Tonglu Xinhe Suomian Opens in Hangzhou

Recently, the opening ceremony of the Tonglu Xinhe Suomian (Jiebai branch) themed "Inheriting Millennium Craftsmanship and Meeting up with Hangzhou", co-hosted by the Xinhe Township People's Government of Tonglu County and Freshippo in Hangzhou, was held in Hangzhou, attracting numerous customers to sample the delicacy.

Xinhe Suomian, a kind of handmade stretched noodles with soft, elastic texture, not only represents the classic taste of Tonglu, but constitutes a vital component of Xinhe Township's economy.

Xinhe Suomian (Photo by Xu Wenjing)

"Freshippo's New Retail model brings the delicacy, as an intangible cultural heritage, to millions of homes, which is the first step making Suomian a commodity from local specialty. Opening Suomian restaurants in the big city can not only increase local residents' incomes, but build the 'Xinhe Suomian' into a regional brand with its value enhanced. In this way, 'Suomian' can truly become a growth driver enriching the people and strengthening the township," said Chen Shaoxia, Secretary of CPC Xinhe Township Committee. 

In recent years, Xinhe Township has taken a series of measures including registering the trademark of "Xinhe Suomian", unveiling a brand logo, improving the noddle making processes and designing exquisite packaging to boost the development of "Suomian". It has successfully held the "Xinhe Flavor" Suomian Cultural Festival for four consecutive years, invested CNY four million in building an intangible cultural heritage workshop of Xinhe Suomian, and launched a management model featuring unified brand, standard, raw materials and sales with the workshop as the main base, further ensuring rural residents to increase their incomes through selling Suomian.

Xinhe Suomian (Photo by Cheng Jiayuan)

Apart from fully leveraging the role of Freshippo's stores, Xinhe Township plans to open ten direct-sale stores of "Xinhe Suomian" in Hangzhou in a government-guided, business-participated and market-based manner. It is expected to help local residents annually sell 150,000 kilograms of Suomian on average. 

Next, Xinhe Township will speed up efforts to standardize the whole industrial chain, continuously enrich the "Xinhe Suomian" and enhance its brand influence, so as to turn the "Xinhe Suomian" into a famous brand of Hangzhou and even of China.