Chapter 325 - 162: Selection 3

Chapter 325: Chapter 162: Selection 3

Besides, within Hailufeng Company, no one was irreplaceable except for Jiang Miao himself. As such, Jiang Miao had always been merciless toward any employee who dared to pull any stunts.

The larger the company grew, the more its management systems had to adapt.

The carrot and the stick—neither could be overlooked.

...

The end of April drew near.

Jiang Miao, Shuya, General Manager Jiang Haibo, Market Research Manager Qin Hanming, Planting Division Vice Manager Du Liheng, and Technology Division Vice Manager Zhang Chengdong were all discussing the bananas laid out on the table.

Several varieties of the new Big Mac Banana were laid out on the table.

They each tasted the varieties and gave their assessments.

Jiang Miao set down his pen and asked, "Chengdong, tell us how these varieties performed."

Although he had bred these varieties himself, the subsequent cultivation and follow-up had been handled by the Technology Division.

Zhang Chengdong picked up a banana from the first variety. "Variety #1 had some issues during cultivation. For example, because it became a diploid, its fruit produced seeds. It can most likely only be used as a mother plant for seedling cultivation."

Jiang Miao had already noticed this. During the tasting just moments ago, he had bitten down on a hard banana seed.

Zhang Chengdong picked up a banana from the second variety. "Variety #2 is a triploid, so it didn’t produce any seeds. However, I think we should put this one on hold. Its peel is too thin, which makes it unsuitable for transport. While we could reduce spoilage by improving our logistics, that would increase costs."

"Variety #3 is also a triploid and is the earliest-maturing of the bunch. If we don’t wait for it to ripen on the plant, a summer crop in the Lingnan Region can be harvested as green fruit in just five and a half months, then artificially ripened with ethephon."

Jiang Miao looked at the third banana. "The individual fruits of this variety seem a bit small."

Zhang Chengdong nodded. "Yes. The individual fruits are smaller than a typical large banana but bigger than Xiaomi bananas, averaging about 130 grams. However, its yield per mu is the highest of them all. Under high-standard management, its yield can reach up to 5,700 kilograms per mu."

"Vice Manager Zhang, the peel on Variety #3 is pretty thick, and the flavor is quite good. I think we should consider promoting it," Du Liheng, the vice manager of the Planting Division, spoke up.

Zhang Chengdong shook his head. "You’re right, but its drawback is a lack of flavor. Especially when not ripened on the plant, its flavor is only slightly better than a regular banana—not a significant improvement."

"If flavor is what we’re after, then we have to consider Variety #4," Jiang Haibo said, looking at the red banana before him.

"Correct. Variety #4 is one of the more well-rounded options," Zhang Chengdong began his introduction. "It’s a triploid with a summer growth cycle of about seven months. The peel is moderately thick and dark red. The yield is around 3,500 kilograms per mu. Its flavor is very similar to the traditional Big Mac, and even when harvested green and artificially ripened, the flavor doesn’t diminish."

"Does it have any downsides?" Jiang Miao asked.

Zhang Chengdong nodded. "It has two downsides. First, there’s no dwarf variety. Second, to maintain the fruit’s flavor when grown outdoors during a Lingnan winter, the growth cycle has to be extended to eleven months."

"That’s not a major issue," Jiang Miao said. "Tell us about the last one."

"Alright. Variety #5 has very distinct advantages and disadvantages. Its advantage is that, when tree-ripened, it can be kept at room temperature for a week without rotting. Under refrigeration with potassium permanganate to absorb ethylene, the fruit can even be preserved for half a month."

"Its disadvantage is that the peel is too thick. The peel-to-pulp ratio is 2:3, meaning 40% of the banana is just peel. Furthermore, the yield is also lower, at only about 3,200 kilograms per mu."

However, Qin Hanming, the market research manager, shook his head. "No, I believe this variety also has immense value. It can be eaten immediately after being harvested ripe from the plant, and its flavor is even slightly better than Variety #4’s. Plus, the thick peel and durability in storage make it perfect for long-distance shipping. We could absolutely market this as a specialized, premium variety. After all, a lot of customers appreciate that kind of prestige."

"That makes sense." Jiang Haibo deeply agreed. After all, among Hailufeng Company’s strawberry varieties, the Vanilla Strawberries and Cheese Strawberries at 99 yuan per kilogram sold better than the cheaper Jasmine Strawberries.

After careful consideration, Jiang Miao decided there was no need to choose just one. "In that case, let’s go with a combination of varieties #3, #4, and #5!"

Jiang Haibo nodded. "That could work. A combination of high, mid, and low-tier varieties."

Hearing that the boss and the general manager had made their decision, Zhang Chengdong certainly wasn’t going to object. He smiled and asked, "In that case, Boss, would you please name these three varieties?"

Jiang Miao thought for a moment, deciding to keep part of the "Big Mac Banana" name to reflect the new varieties’ parentage and flavor. "Variety #3 is characterized by its small size and ordinary flavor, so let’s call it the Small Mac Banana. Variety #4 has a red peel, so we’ll just call it the Red Big Mac Banana. As for #5, we’ll call it the New Big Mac Banana."

"I agree. Since we’re trying to piggyback on the Big Mac Banana’s reputation, the names definitely need to show a connection," Qin Hanming said, fully endorsing his boss’s naming strategy.

No one else had any objections.

With management having made their choice, the Planting Division acquired three new banana varieties for commercialization.

They were the Small Mac, the Red Big Mac, and the New Big Mac.

Zhang Chengdong quickly asked, "Boss, should I arrange for the tissue culture facility to start producing banana seedlings then?"

However, Jiang Miao’s response was unexpected. "No. I don’t plan on growing these bananas in Shanmei."

"Not growing them locally? Are we planning to grow them at the Qiongzhou Branch, then?" Du Liheng guessed immediately.

Jiang Miao gave a slight nod. "Yes. The Lingnan Region’s climate ultimately can’t compare to Qiongzhou Island’s. Besides, the Qiongzhou Branch has never had a flagship product. We’ll give the task of growing these bananas to them. Chengdong, dispatch a team of tissue culture technicians to the Qiongzhou Branch and set up a banana seedling facility there."

"No problem." Zhang Chengdong wasn’t worried about tissue-culturing the banana seedlings. Currently, 99.9% of all banana seedlings worldwide are grown via tissue culture. The technology is mature and straightforward—so simple that even Southeast Asian countries can manage it.

Besides, the Qiongzhou Branch already had the necessary infrastructure. Factoring in the need to cultivate tropical crops, the Technology Division had previously established a 280-mu breeding base there, which included a 30-mu tissue culture facility.

All they needed now was for the technicians to bring the seedling cells over, and they could begin large-scale cultivation.