Maoge Taste of Chongqing Gift Box Flavory Pickles,Thick Nostalgia

By Yang Yan/The World and Chongqing

Located in China (Chongqing) International Food Industry City in Yubei District,Maoge Food Production Base is abustle with logistics vehicles,clean standard plants,busy workshops,and aromatic pickles,exciting and inspiring.After a series of processes including cleaning,cutting,boiling,filling,and sterilization,yellowish pickled radishes roll from the production line into packages of “Maoge Duck Soup”.

As a well-established food company in Chongqing,Maoge Food Development Co.,Ltd.has 7 food series and over 100 products including soup,stew,and hotpot flavorings,which have been sold throughout China and to more than 30 countries and regions such as the United States,Canada,France,South Korea,Japan,Singapore,South Africa.Among them,“Maoge Taste of Chongqing Gift Box” has been selected as a custom product in 2021 “Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs”.

“Maoge Taste of Chongqing Gift Box” has been selected as a custom product in 2021“Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs”.“毛哥品味重慶禮盒裝”以定制產品的方式入選2021“重慶好禮·外事禮品”。

The Production Line of Pickled Products泡菜制品生產線。

走進位于重慶渝北區中國重慶國際食品工業城內的毛哥食品生產基地，來往的物流車輛，潔凈的標準廠房，繁忙的生產車間，撲面而來的泡菜醇香，熱火朝天的景象讓人振奮。隨著生產線不斷傳運，一個個淡黃色的泡蘿卜在經過清洗、切塊、熬制、灌裝、殺菌等一系列工序后，變成“毛哥老鴨湯”底料包封裝下線……

Brand of Pickled Vegetable Culture

Tasty and savory Maoge Duck Soup has long been imprinted into the memory of Chongqing locals.

“Pickled radish duck soup was initially a popular dish when I opened the restaurant.With a view to making the pickled vegetables and radish in the duck soup taste purer,I opened a workshop for pickling vegetables.Little did I know that this would be the beginning of it all.” Zhou Zhijun,Chairman of Maoge Food Development Co.,Ltd,a representative inheritor of pickle-making techniques,has extensive knowledge of the pickled vegetable culture in Sichuan and Chongqing.

Spicy flavor,especially hotpot is deep in the heart of Chongqing people.Zhou Zhijun at first also worried that it might be hard for duck soup to stand out in many hotpot brands,yet facts show that light and healthy Maoge Food is beneficial to allages and has become a household food flavoring name.

作為重慶老牌食品企業，毛哥食品有限公司擁有湯料、燉料、火鍋底料等7個系列、100多個單品，銷往全國各地以及美國、加拿大、法國、韓國、日本、新加坡、南非等30多個國家及地區。其中，“毛哥品味重慶禮盒裝”以定制產品的方式入選2021“重慶好禮·外事禮品”。

打造泡菜文化品牌

鮮美濃郁的毛哥老鴨湯，早已是多少重慶人記憶中熟悉的味道。

“酸蘿卜老鴨湯最初是我開餐館時很受歡迎的一道菜。為了讓老鴨湯里的酸菜和酸蘿卜味道更純正，就開了一家腌制泡菜的作坊。沒想到，這就成為了一切的開端。”毛哥食品有限公司董事長周志軍，泡菜制作技藝代表性傳承人，對川渝泡菜文化頗有研究。

重慶人無辣不歡，火鍋深入人心，起初周志軍也擔心老鴨湯恐難在眾多火鍋品牌中突圍，但事實證明，二十年如一日的毛哥食品，清淡又養生，老少皆宜，讓重慶人家喻戶曉。

“為了做出營養健康的食品，在生產技術和食材的選擇上，我們要求非常高，把工廠的生產線建設得像藥廠一樣嚴謹專業，確保生產中的每個環節都安全衛生。”周志軍介紹說，公司成立專業的研發團隊并與西南大學食品科學學院進行緊密的合作，專門針對家禽家畜的燉、燒、炒等調料品的研發和生產。

秉持“發揚泡菜文化，打造民族品牌”的愿景，堅持“有真料才有好味道”的理念，2001年起，毛哥食品從小壇子到大車間，從一個蘿卜到七家公司，不斷加大產品研發，現有湯料、燉料、魚調料、火鍋底料等10余個系列、近200個品種的產品。

Zhou Zhijun (second from left) introduces Maoge Food to the Korean delegation.周志軍（左二）向韓國考察團介紹毛哥食品。

“In order to make nutritious and healthy food,we are very strict in the production technology and the selection of ingredients,building the production line as rigorous and professional as a pharmaceutical factory to ensure that every step in production is safe and hygienic”,said Zhou Zhijun.He also added that the company has set up a professional R&D team and worked closely with the College of Food Science of Southwest University to promote the development and production of seasoning products for poultry and livestock stewing,roasting,and stir-frying.

With the vision of “promoting pickled vegetable culture and building the national brand” and the concept of “good taste is only possible with genuine ingredients”,since 2001,Maoge Food has intensified efforts in product research and development from small jars to large workshops and from one radish to seven companies.Now there are more than 10 series and nearly 200 varieties of products such as soup,stew,fish seasoning,and hotpot soup base.

Chongqing Pickles Going Global

So far,Maoge Food has been sold throughout the country and exported to more than 30 countries and regions,with annual export sales of around RMB30 million.

Many years ago,when Zhou Zhijun was on a field trip overseas,he found that Maoge Food was very popular among Chinese students studying overseas.

Where there is a particular flavor,there is a hometown.The delicacy of the hometown and the taste sense of childhood will always be an unforgettable memory in the hearts of people traveling faraway.“When studying abroad,eating is often a big issue.Chinese students are very hands-on and can cook ducksoup with pickled radish in the dormitory.When smelling the cooking aroma,wonderful memories of their hometown will instantly jump into their minds.” Zhou Zhijun believes that a hometown dish can satisfy the taste buds of people traveling faraway and comfort their heart,which is the transmission and inheritance of local food culture.

重慶泡菜走向世界

目前，毛哥食品已銷往全國各地，出口30多個國家及地區，出口年銷售額在3000萬元左右。

多年前，周志軍在海外考察時發現，毛哥食品深受中國留學生的喜愛。

味至濃時是故鄉，故鄉的美食、童年的味覺永遠是游子心中無法忘卻的記憶。“在國外讀書期間，飲食往往是個大問題。中國留學生動手能力強，在宿舍里煮一鍋酸蘿卜老鴨湯，在裊裊醇香中有關家鄉的美好記憶便一下子涌動出來。”周志軍認為，一道家鄉的菜肴能滿足游子的味蕾、慰藉心靈，這便是地方美食文化的傳遞與傳承。

為了讓更多的人了解重慶美食，讓重慶泡菜走向世界，毛哥食品研發團隊嚴格對標出口國家的要求和標準，在不改變產品口味的情況下對產品配料進行微調，逐漸打開海外人士的味蕾。同時，毛哥食品以國際會展為契機打開國際視野，SIAL國際食品展（上海）、上海國際餐飲食材博覽會、中國（廣州）酒店餐飲業博覽會……都能見其身影。不僅如此，韓國代表團、“一帶一路”沿線國家代表團等先后來到毛哥食品生產基地參觀考察，深入了解中國泡菜文化。

In order to get publicity for Chongqing cuisine and help Chongqing pickles go global,the R&D team of Maoge Food strictly follows the requirements and standards of exporting countries.Without changing the taste of the food,the ingredients are fine-tuned to gradually open the taste buds of foreigners.Meanwhile,Maoge Food takes international exhibitions as an opportunity to expand its international market,and it can be seen at SIAL Shanghai,Shanghai International New Catering Ingredients Exhibition and China (Guangzhou) Hotel Catering Industry Expo......In addition,Korean delegation and delegations from countries along the Belt and Road have visited the production base to learn more about Chinese pickle culture.

Zhongtan Industrial Park in Wusheng Economic Development Zone,Guang’an,Sichuan,has integrated research and development,production,sales,tourism and planting.In July 2022,the first phase of the Maoge pickles and condiment industrial processing base project with a total investment of RMB700 million was put into operation there.“In the future,we will also cooperate with tourism companies in Sichuan and Chongqing to incorporate the Wusheng production base as well as the surrounding tourist attractions into a tourism loop.And we will develop sightseeing tourism so that people can come to experience this ‘visible’pickled vegetable culture.” Deep in the heart of Zhou Zhijun,he has never given up the dream of setting up a centenary enterprise and centenary brand.

Photo/The Interviewee

2022年7月，在四川廣安武勝經開區中灘工業園區，集研發、生產、銷售、觀光旅游、種植于一體，總投資7億元的毛哥泡菜、調味品產業化加工基地項目一期已投產。“未來，我們還將與川渝兩地的旅游公司合作，將武勝生產基地以及周邊旅游景點納入形成旅游環線，發展觀光旅游，讓大家走進來，體驗這‘看得見’的泡菜文化。”在周志軍心里，百年企業、百年品牌的夢想從未停止。

Maoge Food is well received at the Shanghai International New Catering Ingredients Exhibition (Hangzhou).毛哥食品參加上海國際餐飲食材展（杭州站），深受歡迎。