Challenge Japan’s Apple King! He plans to grow really good apples in 20 years!

In 2009, a Japanese named Kimura Akinori published a book "Being a Fool At least Once in This Life"

In 2013, the story of this Japanese named Kimura Akinori was filmed. It became the movie "The Miracle Apple"

So the Japanese became an Internet celebrity, and Kimura's apple became a symbol of good apples

It is said that Kimura's apple "takes a bite, and The delicious taste will make people want to cry. Apples are full of joy of living in this world.";

Legend has it that Kimura's apple soup is so popular that reservations need to be made a year in advance. ;

Legend has it that Kimura’s apples will not rot and will remain intact for two years;

Legend... ....

Too many legends make A middle-aged young man who called himself "Brother Monkey" was very unconvinced, so he decided to start growing apples by himself, planning to spend 20 years growing truly good apples belonging to China.

Chen Hongjie, born in the 1970s, is called "Brother Monkey" by his friends

Graduated from South China Agricultural University in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture;

In 2003, he studied business administration at the University of International Business and Economics and received a bachelor's degree in management;

From 1999 to 2014, he worked in the British United Food Group, the largest food production company in Europe, from technician to company south District Agricultural Director.

He resigned in 2014, determined to do something for China’s agriculture. In 2015, Zhaotong, Yunnan, was selected to develop the apple industry, determined to spend 20 years growing truly good apples.

1. Unique climate conditions

Zhaoyang District, Zhaotong City, Yunnan is located in the northeast of Yunnan, with an altitude of 2,056 meters. The temperature is low in winter, the climate is cool in summer, the temperature difference between day and night is huge, and the dry and wet seasons are distinct. There are about 220 frost-free days throughout the year, the average annual temperature is 11.6°C, the hottest month, July, has an average temperature of 19.8°C, the coldest month, January, has an average temperature of 2°C, and the annual average sunshine hours are 1,902 hours. In its national apple zoning opinions, the Fruit Tree Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences identified Zhaotong as the most suitable area for apple growth in the country.

Zhaotong, Yunnan is the largest high-quality apple base in southern China, the most representative and influential high-quality apple production area in the cold highlands of western China, and a standardized large-scale production area for low-latitude plateau apples in the world

2. Award-winning Zhaotong apples

Won the silver medal at the 2nd China Shaanxi International Agricultural Expo

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences recognized Zhaotong as "the most suitable place for apple growth in China" Region"

The Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China awarded Zhaotong the "High Quality Apple Commodity Production Base in Southern China"

In 2010, it obtained the geographical indication registration protection of the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China

2011 In 2016, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce awarded: Zhaotong Apple Geographical Indication Certification Trademark

In 2015, it was selected by the Ministry of Commerce as: China's most agricultural product brand with the most investment potential

In 2016, it won the title of "2016 China's Most Popular Agricultural Products Brand" "Top Ten Influential Apple Regional Public Brands"

In 2017, at the 15th International Agricultural Fair, Zhaotong Apple was selected as "China's Top 100 Regional Public Brands of Agricultural Products in 2017".

3. Zhaotong Apple has three major advantages

The first is ecological advantage. The main apple-producing area in Zhaotong is located in a mountainous basin at an altitude of 2,056 meters. It has no severe cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer, a large temperature difference between day and night, sufficient light, moderate rainfall, and abundant light, heat and water resources. It is the most suitable area for apple production. Zhaotong has clean air and is the place with the best air quality in China, with 360 days of good air quality.

The second is quality advantage. Due to the unique natural environment, the apples produced are bright in color, crispy in texture, moderately sweet and sour, rich in juice and rich in flavor.

The third is the advantage of early maturity. Due to the low latitude of Zhaotong, the temperature rises quickly in early spring. Compared with apples from Shandong, Liaoning, Shaanxi and other places, apples mature 20-30 days earlier. They have strong market competitive advantages in terms of time and quality. Early-maturing varieties will be available on the market in July. Ugly apples start to go on the market in mid-September and are not picked until the end of January next year.

Brother Monkey firmly believes in one truth, that is, Tao follows nature.

He believes that as long as he follows natural farming methods, he can bring out the best qualities of each crop and create a truly good apple.

Planting apples is like raising children. It requires care with love, patience to wait, and perseverance to persevere. It needs to be provided with the best environment, given the most meticulous care, to avoid interference from bad factors, and then stimulate its own original characteristics, health, freedom and happy growth.

Brother Hou’s apple cultivation (basically all of Brother Hou’s apples are 20-year-old fruit trees) only requires three tools: one is farmyard manure, the other is separation, and the third is ecological planting.

1. Use farmyard manure extensively to create the best environment

Farmyard manure simply has three functions. The first is to improve the soil environment, loosen the soil, and create a perfect home for the apple's root system. The second is to increase nutrients. Farmyard manure contains a lot of organic matter and trace elements, which can add food to apples. The third is to promote absorption. Farmyard manure contains a large number of microorganisms and organic acids, which can help apples digest nutrients in the environment.

The three effects of farmyard manure will lead to three improvements in apple quality. One is to significantly increase the proportion of soluble solids in apples (simply put, various sugars), so Monkey’s apples are sweeter. The second is to increase the hardness of the fruit, so Brother Monkey’s apples are crisper and more tender. The third is to increase the solid-acid ratio of apples, so Monkey Apple is not purely sweet (little sweet), but has a slightly sour taste (apple flavor) unique to apples in the sweetness.

2. Pruning - scientific pruning, flower and fruit thinning

Every winter, the leaves wither. When everything is still sleeping in the cold, Brother Monkey's apple tree will go through the process of "breaking branches" (pruning), discarding unnecessary branches to ensure the good quality of the next year's apples. Brother Monkey himself summed up three principles for apple pruning: cut strong branches to keep short branches, cut to shade to keep sunny branches, and cut dense branches to keep sparse branches.

As winter turns to spring, in mid-to-late March every year, apple trees begin to bloom. In this beautiful season, in this beautiful scene, Brother Monkey’s apple tree has to go through a cruel process of “thinning” (thinning). Flower and fruit thinning), remove unsuitable flowers and fruits. In order to get the best quality apples, the principle of thinning flowers and fruits on Monkey Apple trees is to leave only 1-2 fruits.

3. Ecological planting

In order to pursue high yields, attractive appearance, and seize the early ripening season, most farmers abuse chemical fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and other products. Doing so may win short-term benefits, but harm long-term development.

Brother Monkey’s Apple rejects all uncomfortable methods that violate the laws of nature. Monkey's apple cultivation adheres to traditional farming methods, using farmyard manure, artificial weeding, biological (physical) insect control, and rejects hormones, ripening agents, preservatives, and preservatives...

Started in 2015 In the apple industry, Brother Monkey then plunged into the work of improving soil, methods and fruit trees. Especially in 2017, Brother Monkey basically spends his life with apples, pruning branches, thinning flowers, digging trenches, fertilizing, watering, killing insects... without missing any detail. After more than a year of hard work, Brother Hou changed from a fat white man to a black fruit farmer and lost almost 30 pounds. Friends often joke about whether eating apples will help you lose weight. Brother Monkey smiled and replied that growing apples will help you lose weight.

Thanks to the support of friends, Brother Hou’s Apple won a lot of praise as soon as it was launched in 2017. The product repurchase rate of 86% strengthened Brother Hou’s determination to continue moving forward. Every time I look at the messages my friends reply on WeChat, Brother Hou feels greatly encouraged.

Brother Monkey knows that this is just the beginning, and there is still a long way to go before the goal of a truly good apple. The quality of apples is unstable, the express packaging is damaged, and the sizes of the packaged apples are uneven...The Apple experience is still far from the best, and it requires Monkey's continuous efforts, constant improvement, and unremitting efforts...Friends Brother Monkey is working hard to implement his opinions and suggestions. Twenty years is very short, and there is still a lot that needs to be done by Brother Monkey. Brother Monkey will definitely go all out and live up to expectations.

Brother Monkey’s early-ripening red Fuji apples are now on the market, and I look forward to sharing Brother Monkey’s good apples with friends