Green Jade: Not your ordinary edamame／翠玉毛豆 品質第一等
Green Jade: Not your ordinary edamame
◎English translation: Peng Hsin-yi
Most people probably don't know the name "Taiwan No.9 Green Soybean", but "Green Jade" may ring a bell. However, the round Green Jade's official name is "Taiwan No.9 Green Soybean". Cishan is recognized for its high-quality edamame which is both popular in Japanese and local markets.
Mr. Hou Jhao-bai's is Cishan's edamame resident expert. Since his father was in the edamame exporting business, he decided to follow in his father's shoes. However Mr. Hou wanted to contribute to more than just work in edamame wholesales. He subsequently founded Bai Sian Agricultural Products Co. Ltd. The company was founded because for more than 40 years Taiwan has always positioned itself as an edamame processing outsourcer, but has never developed its own brand. "What's worse", Mr. Hou explains, "is that Taiwanese outsourcers must slash prices in order to compete in local markets, with the best produce being sold to Japan, leaving the more inferior products for the domestic markets".
It was this dilemma which propelled Mr. Hou into an epic transformation of the local Green Jade business. His plan was to allow farm owners to grow their own produce, develop their own markets, manage their own businesses and run the entire sales chain. In 2000, he distributed harvesting machines to replace the traditional hand-picking method. The plan transformed traditional farming into an entire factory production. His goal has not only increased international exports, but has also made it possible to keep the best produce in the domestic market. Mr. Hou picked "Kaohsiung No.9 Green Soybean" to test out his business model and cultivate the product to his own specification. He then renamed the produce "Taiwan No.9 Green Soybean". These beans are larger, sweeter, fuller and rounder, with a fragrant, chewy texture. Mr. Hou calls it "Green Jade Edamame" due to its bright green appearance. He has had it certified by the Council of Agriculture as a traceable agricultural product. His products now meet quality requirements that guarantee less than a 5% defect rate, an improvement on the previous 10% that was guaranteed for exports to Japan.
Mr. Hou explained green soybeans are harvested twice a year. The first round is planted at the end of January or the beginning of February, with a mid-April harvest. The second round is planted in September and harvested in November. Beans thrive in soil that has a high percentage of sand that provides excellent drainage. However, the soil must also have a good proportion of clay, so it can still be held together. The plants also do well in a climate where the temperature is hot during the day but cool at night, this assists in transforming nutrients into sugar which produces a sweeter Green Jade that is highly sought after by the Japanese.
Cishan is home to 700 hectares of edamame farms. Mr. Hou owns 200 hectares and produces over 300 tons per annum. His beans are exported to Japan, Europe, the Americas, Middle East and South Africa. He is Kaohsiung's King of Edamamen. With Mr. Hou's efforts, the highest quality of Green Jade has become more available in Taiwan, instead of being only available for export. The price per unit is about twice that of regular edamame, but the quality is greatly improved. Hou Jhao-bai's passion for edamame has earned him a great deal of praise and brought him increased orders from the domestic market.
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Bai Sian Agricultural Products Co. Ltd |
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Website: www.baisian.com
Telephone: 07- 6611108
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翠玉毛豆 品質第一等
◎文／楊為仁
旗山毛豆農友侯兆百產、製出青翠飽滿、鮮甜味美的台灣9號毛豆品牌「翠玉毛豆」，品質等同外銷日本最頂級毛豆，這樣高品質的毛豆不僅外銷，國人也品嚐得到。
「台灣9號毛豆「翠玉毛豆」用的是高雄9號毛豆。百賢農產有限公司負責人侯兆百因為父親從事毛豆外銷，自幼耳濡目染，他從毛豆經銷商變身毛豆農場主人，自耕、自營、自製、自銷。
「台灣毛豆農業代工已40餘年，但一直沒有自己的品牌，形成同行間價格競爭，品質最好的毛豆幾乎全都銷到日本，台灣人吃到的反而是賣相不佳的毛豆。」於是侯兆百從2000年開始，著手於毛豆農場的大改造，從人工採收的數豆莢，進步到機械化作業，從毛豆田到冷凍工廠一貫作業，不但專攻毛豆外銷，還要把品質最佳的毛豆留在台灣。
侯兆百自創台灣9號品牌，選用高雄9號的毛豆品種，在他悉心照料下，他的毛豆不但大顆飽滿，而且還帶有天然的甘甜味，愈嚼愈香甜，由於外觀翠綠，取名「翠玉毛豆」，這批內銷台灣的翠玉毛豆，不只獲得農委會產銷履歷認證，並依照外銷日本的最嚴格篩選，不良率達5%以下，比現行的10%以下還嚴苛。
「毛豆一年兩收，一次是一月底、二月初種植，四月中收成；另一次是九月種植、十一月收成。」侯兆百說，毛豆性喜排水性佳的沙壤土，旗山地區屬於沖積平原，即屬於沙壤土，而且還帶點黏性，再加上日夜溫差大，白天氣溫高、但入夜後氣溫驟降，在這種氣候條件下，毛豆不但容易成熟，內部也會轉換成糖分，這種天然甘甜的毛豆相當受日本客人讚賞，旗山地區毛豆種植面積700公頃，侯兆百就佔了200公頃，年產值300多噸，不只外銷日本，還輸往歐美、中東、南非，可說是名副其實的毛豆大戶。
翠玉毛豆問世後，在台灣即可購得外銷最高品質的毛豆，翠玉毛豆價格固然較一般毛豆貴上一倍，但品質卻是以往的數倍。侯兆百對毛豆的熱情，不但讓他榮膺台灣之光，國內毛豆市場的訂單也與日俱增，再次證明，好東西是不會寂寞的。