“In the past, villagers made Tea based on their own feelings. Now they can control the quality of the tea with the help of machinery and equipment, which has significantly improved the quality of the produced tea.” On August 6th, ZHU Xuelan, the Party Secretary and Director of the Village Committee of Shanping Village, Liubaotown, Cangwu County, introduced that the Yaojia Xuelan Liubao Tea Specialized Cooperative seized the opportunity of improving its quality management system and applying for the Hong Kong “Correct” Seal Certification to gradually embark on a path of modern management and development.
In recent years, Wuzhou City has taken the deep implementation of the “Quality-Strong Wuzhou” strategy as a starting point, continuously improving the standard system construction of the entire Liubao tea industry chain. By leveraging a combination of quality management, brand cultivation, standards and measurement, inspection and testing, and certification and accreditation, the city is empowering the upgrading and development of the Liubao tea industry chain through a “dual-wheel drive” of quality and standards, thus continuously enhancing the quality competitiveness of the Liubao tea industry.
Photographed by HE Liu in Dazhong Village, Liubaotown, Cangwu County
Playing the “Combination Punch” of Quality Standards Certification
Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced the list of the second batch of regional pilot projects for the small and micro-enterprise (SME) quality management system certification improvement action. The Liubao tea industry in Cangwu County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi became the only SME quality management system certification improvement action national regional pilot project in the entire region. At the launch ceremony of this project, as a representative of the tea enterprises participating in the pilot project, ZHU Xuelan shared experiences of the cooperative in improving tea quality through standardizing tea-making standards, guiding tea farmers to improve their techniques, and upgrading machinery and equipment. This resonated with many tea enterprises.
Not long ago, Guangxi Wuzhou Huaxiang Liubao Tea Factory participated in the 2024 Beijing International Tea Exhibition, attracting the attention of many participants. Relying on high-quality tea leaves from the core production area of Liubao tea, along with tailor-made brand development service plans provided by market supervision and management departments and guidance in applying for the Hong Kong “Correct” Seal Certification, Guangxi Wuzhou Huaxiang Liubao Tea Factory has strengthened its management awareness in food quality and safety certification and geographical indication certification. With high standards, it has shaped the image of Liubao tea, and “Huaxiang Liubao” has been the official designated tea for VIP reception at the China-ASEAN Expo for three consecutive years.
Quality is the backbone of an industry. In order to vigorously improve the quality of Wuzhou's Liubao tea, Wuzhou City implemented strategies such as “Standardization+”, “Production Permit+”, and “Certification+”. It continued to strengthen the full lifecycle management and critical standard supply of local Liubao tea standards. So far, one national standard for Liubao tea, one set of national physical standard samples, 21 Guangxi local standards, and 52 group standards have been published, achieving comprehensive coverage of the entire industry chain standard system from tea seedlings to Teacups.
At the same time, the municipal market supervision and management department actively carried out the quality management system certification improvement action for Liubao tea SMEs. Through visits to over 140 tea enterprises and organization of more than 50 training sessions, the department helped tea enterprises across the city obtain 24 quality management system certification certificates. Currently, the number of enterprises approved to use the exclusive geographical indication mark for “Liubao Tea” has increased to 77, and the number of enterprises authorized to use the “Wuzhou Liubao Tea” certification trademark has risen to 40. Fifteen Liubao tea enterprises have obtained Guangxi Premium Certification, and a total of 58 Liubao tea products have received the Hong Kong “Correct” Seal Certification. Twelve tea enterprises have received 22 organic product certifications, and one enterprise has obtained Shenzhen “Zhen” product certification.
Promoting Quality Improvement and Efficiency Enhancement in the Liubao Tea Industry
Located in Siliu Village, Liubaotown, Cangwu County, Guangxi Daying Liubao Tea Company is one of the earlier tea enterprises in Wuzhou City to adopt digital monitoring and detection in the growth of tea seedlings, tea garden soil, and tea warehouse storage. To ensure precise and reliable digital monitoring, the municipal market supervision and management department and metrology experts formulated a “Digital Production Line Metrological Testing Plan for Daying Liubao Tea” tailored to the company's production situation. They calibrated the temperature and humidity of the soil where the tea grows, the acidity and alkalinity, the temperature measurement of roasting equipment, sieving instruments, and fermentation temperature measuring instruments, ensuring that the entire production line was under precise real-time monitoring, thereby stabilizing and unifying the quality of the tea products. After digital quality monitoring, the finished rate of first-grade Daying Liubao tea Rose to 60%, and the company's output value also grew alongside the improvement in product quality.
Product quality is the lifeblood of an enterprise. Regarding the quality inspection and testing of Liubao tea, Wuzhou City is fully advancing the establishment of the National Black Tea (Liubao Tea) Product Quality Inspection and Testing Center. Currently, 271 items related to tea and its products have obtained CMA (Qualification Accreditation for Inspection and Testing Institutions), with the coverage rate of testing parameters reaching 100% of the national standard. Wuzhou City's tea testing capabilities remain firmly in the top tier of tea category inspection and testing institutions in Guangxi. In recent years, the qualified rate of Wuzhou Liubao tea quality supervision and random inspections has maintained at 100%. Quality construction provides strong quality support and assurance for the development of the Liubao tea industry chain.
Published by Wuzhou
Written by XIAN Zhenyu, QIN Xiaomin, and ZHONG Zhaozhen