sales.
Healthy eating is a trend with a lot of mileage, and the company hopes that with timely evolution, they can keep hold of their place in today’s market.
堅果品牌凍漲! 電商通路崛起"去年營收仍數千萬"
2023-03-06
不少民眾喜歡堅果，送禮自用兩相宜，去年以來堅果進貨成本水漲船高，不過有業者堅持凍漲，讓業績持續成長，加上電商通路崛起，讓他們去年營收仍然有好幾千萬。
堅果在烤箱內，360度旋轉，確保每一顆都能均勻受熱，降低油耗味。100度左右的低溫烘烤法，每一輪得烤6到8小時，中間還得開門確認堅果狀況，相較於傳統高溫油炸，約15到20分鐘就能完成，耗時又費工。
[[堅果品牌策略長 徐晉棠]]
"我們用一個最友善的方式去做加工，目的是保留更多的營養，還有堅果天然的原味，因為我們自己是代工廠嘛，所以我們試過很多不同的加工方式，才發現說其實這樣子做對堅果是最好的。"
堅持生產健康堅果，也是因為創辦人徐寬生，20年前罹癌後，決定從代工油炸食品，轉型做堅果。全盛時期，曾獨攬迪化街近8成的堅果加工，創造近億元營收，無奈疫情來襲，影響實體銷量，通膨更讓堅果進貨價，平均貴2成。
[[堅果品牌策略長 徐晉棠]]
"價格就是因為它沒有辦法保存太長，所以它其實波動算是蠻明顯的，甚至會出現這種我今天這個報價，我沒有同意，明天再問的時候價格就已經漲上去了。"
儘管堅果成本漲，但就怕客人反彈，至今已凍漲8年。線上銷量反倒因為疫情，從原本7%變成13%。
隨著養生意識抬頭，老牌食品廠成功轉型，走出自己的路。
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