#pomelo export market

[farmerstrend]

Pomelo Fruit Farming in Kenya: A Complete Cultivation Guide

Pomelo (Citrus grandis) is a greenish, tropical and subtropical fruit originally that is larger than any other citrus fruit on the planet (thus the species name – ‘grandis’). Though it is the ancestor of the commonly cultivated grapefruit (citrus x paradisi), the pomelo has a thick, hard-to-peel rind and doesn’t have a lot of juice. This Delicious fruit is used as fresh and is also used for…

[fouryearsofshades]

A Market Stall in Batavia, Andries Beeckman (attributed to), Albert Eckhout (rejected attribution), c. 1640 - c. 1666 

The Dutch and Malay inscriptions on the piece of paper in the lower right corner identify this as a Dutch painting of subjects studied on the spot. Most of the fruit varieties are found only in Indonesia, the former Dutch East Indies, and were not exported to Europe at the time. The combination of figures from different countries suggests that the setting is most probably the very cosmopolitan Batavia, modern-day Jakarta.8 A Chinese merchant, recognizable as such from his distinctive goatee, moustache and remarkably long fingernails, is counting coins in a fruit stall set off with bamboo partitions. Standing on the left is a woman wearing a typically Javanese sarong and kebaya and holding a small cigar in one hand while placing a durian upright with the other. A second Javanese woman in the middle is lifting a small bundle of leaf wrappers out of a small Japanese lacquered casket, probably betel leaves. A boy behind her is picking a banana from the bunch hanging on the right. A striking salmon-crested cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) is perched on the bamboo screen at the back.

Andries Beeckman went to great lengths to depict the huge diversity of tropical fruit as faithfully as possible, but he was clearly not a professional still-life painter. The different varieties are easily distinguished, but their textures are not convincing. Laid out on the table – some with numbers matching the list on the piece of paper (the latter are given between brackets below) – are, on the far left, from top to bottom, rambutans (Nephelium lappaceum, no. 1), langsats (Lansium domesticum, no. 3) and starfruit (Averrhoa carambola, no. 2). Beside them are a partly cut pomelo (Citrus maxima, no. 4) and durians, one of them sliced (Durio, no. 5). The three small pieces of red fruit at bottom left are water or Malay apples (Syzygium aqueum or Syzygium malaccense, no. 6) or Java apples (Syzygium samarangense), and lying to their right are mangoes (Mangifera indica, no. 7) and pineapples (Ananas comosus, no. 8). Below the two pineapples in the centre are jackfruit, one halved (Artocarpus Heteropyllus, no. 9) and several small mangosteens, some opened (Garcinia mangostana, no. 10). On the right are bananas (no. 11), five coconuts and a halved one (Cocos nucifera), and at the very front cashew apples (Anacardium occidentale). The fruit cut in two in the Japanese casket is probably a sort of lime called a Calamondin orange (Citrofortunella microcarpa).

The Rijksmuseum painting is a reduced version of a canvas from an anonymous series of scenes of foreign peoples and produce that decorated the walls of Schloss Pretzsch an der Elbe in Saxony until 1828 (fig. a).9 In the nineteenth century they were removed, first to Berlin and then to Schloss Schwedt an der Oder in Brandenburg.10 They were seen there in the 1930s by Thomsen, who rather hesitantly attributed them to Albert Eckhout and dated them around the middle of the seventeenth century.11 Schwedt was completely destroyed in the closing days of the Second World War, and all that is left of the works of art are pre-war black-and-white photographs making it clear that the attribution to Eckhout is untenable.12

The connection with the canvas from Schloss Pretzsch also led to this Market Stall in Batavia being wrongly attributed to Eckhout or his circle in the past.13 It is woodenly executed, compositionally clumsy, and is not of the kind of Brazilian subject for which Eckhout is known. Minor differences between the two paintings show that they were not copied after each other but seem to share the same or a similar source. The way in which the fruit and cockatoo are depicted displays a clear resemblance to the only known still life by Andries Beeckman (fig. b), and, interestingly, one of the scenes from the series in Pretzsch castle was definitely based on watercolours by him,14 so the present canvas could also be by Beeckman or someone from his circle.

Very little is known about the picture’s provenance, although there are a few early records of an Indonesian fruit market, and since A Market Stall in Batavia is the only surviving work of that nature there is a great temptation to associate it with those early sources. There is, however, nothing that can be said for certain. Around 1660 Jan Vos wrote an ode about paintings in the collection of Joan Huydecooper, among them an ‘East Indies fruit market’: ‘Who has driven me from the north to the east? / I find myself in the market of the East Indies coast. / Here nature displays her fruit as food for life. / The sight makes my mouth desire the beautiful harvest, / Thus is my stomach now sorely overburdened. / Greedy eyes are not soon satiated’.15 It may well be that the poet was referring to the Rijksmuseum canvas.16 There is a second mention of an ‘East Indies fruit market’ a little later in the collection of burgomaster Mattheus van den Broucke of Dordrecht.17 It is far from obvious that it refers to this Market Stall in Batavia. His picture was one of a series of which the others were described as ‘One ditto, with East Indies animals and fruit’, ‘One ditto, being East Indies lodgings, ‘One ditto’, ‘Three ditto, East Indies women’ and ‘A Moorish woman’.18 It is very possible that the Rijksmuseum painting was also part of a larger ensemble of that kind.

Erlend de Groot, 2022

[greaterbayarea]

Guangdong Dongpu Agriculture Makes Its Debut at the French International Agricultural Show: French Visitors Experience the “Taste of China”

By Sun Lei Hong Kong Economic Herald

The 60th French International Agricultural Show took place from February 24th to March 3rd in Paris. This exhibition marked a new milestone in agricultural exchanges and cooperation between China and France. With its first appearance, the China Pavilion displayed the new face of China’s rural construction and agricultural development, serving as a bridge for agricultural cooperation between China and France in both directions.

The China Pavilion attracted a continuous stream of visitors. Dongpu Agriculture Co., Ltd., a well-known agricultural company from Guangdong, presented teas and sachets made from baked Deqing tribute mandarin peels. These products not only exemplified the essence of traditional Chinese agriculture but also demonstrated the achievements of China’s agricultural modernization. Additionally, gift boxes from Dongpu Agriculture were presented by Chen Guosheng, the Agricultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in France, to Olivier Alleman, the Secretary of the French Minister of Agriculture, who visited the China Pavilion.

Chen Hui, General Manager of Dongpu Agriculture, stated that the gift boxes given by Counsellor Chen contained small jars of mandarin peel tea and mandarin peel sachets, which were also the main products showcased by Dongpu Agriculture at the exhibition. She reported to journalists, “During the agricultural show, our mandarin peel tea was especially loved by the French public, and many visitors commented that our sachets made them feel as if they were right in the orchard.”

Dongpu Agriculture is a tribute mandarin enterprise located in Deqing County, Zhaoqing City, and is accelerating its strategy to “go global.” In 2021, Dongpu Agriculture participated in the International Fruit and Vegetable Exhibition in Italy and in 2022, aggressively entered the RCEP overseas markets, exporting products to countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Thailand.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the Xijiang River to the south, with the Tropic of Cancer running through it, Deqing enjoys a unique climate with warm winters, cool summers, and significant day-to-night temperature variations. This climate contributes to the distinct qualities of Deqing tribute mandarins, combining the crispness of mandarins, the sweetness of oranges, and the honeyed fragrance of pomelos, making it a well-known production area in China. The regional public brand value of “Deqing Tribute Mandarin” has reached 10.8 billion yuan.

Chen Hui noted, “Engaging in deep processing helps to extend the sales period of agricultural products, significantly reducing the impact of market fluctuations on agricultural product prices and stabilizing farm-gate prices. Furthermore, deep-processed products are beneficial for enhancing product added value and expanding the sales radius. Dongpu Agriculture’s core planting technology and the quality of fresh fruits naturally give it an advantage in the deep processing sector. Its fresh fruits have obtained GLOBAL GAP certification and ‘Shenzhen Quality’ certification, ensuring higher raw material quality and, consequently, superior products.”

The agricultural show also featured a special screening of the documentary “Back to the Land,” which narrates the story of Chen Hui and her father leading a team to combat citrus yellowing disease. This not only highlighted Dongpu Agriculture’s achievements in technological innovation but also promoted in-depth discussions with international experts on organic agriculture and land ecological restoration and protection.

Since its inception in 1964, the French International Agricultural Show has become an annual landmark event in the agricultural sector in France and Europe. This year’s show attracted over 1,000 exhibitors, with the number of visitors expected to exceed 600,000. The participation of Chinese enterprises not only showcased the latest achievements of Chinese agriculture but also significantly contributed to fostering international agricultural exchanges and cooperation.

[ainews]

Oil prices took an unexpected tumble on Wednesday afternoon, as traders sought to take shelter from a major storm of news. The cause of the drop? A bumper crop of pomelos in Chinese markets.

The surprising connection between pomelos and oil prices began with reports in the Chinese media on Wednesday morning that a big crop of pomelos had entered the market. The news was largely unnoticed by most traders—until China’s state-run oil company, PetroChina, announced it would be offering a discount on crude oil purchases if Chinese buyers produced a certain quantity of pomelos for export.

The move was seen as part of the Chinese government’s efforts to support farmers and stimulate the economy, as restrictions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have disrupted commerce in the country. While the discount PetroChina offered was relatively small, it was enough to jolt the oil market into a sharp downward trend.

The sliding price of crude because of the pomelo discount surprised many analysts, who noted that it was likely the first time that fruit had ever been linked to the commodity’s value. While the pomelo offer is set to expire on August 22, it’s expected that the impact on oil prices will remain for some time.

For now, traders will be keeping an eye on China’s pomelo market to see if the offer from PetroChina has a lasting effect on the price of crude. Should the market remain strong, it may lead to more support from the Chinese government for farmers, adding yet another layer of complexity to an already uncertain market.

[vietnamstar]

Officially exporting Vietnam’s lemons and pomelos to New Zealand

Officially exporting Vietnam’s lemons and pomelos to New Zealand

Signing ceremony to open Vietnam’s lemon and pomelo export market to New Zealand – Photo: T. QUAN On the afternoon of November 15, in Hanoi, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and New Zealand’s Ministry of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Land Information and Rural Affairs held an event Connecting Agriculture, during the visit of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to…

[arrghigiveup]

Putting the full text of the NYT article that the first tweet was responding to underneath the cut.

Link to the original tweet: https://twitter.com/speechleyish/status/1275990670663012352

Link to a couple of more serious threads about exactly why the biennial “Durian: the Freakshow Fruit” articles are so annoying:

https://twitter.com/amirulruslan/status/1276088736296472577

https://twitter.com/amirulruslan/status/1276313332492845056

Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

Many delicious species in Thailand, “the Great Power nation of fruit,” require laborious peeling and careful chewing. Then there’s the sticky fingers and occasional disappointment.

By Hannah Beech June 22, 2020

BANGKOK — All across Bangkok, fruit juice is dripping off chins, dribbling down arms and splashing onto the city’s sidewalks.

This is peak fruit season in Thailand, when the rising mercury concentrates the sugars in the tropical bounty that is native to Southeast Asia.

The region’s fruits are like no other. There is a fruit encased in prickly armor that smells of a deep, dank rot. There is a fruit that emits a sticky sap when peeled and another that stains fingernails mauve for those craving its succulent flesh.

And there is the rambutan, which means “hairy thing” in Malay. With its crimson skin studded with green feelers, the egg-sized fruit bears more than a passing resemblance to a coronavirus. It is yummy.

With pandemic travel bans in place, Thailand’s economic mainstay, tourism, has been battered. The country of 70 million has had to rely even more on exports of its agricultural products, and a national fruit lobby group predicts that overseas fruit shipments will increase by at least 10 percent this year, despite the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has called Thailand “the Great Power nation of fruit.” Last year, the country ranked as the world’s sixth biggest fruit exporter.

But most of the fruit is exported to Thailand’s regional neighbors, with China its biggest customer. The prospects of expanding to large Western markets like the United States may be appealing, but face some daunting obstacles.

Less than 3 percent of Thailand’s fruit was exported to the United States. Distance is one problem, as are worries about fruit flies accompanying the imports. But the main reason for the low figure may be that Southeast Asia’s indigenous fruits have what Fuchsia Dunlop, a British author of Chinese cookbooks, calls a high “grapple factor.”

Many of the region’s fruits require serious commitment to eat: laborious peeling, careful chewing and the frequent spitting out of seeds to which meat stubbornly adheres.

To snack during office hours on a langsat, a demure cousin of a lychee with a peel that oozes a kind of natural super glue, is to submit to sticky fingers and sticky keyboards. Soap doesn’t help.

The meat is perfumed but each bite is fraught, lest teeth accidentally penetrate the bitter seeds. The langsat is worth it, but only just.

Unlike a banana’s easy extraction, dissecting a jackfruit is to hack through a jagged sheath, then painstakingly pluck out rubbery polyps that taste like overripe Juicy Fruit gum.

The process can consume an afternoon, and there are fruit vendors whose careers are dedicated to peeling jackfruit — a single specimen can weigh up to 120 pounds — and other complicated fruits.

At Talad Thai, Bangkok’s wholesale fruit market and the largest in Southeast Asia, there is an entire building dedicated to citrus and a gymnasium-sized section only for the mango, of which there are more than 200 varieties in Thailand.

The fruits at Talad Thai are often transported and peeled by migrants from neighboring Cambodia or Myanmar.

“I was so poor that I had to look for work in Thailand,” said Sing Dy, who was unloading a truck of fruit as sweat drenched her coronavirus face mask.

She hasn’t seen her children back in Cambodia for six months because of the pandemic travel ban, but she still sends most of her $20 a day salary back home.

Each year, regional newspapers relate various jackfruit-related deaths, mostly involving someone lingering under a tree with fruit looming above. In May, a man in southern India was injured by a falling jackfruit and required spinal surgery, only to discover at the hospital that he also had the coronavirus. (He recovered.)

In terms of showiness, the rambutan jousts with the dragon fruit, a neon pink mini-football covered in acid-green tendrils. To some, the experience of eating a dragon fruit, which grows on a cactus indigenous to South America, is a letdown after all that dazzling packaging: It’s a bland mush with tiny seeds that can require floss to dislodge.

Thais tend to approach milder fruit as a canvas for the fermented, spicy flavors that dominate the country’s cuisine. So guavas, rose apples and pomelos, the world’s largest citrus, are often served with a chili, salt and sugar dip to enliven the experience. Tart fruits, like green mangoes, are balanced with a sweet condiment that includes fish sauce, dried shrimp and shallots.

If someone’s fingernails are dyed purple at the tips, it likely betrays a preference for the mangosteen, a palm-sized orb that looks like an extra in a Super Mario Bros. video game. Beneath its woody rind are juicy segments that strike a Socratic equilibrium between sweet and sour.

Even a peach has nothing on a mangosteen when it is perfect, but the mangosteen is rarely perfect. Many are afflicted with a blight that tarnishes the white flesh an ugly mustard hue. Which fruit is blemished is unknowable before peeling, and so to eat a pile of mangosteens is an exercise in disappointment.

The salak is also called the snakeskin fruit because its casing is undeniably reptilian. Inside is a not-quite-crunchy flesh that, like so many of Southeast Asia’s native fruits, hovers between delectable and decayed. Some scientists have theorized the smell attracts rainforest primates, whose consumption and dispersal of the seeds helps the fruit take root for another generation.

The most infamous fruit, which stinks of death, is the durian. Buildings and taxis in Thailand have no-durian signs next to no-smoking signs.

The durian’s flavor elicits passionate, and polarizing, responses, with few indifferent about the fruit’s appeal or repulsiveness.

On the outside, the durian resembles a medieval torture device. Nestled inside the spiky shell are kidney-shaped lobes of custard. The flavor is somewhere between an off-peak Gorgonzola and a crème caramel, with a whiff of skunk.

Orangutans adore the durian. In Indonesia, where expanding palm oil plantations have destroyed the apes’ natural habitat, orangutans occasionally raid fruit orchards for sustenance. Farmers have responded by shooting them.

Even if the smell could be put aside — which is, frankly, impossible — the durian would still probably have the highest grapple factor among Southeast Asia’s endemic fruits. Thai exports of the fruit are mostly destined for China, where consumers tend to be more willing to work for their meals.

The durian’s greatest supporters hold out little hope that it will ever capture the United States market the way the kiwi charmed Americans in the 1970s, when marketers renamed the Chinese gooseberry after New Zealand’s national bird. It helps that the kiwi, with its fuzzy peel, is cute and easy to eat.

While some of Southeast Asia’s indigenous fruits are available in specialty markets in the United States, the flavors lack the vibrancy of those grown at home, aficionados insist.

Ubolwan Wongchotsathit is a second-generation fruit magnate, and she used to fly her durian as far away as Dubai and Melbourne before the pandemic forced her to use land and sea routes instead.

“Americans say they hate the smell of durian,” she said. “I don’t understand. It is sweet love.”

[littledigong5]

                                                     City Of Amity       Indeed the beauty of this city is promising and impressive it is the home of legends, the homeland of the one and only politician that I patronized the most, no less than the 16th President of the republic of the Philippines the punisher of lawless and Godless criminals, but a savior and hero for the Law abiding citizen of the land.       Perhaps one of the top reasons to visit Davao is their food. Famously called as the “Fruit Basket of the Philippines”, Davao, being rich in fertile soil and having good weather all year long, is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of fruits like Mangosteen, Durian, Pomelo, Banana, Mango and many more. You can buy all of these fruits in Bankerohan Market. Don’t miss to sample their one-of-a-kind Durian Ice Cream too. You must also try the exotic Marang! We instantly fell in love with it the first time we tasted it.Besides fruits, Davao is also known for its barbeques and seafood! Just around the corner, there are barbeque stalls where you can choose from a variety of meat and seafood, and have them grilled in front of you. One place to eat a truckload of barbeques is Roxas Boulevard.        I heard so many good things about Davaoeños and how disciplined the people are. It’s one of the many reasons we decided to visit Davao; to know the people. The experience starts from the airport to the honest taxi drivers, the hotel staff, to the vendors. Here are some of our experiences:Our taxi driver, slash tour guide, for our Davao day tour was very kind and accommodating. He always assisted us with our needs, didn’t rush us in our tour and never complained even when the tour ended late at night. Visit his Facebook page to avail of his services.A lady sitting beside us in the multi-cab went out of her way and accompanied us to help find the D’ Bone collector museum. It was a humbling experience, and it only proved that Davaoeños are good Samaritans.On our last day in Davao, since we were flying that evening, we were looking for a place just to leave our bags and maybe for a little bit of rest. The receptionist at Hotel Uno agreed that we could leave our bags with them at no cost! I only insisted that it may be unfair with the hotel and we might use the room for packing our things and for rest. She just suggested one double fan room for all of us to save money. We are five in the group, by the way, and didn’t really expect that. The genuine kindness from this lady was just amazing.         We often see our politicians as these corrupt leaders who just take our money and pocket it for their pleasure but in Davao, it’s different. People are benefiting from their taxes. Free hospitalisation, safe and secure streets, 911, and efficient processing of documents are just among other things that Davaoeños are benefiting from. 

[phgq]

Solon backs Davao bid for chocolate, cacao capital title

#PHnews: Solon backs Davao bid for chocolate, cacao capital title

MANILA – Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa expressed support for the move to recognize Davao City as the chocolate capital and Davao Region as the cacao capital of the country.

“Mindanao, especially Davao, is known to be the fruit basket of the Philippines. Whenever you think of Davao, you might picture durian, pomelo, mangosteen, tuna, President Duterte, or the Kadayawan festival. As a native of the Davao Region, I can proudly say that we are more than that,” dela Rosa said on Wednesday.

The Dabawenyo senator has co-sponsored Senate Bill No. 1741 or “An Act Declaring the City of Davao As the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines and the Entire Region XI (Davao Region) As the Cacao Capital of the Philippines,”

He said the city and region are deserving of the title as they house the Malagos Chocolate which bagged seven international awards in 2019.

Davao City's Malagos Chocolate also placed second in the 100 percent unsweetened drink category and third in the sweetened drink category of the prestigious International Chocolate Competition of the Academy of Chocolate in London in 2017.

He cited that the Philippines, which is located along the “cocoa belt”, has pioneered cacao planting in Asia, making it “a respected exporter of premium quality raw cacao and chocolate” today.

“Hindi na po Swiss o Belgian chocolate ang hahanapin ng mga chocolate lovers all over the world – Philippine or Davao chocolate na po, (Chocolate lovers will not look for Swiss or Belgian chocolates anymore, they will look for Philippine or Davao chocolate),” he added.

Dela Rosa said Davao Region has been producing 80 percent of the country’s cacao produce, while 10 percent comes from the rest of Mindanao and the remaining 10 percent from Luzon and the Visayas regions.

On Tuesday, Senator Cynthia Villar announced SBN 1741 seeking to give recognition for the pioneering, outstanding collective contribution of the cacao farmers who supply dry cacao beans to the processors and manufacturers.

Apart from Malagos Chocolate, one of the frontline brands of the Philippines in the international market, Malagos Chocolates’ cacao bean also made it to the list of the “Best 50 Beans in The World” under the Cocoa Excellence Programme in 2017.

Another multi-awarded brand is Auro Chocolates, which takes pride in its bean-to-bar process since they have cacao beans that are fully traceable in planting communities in the Philippines.

The fine cacao and chocolate were directly sourced beans from Davao farming partners.

Its commitment to quality has earned it 23 international awards including the Top 20 Best Cacao Beans Award—a first for the Philippines—in the International Cocoa Awards. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Solon backs Davao bid for chocolate, cacao capital title." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130249 (accessed February 11, 2021 at 04:49AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Solon backs Davao bid for chocolate, cacao capital title." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130249 (archived).

[newflanagansonthebloch]

Day 13, April 19, 2019 Mekong Delta

It’s been a swift stay in Saigon but an action packed one none the less. After another rooftop breakfast at the Majestic hotel we finish packing and check out at 8:30am. As you can tell we’ve had a lot of early mornings this trip, but mostly early nights too. Vietnam starts their day early. We meet our speed boat in the same location as yesterday and are accompanied by another guide from Fisheye tours. Today, instead of heading north, we’re traveling south toward the Mekong Delta, the rice capital of Vietnam. Vietnam is the third biggest exporter of rice in the world. On our way we pass Saigon port and travel below many new bridges. Just a few years ago the only way to cross the boat was by ferry. While these do exist today, a series of bridges have also been constructed in some parts of the Saigon river. After Saigon part we pass the poorer section of the river with numerous house boats and riverside shacks that are deteriorating and made of run. The government is slowly trying to buy up the riverfront property and relocate the poorer families to make way for construction. You can see it happening already. In general here you will see nicer neighborhoods directly next to poorer ones.

In order to arrive at the Mekong River we will take a series of other rivers and canals. Our first stop is about 35 minutes from where we departed and is a small very very local market. The theme of the day will be not seeing other tourists. This is even more local and remote than any other market we’ve seen. They are selling fruit and fish heads and every possible cut of chicken. I have to admit it is kind of funny when you think about it: we’re visiting people and snapping photos in what they consider akin to their local super market.

We get back in the boat in the brackish water and we are surrounded by lush thick greenery, mostly water coconuts which are planted to prevent erosion. Egrets glide gracefully along the water. This is what you think of when you think of postcard Vietnam. You feel in another time here, the banks of the river are not fully developed. I wonder how long before buildings flank both sides. I hope the rapid growth doesn’t kill the magic of this place. I hope the changes here are for good—less pollution, more parks, better schooling etc. While this place has changed momentously since the early 90s when most folks got electricity, it still manages to retain an old world charm. There is also an old world way of life in many places, actual markets to buy groceries in, mom and pop shops and your local tailor, fishing and farming as a way of life. This is what Mekong life is like especially.

Around 10am we pull into a small offshoot of the canal. We pass by local homes with thatched roofs and some tin. We pass abandoned fishing boats. We see a woman manning her small boat while her husband wades through thick grey mud catching mud fish with his hands.

We pull up to a dock and unload outside a local couples home. They make tofu and show us how it’s done. It’s interesting because they don’t grow they soy beans here! They buy them. Not sure I have this 100% accurate but the process is something like this: First they soak the soya bean in water to get the milk out. Then they mix it with Pandan leaf (kind of like a skinny palm leaf that’s also used for tea like the one we tried yesterday at the Cu Chi Tunnels). They boil the mill and mix with sour water to condense it and put it in a frame to dry before selling it. Here they make both white and fried Tofu.

The owner also walks us out to his front yard which has a fish farm. He buys mini shrimp and over a period of 3-3.5 months they grow to full size. Just like in Hoi An, shrimp farms sit one next to the other.

From this family’s home we are lent the most common Vietnamese hat—the comical one. It’s not just touristy, people wear them and with good reason—they work! We ride some old school cruiser bikes through the small village, first navigating a narrow strip between fish farms . First we see an ancient home that once belonged to the proprietor of this land. Once communism came about they fled. Then we head to the towns Cau Dai temple, a relatively young religion originating in Vietnam with influences from five different faiths. There are evident influences in the temples architecture from Catholic Churches and Buddhist temples. The religion ultimately worships they eye as it sees all things. The reflection also has three saints, a Vietnamese Poet, a Chinese Revelation and Victor Hugo. There are four services a day at 6 and 12 am and pm.

The service is about to start so we bike back to the original house. Waiting for us at the table is a late morning snack of coconut and a massive popped rice treat fused together by honey and sugar. It gets stuck in your teeth easily. These popped rice treats are made right in this town if Can Giuoc. Kerran is, as always psyched about his fresh coconut and he even tops off mine. Did you know there are 25 types of coconut grown in Vietnam!?

Back on the boat we merge from the smaller canal to a bigger river and cross into the Tien Giang Province. We will cross a few given there are a total of 54 provinces in Vietnam and the country is roughly the size of california. Every time we merge we move into a wider river with more fishing and dredging boats. Here we’re in the Van Co River which will ultimately become the Song Tra which then feeds into the Mekong River. The Mekong is positively passive and definitely requires a ferry across for the areas without bridges. There are massive boats for cement here too. In fact this river even has islands. Off to the side of the main river are much smaller romantic offshoots that we soon motor into.

We disembark again in a very lush green section not too far outside Ben Tre. We walk not too far and board a Sampan boat, a wooden row boat operated by a local. She rows a bit down the river but we don’t stay on too long which is good news for my sunburn! After we get up she conveniently turns on the motor to get her back up stream!

A bubbly sixty something woman with good teeth greets us in Vietnamese. her name is the equivalent of “Ms. Seven.” She lives alone but shows us her old fashioned kitchen and I peel her into her two room home complete with a hammock because everyone has one here. There’s also electricity and TV, and a washing machine. She has chickens with adorable baby chicks and fruit—pomelo or grapefruit trees and starfruit. She’s generous with her things giving us longan and star fruit to taste.

She is just so friendly and tells me the star fruit is good for my skin and I also that I have beautiful skin which is still hilarious as I’m breaking out. It’s just because I’m pale as all hell, and unlike the western world, this part of the works treasures pale complexions. The irony that we always want what we don’t have.

We bid farewell to our new friend and meander down through the woods toward the road. An old fashioned taxi on three wheels and an open air section almost like a mini-hayride in the back. The road is narrow and of course, green, but there were electric lines running overhead. We rolled past the trenches in the ground dug for irrigation, perfect for an area with heavy wet seasons.

[wineanddinosaur]

Unstoppable Rosé: A Look at the Wines of Provence

A quick scan of store shelves is proof that we are all moving toward a more colorful future — a future that is, increasingly, rosy. From gin to beer to vodka to cider in pretty pastels and electric hot pinks, beverage makers of all types and sizes are seizing on the overwhelming success of rosé wine, the consumption of which has been on an upward trajectory the world over for the last 30 years. In unheard-of growth, popularity of the pink wine soared 53 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to Nielsen data — and the market shows no signs of slowing down.

The rosé phenomenon originated in the vineyards of southern France. Approximately 2,600 years ago, Phocaeans carried grapevines from Greece to modern-day Provence, where they had not yet perfected the maceration process, and pink juice was embraced throughout the Mediterranean. The region was the first area for wine production in France, and those early pink blends—  the precursors to the rosé we imbibe today — are the country’s oldest wines.

Provence remains the leading French region for rosé production. Its pastel wines are refreshing and dry, revealing aromas of red fruit, citrus, cool, green melons, flowers, and herbs. Provençal rosé reflect a terroir that stretches across deep gorges, 100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, and hills and mountains heady with lavender and winds that help moderate temperatures and reduce excessive humidity.

There are nine distinct AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) regions within Provence. Within these areas, there are three major regions: Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence, and Côtes de Provence; and five terroir designations: Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, Côtes de Provence Fréjus, Côtes de Provence La Londe, Côtes de Provence Pierrefeu, and Côtes de Provence Notre Dame des Anges (official since September 2019). The wines from each region offer unique flavors, reflecting their individual terroirs.

And while provenance is indisputably important, the truth is Provençal rosés are best known for their becoming color — or, rather, colors. The Provençal wine council Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, has defined the color according to the following fruit-themed hues: peach, melon, mango, pomelo, mandarin, and red currant.

Provence remains the leading French region for rosé production. Photo Credit: CIVP-Herve Fabre

As consumers continue to pick up on — and enjoy — these nuances, rosé moves further away from only being thought of as fair-weather refreshment to a mainstream, year-round drink alongside other ever-popular options such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. According to wine researchers, production and consumption of rosé wines are projected to increase to 25 million hectoliters (or 660 million gallons) by 2035.

With a major boom in export sales, especially in the U.S., since 2014, Provence has met the challenge of not only focusing on premium products but also increasing quality for the discerning international palate. Today, as competition from other notable wine regions has increased and the focus on sustainability in winemaking grows ever more important, the pressure to produce premium wines in an environmentally friendly way is on. Provence, with its dry, warm climate is not only ideal for making rosé, but it lends itself to sustainable, biodynamic, and organic growing practices.

Not surprisingly, the French consume most of Provence’s — and the world’s — rosé, accounting for one-third of global rosé consumption. In fact, French sales have tripled over the last quarter-century. One out of every three bottles of wine sold in France is a rosé, with French citizens over the age of 15 consuming about 21 bottles per person per year. But Americans are catching up, sipping up 47 percent of rosés exported from Provence. According to the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, our preferences for pink span the color continuum, too, from nearly red Spanish rosados to traditionally pale Provençal rosés.

An affinity for dry rosés, in particular, helps explain why U.S. drinkers have increased their consumption of Provençal pinks (a preference that is mirrored by growing interest from the U.K., Canada, and Australia). That is, as consumers’ thirst for pink wine has evolved and expanded, so has their taste for classically dry wines. According to research from AGREX-FranceAgriMer, since 2013, global production of light-colored rosés has increased by 4 percent, while preference for darker rosés has dropped.

Whereas rosé may have once been conceived as a simple, fruit-forward wine with notes of strawberry and raspberry, consumers are now delving into the intricacies of the wines — where they’re from, the level of acidity, the weight of the wines.

Provence’s pastel wines reflect a terroir that stretches across deep gorges, 100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, and hills and mountains heady with lavender and winds. Photo Credit: Anastasia Ness

Fondness for Provençal rosé has as much to do with taste as it does the French lifestyle: a spirit of conviviality, beauty, and the simple pleasure of enjoying wine with people you care about. Dubbed the “wine of freedom,” it also symbolizes consumers’ right to explore what they love and pursue flavors that are new and unique. Éric Pastorino, a third-generation winemaker and President of Côtes de Provence, says, “I prefer that people drink rosé wine when they are happy.”

The rosé-all-day movement has morphed into rosé all year, especially in warmer climates. Consumers are branching out and trying new styles and flavors. A fun category of wine to start with, the proliferation of rosé has consumers ready to try something new and expand horizons.

With global demand at an all-time high, growers in Provence are increasing their plantings of vines for rosé production. Today, nearly 90 percent of Provence’s vineyards are dedicated to rosé grapes, including Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault.

Pastorino explains that this has large-scale impact on vineyards in Provence. “Over the last seven years, the exports of wines of Provence have seen an explosive growth overall,” he says. “The industry today is working to adapt to this evolution, but we have plenty of challenges ahead of us.” With limited land availability, growers are focusing more and more on optimizing quality to keep up with the market. This involves all aspects of wine management, from moisture and nutrient control to foliage care, as well as timing the harvest right.

While the market strives to catch up with consumer demand, one thing is clear: Rosé is here to stay. Consumers can expect more rosé goodness in the years to come: increased variety, higher quality, more ways to experience deliciousness. Whether bright and bold, soft and sweet, or dry and nuanced, the future is coming up pink.

This article is sponsored by the Wines of Provence.

The article Unstoppable Rosé: A Look at the Wines of Provence appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/unstoppable-rose-a-look-at-the-wines-of-provence/

[isaiahrippinus]

Unstoppable Rosé: A Look at the Wines of Provence

A quick scan of store shelves is proof that we are all moving toward a more colorful future — a future that is, increasingly, rosy. From gin to beer to vodka to cider in pretty pastels and electric hot pinks, beverage makers of all types and sizes are seizing on the overwhelming success of rosé wine, the consumption of which has been on an upward trajectory the world over for the last 30 years. In unheard-of growth, popularity of the pink wine soared 53 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to Nielsen data — and the market shows no signs of slowing down.

The rosé phenomenon originated in the vineyards of southern France. Approximately 2,600 years ago, Phocaeans carried grapevines from Greece to modern-day Provence, where they had not yet perfected the maceration process, and pink juice was embraced throughout the Mediterranean. The region was the first area for wine production in France, and those early pink blends—  the precursors to the rosé we imbibe today — are the country’s oldest wines.

Provence remains the leading French region for rosé production. Its pastel wines are refreshing and dry, revealing aromas of red fruit, citrus, cool, green melons, flowers, and herbs. Provençal rosé reflect a terroir that stretches across deep gorges, 100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, and hills and mountains heady with lavender and winds that help moderate temperatures and reduce excessive humidity.

There are nine distinct AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) regions within Provence. Within these areas, there are three major regions: Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence, and Côtes de Provence; and five terroir designations: Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, Côtes de Provence Fréjus, Côtes de Provence La Londe, Côtes de Provence Pierrefeu, and Côtes de Provence Notre Dame des Anges (official since September 2019). The wines from each region offer unique flavors, reflecting their individual terroirs.

And while provenance is indisputably important, the truth is Provençal rosés are best known for their becoming color — or, rather, colors. The Provençal wine council Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, has defined the color according to the following fruit-themed hues: peach, melon, mango, pomelo, mandarin, and red currant.

Provence remains the leading French region for rosé production. Photo Credit: CIVP-Herve Fabre

As consumers continue to pick up on — and enjoy — these nuances, rosé moves further away from only being thought of as fair-weather refreshment to a mainstream, year-round drink alongside other ever-popular options such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. According to wine researchers, production and consumption of rosé wines are projected to increase to 25 million hectoliters (or 660 million gallons) by 2035.

With a major boom in export sales, especially in the U.S., since 2014, Provence has met the challenge of not only focusing on premium products but also increasing quality for the discerning international palate. Today, as competition from other notable wine regions has increased and the focus on sustainability in winemaking grows ever more important, the pressure to produce premium wines in an environmentally friendly way is on. Provence, with its dry, warm climate is not only ideal for making rosé, but it lends itself to sustainable, biodynamic, and organic growing practices.

Not surprisingly, the French consume most of Provence’s — and the world’s — rosé, accounting for one-third of global rosé consumption. In fact, French sales have tripled over the last quarter-century. One out of every three bottles of wine sold in France is a rosé, with French citizens over the age of 15 consuming about 21 bottles per person per year. But Americans are catching up, sipping up 47 percent of rosés exported from Provence. According to the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, our preferences for pink span the color continuum, too, from nearly red Spanish rosados to traditionally pale Provençal rosés.

An affinity for dry rosés, in particular, helps explain why U.S. drinkers have increased their consumption of Provençal pinks (a preference that is mirrored by growing interest from the U.K., Canada, and Australia). That is, as consumers’ thirst for pink wine has evolved and expanded, so has their taste for classically dry wines. According to research from AGREX-FranceAgriMer, since 2013, global production of light-colored rosés has increased by 4 percent, while preference for darker rosés has dropped.

Whereas rosé may have once been conceived as a simple, fruit-forward wine with notes of strawberry and raspberry, consumers are now delving into the intricacies of the wines — where they’re from, the level of acidity, the weight of the wines.

Provence’s pastel wines reflect a terroir that stretches across deep gorges, 100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, and hills and mountains heady with lavender and winds. Photo Credit: Anastasia Ness

Fondness for Provençal rosé has as much to do with taste as it does the French lifestyle: a spirit of conviviality, beauty, and the simple pleasure of enjoying wine with people you care about. Dubbed the “wine of freedom,” it also symbolizes consumers’ right to explore what they love and pursue flavors that are new and unique. Éric Pastorino, a third-generation winemaker and President of Côtes de Provence, says, “I prefer that people drink rosé wine when they are happy.”

The rosé-all-day movement has morphed into rosé all year, especially in warmer climates. Consumers are branching out and trying new styles and flavors. A fun category of wine to start with, the proliferation of rosé has consumers ready to try something new and expand horizons.

With global demand at an all-time high, growers in Provence are increasing their plantings of vines for rosé production. Today, nearly 90 percent of Provence’s vineyards are dedicated to rosé grapes, including Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault.

Pastorino explains that this has large-scale impact on vineyards in Provence. “Over the last seven years, the exports of wines of Provence have seen an explosive growth overall,” he says. “The industry today is working to adapt to this evolution, but we have plenty of challenges ahead of us.” With limited land availability, growers are focusing more and more on optimizing quality to keep up with the market. This involves all aspects of wine management, from moisture and nutrient control to foliage care, as well as timing the harvest right.

While the market strives to catch up with consumer demand, one thing is clear: Rosé is here to stay. Consumers can expect more rosé goodness in the years to come: increased variety, higher quality, more ways to experience deliciousness. Whether bright and bold, soft and sweet, or dry and nuanced, the future is coming up pink.

This article is sponsored by the Wines of Provence.

The article Unstoppable Rosé: A Look at the Wines of Provence appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/unstoppable-rose-a-look-at-the-wines-of-provence/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/189290046254

[johnboothus]

Unstoppable Rosé: A Look at the Wines of Provence

A quick scan of store shelves is proof that we are all moving toward a more colorful future — a future that is, increasingly, rosy. From gin to beer to vodka to cider in pretty pastels and electric hot pinks, beverage makers of all types and sizes are seizing on the overwhelming success of rosé wine, the consumption of which has been on an upward trajectory the world over for the last 30 years. In unheard-of growth, popularity of the pink wine soared 53 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to Nielsen data — and the market shows no signs of slowing down.

The rosé phenomenon originated in the vineyards of southern France. Approximately 2,600 years ago, Phocaeans carried grapevines from Greece to modern-day Provence, where they had not yet perfected the maceration process, and pink juice was embraced throughout the Mediterranean. The region was the first area for wine production in France, and those early pink blends—  the precursors to the rosé we imbibe today — are the country’s oldest wines.

Provence remains the leading French region for rosé production. Its pastel wines are refreshing and dry, revealing aromas of red fruit, citrus, cool, green melons, flowers, and herbs. Provençal rosé reflect a terroir that stretches across deep gorges, 100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, and hills and mountains heady with lavender and winds that help moderate temperatures and reduce excessive humidity.

There are nine distinct AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) regions within Provence. Within these areas, there are three major regions: Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence, and Côtes de Provence; and five terroir designations: Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, Côtes de Provence Fréjus, Côtes de Provence La Londe, Côtes de Provence Pierrefeu, and Côtes de Provence Notre Dame des Anges (official since September 2019). The wines from each region offer unique flavors, reflecting their individual terroirs.

And while provenance is indisputably important, the truth is Provençal rosés are best known for their becoming color — or, rather, colors. The Provençal wine council Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, has defined the color according to the following fruit-themed hues: peach, melon, mango, pomelo, mandarin, and red currant.

Provence remains the leading French region for rosé production. Photo Credit: CIVP-Herve Fabre

As consumers continue to pick up on — and enjoy — these nuances, rosé moves further away from only being thought of as fair-weather refreshment to a mainstream, year-round drink alongside other ever-popular options such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. According to wine researchers, production and consumption of rosé wines are projected to increase to 25 million hectoliters (or 660 million gallons) by 2035.

With a major boom in export sales, especially in the U.S., since 2014, Provence has met the challenge of not only focusing on premium products but also increasing quality for the discerning international palate. Today, as competition from other notable wine regions has increased and the focus on sustainability in winemaking grows ever more important, the pressure to produce premium wines in an environmentally friendly way is on. Provence, with its dry, warm climate is not only ideal for making rosé, but it lends itself to sustainable, biodynamic, and organic growing practices.

Not surprisingly, the French consume most of Provence’s — and the world’s — rosé, accounting for one-third of global rosé consumption. In fact, French sales have tripled over the last quarter-century. One out of every three bottles of wine sold in France is a rosé, with French citizens over the age of 15 consuming about 21 bottles per person per year. But Americans are catching up, sipping up 47 percent of rosés exported from Provence. According to the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, our preferences for pink span the color continuum, too, from nearly red Spanish rosados to traditionally pale Provençal rosés.

An affinity for dry rosés, in particular, helps explain why U.S. drinkers have increased their consumption of Provençal pinks (a preference that is mirrored by growing interest from the U.K., Canada, and Australia). That is, as consumers’ thirst for pink wine has evolved and expanded, so has their taste for classically dry wines. According to research from AGREX-FranceAgriMer, since 2013, global production of light-colored rosés has increased by 4 percent, while preference for darker rosés has dropped.

Whereas rosé may have once been conceived as a simple, fruit-forward wine with notes of strawberry and raspberry, consumers are now delving into the intricacies of the wines — where they’re from, the level of acidity, the weight of the wines.

Provence’s pastel wines reflect a terroir that stretches across deep gorges, 100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, and hills and mountains heady with lavender and winds. Photo Credit: Anastasia Ness

Fondness for Provençal rosé has as much to do with taste as it does the French lifestyle: a spirit of conviviality, beauty, and the simple pleasure of enjoying wine with people you care about. Dubbed the “wine of freedom,” it also symbolizes consumers’ right to explore what they love and pursue flavors that are new and unique. Éric Pastorino, a third-generation winemaker and President of Côtes de Provence, says, “I prefer that people drink rosé wine when they are happy.”

The rosé-all-day movement has morphed into rosé all year, especially in warmer climates. Consumers are branching out and trying new styles and flavors. A fun category of wine to start with, the proliferation of rosé has consumers ready to try something new and expand horizons.

With global demand at an all-time high, growers in Provence are increasing their plantings of vines for rosé production. Today, nearly 90 percent of Provence’s vineyards are dedicated to rosé grapes, including Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault.

Pastorino explains that this has large-scale impact on vineyards in Provence. “Over the last seven years, the exports of wines of Provence have seen an explosive growth overall,” he says. “The industry today is working to adapt to this evolution, but we have plenty of challenges ahead of us.” With limited land availability, growers are focusing more and more on optimizing quality to keep up with the market. This involves all aspects of wine management, from moisture and nutrient control to foliage care, as well as timing the harvest right.

While the market strives to catch up with consumer demand, one thing is clear: Rosé is here to stay. Consumers can expect more rosé goodness in the years to come: increased variety, higher quality, more ways to experience deliciousness. Whether bright and bold, soft and sweet, or dry and nuanced, the future is coming up pink.

This article is sponsored by the Wines of Provence.

The article Unstoppable Rosé: A Look at the Wines of Provence appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/unstoppable-rose-a-look-at-the-wines-of-provence/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/unstoppable-rose-a-look-at-the-wines-of-provence

[mypham0711]

Top attractions you definitely visit in Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is a destination like no other. Innumerable rivers, canals, tributaries, and rivulets overflow with fish, and the rich alluvial soil helps produce an abundance of rice, fruit, and vegetables. Lush tropical orchards, floating markets, quaint towns, delicious food,emerald-green rice paddies, and lazy brown rivers and canals add to the photogenic wonder of the place. It’s a land touched by ancient and modern cultures, from the Funanese to the Khmer, Cham and Vietnamese.The northern delta, with its fruit farms and rice fields, is the most accessible from Ho Chi Minh City, with day trips possible to My Tho and Vinh Long. The south-central delta encompasses the Ca Mau Peninsula, with just into the sea from Soc Trang. Can Tho is a major center, a pleasant town with just enough tourist infrastructure for a comfortable stay.In the Mekong’s southern section, steamy mangrove swamps and thick palm forests thrive on the flat, flooded delta creating a heaven for water birds including some rare species.Here is the list of top places worth visiting in Mekong Delta, Vietnam.1. Cai Rang Floating Market It is the dense network of the Mekong River and its tributaries that developed the waterway transport system and formed the special customs of the locals here. Thehabit of trading goods in the floating markets stands out and has become an image representing the area’s tourism. Cai Rang Floating Market is the most famous of all names. You will be interesting in its extremely lively and crowded trading atmosphere, especially the smooth performances of traders and juggling fruits boat to boat. The market is open in the early morning around 3:00 am but the liveliest at around 5:00 am. Basically, there are two feasible options you can consider when visiting Cai Rang Floating Market: go by yourself and buy a tour. 2. Ninh Kieu WharfNinh Kieu Wharf is one of the most famous Can Tho attractions because of the beautiful landscapes and exciting atmosphere in Ninh Kieu Night Market. It is situated close to the center of the city on the bank of the Hau River which is known as a tributary of the Mekong River. On the wharf, there are always many boats which carry a lot of goods and products of the Mekong Delta. Coming to Ninh Kieu,visitors also have a chance to visit many high-quality restaurants and enjoy delicious dishes. 3. Cai Be Floating Market Playing as one of the main trading centers in Mekong Delta, Cai Be in Tien Giang Province is a place where the locals sell and buy a wide variety of products catering to their lives. Besides staple commodities, this is a famous location to find local products priced quite reasonably. They may be freshest fruit harvested from the farm like durian, milk fruit, rambutan, mangosteen… Come here and worry no moreabout what to bring home. Every day, lots of boats and rafts in the delta gather here to trade and do business. Although the market is open all day, the liveliest time is at sunrise.There are a lot of tour operators that organizing Cai Be Floating Market Tour fornature lovers and adventurous visitors. All you must do is simply to book a package tour as well as have yourself ready to get up early in the morning, give it a try with our Mekong Delta Tour (Cai Be- Vinh Long full-day tour) 4. Fruit OrchardsCai Be Fruit Orchard (Tien Giang). Surrounded by canals, around the year immersing in fertility alluvial of the Tien River Delta, Cai Be is a specialized cultivation areas providing fruits for domestic needs and for export as well. It is not only a large basket pf fruit of Mekong Delta, Cai Be is also a stop for most tourists.Cai Mon Fruit Orchard (Ben Tre). Known as the coconut land with the moderate climate all seasons of the year, Ben Tre is also a large fruit basket of the Southwest with variety of delicious fruits such as famous durian, rambutan, pomelo, mango, longan, plum… Vinh Long Fruit Orchard. Vinh Long has been famous for green fruit orchards during four season in which there are specially popular Nam Roi grapefruit. Tourists can relax while enjoy hands-on experience in harvesting fresh fruit in the orchard. 5. Private Sampan Tour in Ben Tre or Can ThoAfter paying a visit to the floating market, you can continue your journey on the water. Exit the large river and head towards the tiny canals that make up the maze that is the Delta. Undoubtedly, it is the best way to stop over at anything you see interesting – stilt houses, boat houses, orchards farms, cottage industries. Riversiderestaurants… 6. Tan Lap Floating VillageIf provinces of Mekong Delta is often one of the first destinations of foreign tourists,there is an eco-tourism site, not far from Ho Chi Minh City. That’s Tan Lap floating village, located in the heart of Dong Thap Muoi Area, Long An Province. This is home to Cajuput forest, lotus flower, rice paddies and many wild animals…The entrance into the Tan Lap Village is through the Cajuput forest, named Rung Canal. This 5-km long path and 10-floor observation tower are considered as the highlights of the eco-tourism site. Besides, there are many other functional areassuch as environmental education, natural reserve, wild animal, floating houses on stiltsm park, pier… Tourists can go along cement paths or go along the river by boat.During October and December, this is a great location for you to admire the blooming of lotus flower. Among an immense of the forest, the combination of trees, flowers and many species of birds, all creates a simple and picturesque scenery. 7. Tra Su Mangrove ForestThis sanctuary is located about 20 km form Chau Doc and covers an area of approximately 850 hectares. A wide variety of colorful birds and other animals can be found here: storks, bats, snakes, turtles… If you want to visit the protected area, you plan in at least 3 hours. The tour through the habitats can be done by motor boat, rowing boat by foot. From the high observation deck you will have a beautiful view over the mountains in the area, the expanses of mangrove forests and numerous birds. 8. Tram Chim National ParkTram Chim National Park is around 40 km due north of Cao Lanh and notable for its rare red-headed cranes, though more than 220 species of birds live within the reserve. The cranes nest here from about December to May; from June to November they migrate to northwest Cambodia. Seeing them requires a considerable commitment (time, effort and money), you can take some trips with tourist agencies by car and small boats, or it is cheaper to go if you make friends with locals. Enjoyed this article and share your first-hand experience when visiting the Mekong Delta,Vietnam.

[trendingnewsb]

Southeast Asia fashion startup Zilingo continues its meteoric rise with $54M Series C

Many will rightly say that raising money as a startup in Southeast Asia is no easy thing, but up-and-coming online fashion service Zilingo sure doesn’t seem to have problems on that front.

Fresh from raising an $18 million Series B round last September, Zilingo has announced its $54 million Series C to take it to $82 million from investors to date.

The round was led by new investor Sofina — an investor in Flipkart-owned fashion site Myntra among others — and existing backers Burda and Sequoia India. Zilingo’s other existing investors, including Tim Draper, SIG, Venturra, Beenext and Manik Arora, all took part, with Amadeus Capital joining the party, too.

Raising this much money is rare over the life cycle of any startup in Southeast Asia, but to do it in less than 2.5 years after launching your product is unprecedented.

E-commerce is a hot space in the region, but few companies have made the jump to Series B and beyond with success; in order to make the leap, Singapore-headquartered Zilingo has gone about things in a different way from others in its immediate space.

Beyond consumer sales

The company started in Thailand in 2015, when it was founded by Ankiti Bose (CEO) and Dhruv Kapoor (CTO). Bose, a former analyst with Sequoia India and McKinsey, had the idea of bringing traditional sellers online after visiting Bangkok and marveling at the rich variety of fashion items being sold at street markets.

Now, however, the company has risen above online sales to a position as a platform that caters to merchants, retailers and brands for both B2C and B2B sales. That’s been enabled by an early focus on providing basic services for retailers beyond just an online storefront.

We noted when we first wrote about Zilingo that the company offered a seller management tool which handled processes like inventory management, stock and sales for small retailers who might not already be digital. Aside from boosting touch points with merchants, its key target, these services have evolved over time and become both an additional revenue generator and an important defensive moat for Zilingo’s business, while, not to mention, providing insight and direction for product development.

Zilingo’s e-commerce site sells directly to consumers in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, and it ships internationally to four more countries. Its tech team is in India while it has supply bases in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia, but it has pushed on.

With financial services from third parties, a “style hunter” that aggregates upcoming trends from fashion watchers and icons, product sourcing and content and photography services, the targets have expanded to include professional fashion sellers, SMEs, brands and B2B buyers located outside of Southeast Asia.

The idea is no longer just about bringing the long tail of market sellers online, but instead to enable increased efficiencies for all. That means organization services, financial products and sales for the long-tail merchants, but trend analysis, B2B sales/sourcing and more advanced options to the more sophisticated end of brands and larger retailers.

Zilingo co-founders Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor

“We realized that the long tail is a good way to start, but if you want to build the biggest player in this space, then you have to have all the supply,” Bose told TechCrunch. “The reason they’d stay with us is because they have a dependence with us.”

Bose said that Zilingo doesn’t pressure its merchants to use Zilingo.com for consumers sales — although it is obviously preferential — which means it has a potential that allows it to start working with those who are on rival services, which chiefly includes Rocket Internet’s well-funded Zalora business.

So a brand using Zalora for sales, for example, might source its products or materials from sellers on Zilingo. Further down the line, Zilingo could use that relationship to persuade it to open a Zilingo.com store.

That has seen revenue skyrocket. While Bose isn’t revealing exact sales figures, she said that revenue has grown “over 10X” in the last 12, months with more than 10,000 sellers and two million products now on the Zilingo.com platform.

That jump is primarily thanks to a move into Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the emergence of B2B sales — i.e. labels or merchants using Zilingo to buy fashion items to then sell to consumers — and some of the optional, paid-for services such as loans or credit. Now, Bose said, the once-core B2C business from Zilingo.com accounts for just 40 percent of the revenue.

That platform strategy goes some way to explaining why investors are doubling down on the business despite a “bloodbath” — as Bose puts it — in the B2C fashion commerce space in Southeast Asia.

Zalora is the big player, while others include JD.com-backed Pomelo and Singapore’s Love Bonito, both of which have raised low double-digit USD rounds to move into brick and mortar retail. Zilingo, meanwhile, has transcended the sales race by building a product that can live without a dependency on its Zilingo.com e-commerce service.

Looking to U.S. and Europe

The company is putting that to the test this week with the launch of a B2B service for U.S. and Europe-based fashion sellers and labels.

ZilingoAsiaMall.com is a destination where smaller retailers and other B2B buyers can source fashion items from Southeast Asia-based resellers for similar prices to that which top global fashion names enjoy, but without the commitment of massive order volumes.

Zilingo Asia Mall

“Major global fashion brands source most apparel from Asia at $1.5/piece for massive quantities of over a million pieces,” a Zilingo representative explained. “We saw how Zilingo could leverage its existing Asian supply chain network built from its consumer business to drive value for the American and European fashion businesses. ZAM has figured out how retailers can source quality, current products at $2/piece for quantities as low as 200 and also make it an easy experience.”

“Some 49 percent of all exports globally in fashion come from ASEAN, China and Bangladesh [so] we are basically sitting at the source,” Bose told TechCrunch.

“Merchants want to buy from our B2B platforms and sell on B2C channels, Zilingo could be one of them,” she added. “It’s a high-margin profitable business and we want to scale that up.”

Future plans

Zilingo said it still has its Series B round in the bank, so that, combined with this newest funding, gives it quite the war chest for investment.

Aside from pushing its international strategy, the company plans to add more tech services to its merchant ecosystem while also expanding its Zilingo.com e-commerce site deeper into Southeast Asia. The Philippines is top of the list, but opening up in Vietnam and Malaysia is also on the planner.

The company will also continue to build its brand and market share in its existing Southeast Asian markets. There’s a particular focus on Indonesia where it recently signed actress Pevita Pearce to front its first TV ad campaign.

As for raising more money right after the Series B, Bose said that the timing felt right.

“The logic behind raising this round is that Southeast Asia is heating up but fashion doesn’t have a big leader because Zalora is stumbling, but it is also the only high-margin vertical in e-commerce,” she said.

“When things are going well, there’s momentum, and we figured that we might as well use that because this is a fantastic time to be running a startup in Southeast Asia — people are taking the region seriously,” she added, referencing increased investments from Tencent and Alibaba.

Unbelievably, Zilingo closed the Series C round “weeks” after its Series B, according to Sequoia India managing director Shailendra Singh. Bose explained that investors had begun to see the results of the B2B push and were keen to double down right there and then.

Luckily for the rest of the market, there are no imminent Series D plans at this point… apparently.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/04/zilingo-raises-54-million/

from Viral News HQ https://ift.tt/2LUGX7p via Viral News HQ

[abckidstvyara]

Many will rightly say that raising money as a startup in Southeast Asia is no easy thing, but up-and-coming online fashion service Zilingo sure doesn’t seem to have problems on that front.

Fresh from raising an $18 million Series B round last September, Zilingo has announced its $54 million Series C to takes it to $82 million from investors to date.

The round was led by new investor Sofina — an investor in Flipkart-owned fashion site Myntra among others — and existing backers Burda and Sequoia India. Zilingo’s other existing investors, including Tim Draper, SIG, Venturra, Beenext, Manik Arora, all took part with Amadeus Capital joining the party, too.

Raising this much money is rare over the lifecycle of any startup in Southeast Asia, but to do it less than 2.5 years after launching your product is unprecedented.

E-commerce is a hot space in the region but few companies have made the jump to Series B and beyond with success, in order to make the leap Singapore-headquartered Zilingo has gone about things in a different way to others in its immediate space.

Beyond consumer sales

The company started out in Thailand in 2015 when it was founded by Ankiti Bose (CEO) and Dhruv Kapoor (CTO). Bose, a former analyst with Sequoia India and McKinsey, had the idea of bringing traditional sellers online after visiting Bangkok and marveling at the rich variety of fashion items being sold at street markets.

Now, however, the company has risen above online sales to a position as a platform that caters to merchants, retailers and brands for both B2C and B2B sales. That’s been enabled by an early focus on providing basic services for retailers beyond just an online storefront.

We noted when we first wrote about Zilingo that the company offered a seller management tool which handled processes like inventory management, stock and sales for small retailers who might not already be digital. Aside from boosting touch points with merchants, its key target, these services have evolved over time and become both an additional revenue generator and an important defensive moat for Zilingo’s business, while not to mention providing insight and direction for product development.

Zilingo’s e-commerce site sells directly to consumers in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and it ships internationally to four more countries. Its tech team is in India while it has supply bases in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia, but it has pushed on.

With financial services from third parties, a ‘style hunter’ that aggregates upcoming trends from fashion watchers and icons, product sourcing, and content and photography services, the targets have expanded to include professional fashion sellers, SMEs, brands, and B2B buyers located outside of Southeast Asia.

The idea is no longer just about bringing the longtail of market sellers online, but instead to enable increased efficiencies for all. That means organization services, financial products and sales for the longtail merchants, but trend analysis, B2B sales/sourcing and more advanced options to the more sophisticated end of brands and larger retailers.

Zilingo co-founders Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor

“We realized that the longtail is a good way to start, but if you want to build the biggest player in this space, then you have to have all the supply,” Bose told TechCrunch. “The reason they’d stay with us is because they have a dependence with us.”

Bose said that Zilingo doesn’t pressure its merchants to use Zilingo.com for consumers sales — although it is obviously preferential — which means it has a potential in that allows it to start working with those who are on rival services, which chiefly includes Rocket Internet’s well-funded Zalora business.

So a brand using Zalora for sales, for example, might source its products or materials from sellers on Zilingo. Further down the line, Zilingo could use that relationship to persuade it to open a Zilingo.com store.

That has seen revenue skyrocket. While Bose isn’t revealing exact sales figures, she said that revenue has grown “over 10X” in the last 12 months with more than 10,000 sellers and two million products now on the Zilingo.com platform.

That jump is primarily thanks to a move into Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the emergence of B2B sales — i.e. labels or merchants using Zilingo to buy fashion items to then sell to consumers — and some of the optional, paid-for services such as loans or credit. Now, Bose said, the once-core B2C business from Zilingo.com accounts for just 40 percent of the revenue.

That platform strategy goes some way to explaining why investors are doubling down on the business despite a “bloodbath” — as Bose puts it — in the B2C fashion commerce space in Southeast Asia.

Zalora is the big player, while others include JD.com-backed Pomelo and Singapore’s Love Bonito, both of which have raised low double-digit USD rounds to move into brick and mortar retail. Zilingo, meanwhile, has transcended the sales race by building a product that can live without a dependency on its Zilingo.com e-commerce service.

Looking to U.S. and Europe

The company is putting that to the test this week with the launch of a B2B service for U.S. and Europe-based fashion sellers and labels.

ZilingoAsiaMall.com is a destination where smaller retailers and other B2B buyers can source fashion items from Southeast Asia-based resellers for similar prices to that which top global fashion names enjoy, but without the commitment of massive order volumes.

Zilingo Asia Mall

“Major global fashion brands source most apparel from Asia at $1.5/piece for massive quantities of over a million pieces,” a Zilingo representative explained. “We saw how Zilingo could leverage its existing Asian supply chain network built from its consumer business to drive value for the American and European fashion businesses. ZAM has figured out how retailers can source quality, current products at $2/piece for quantities as low as 200 and also make it an easy experience.”

“Some 49% of all exports globally in fashion come from ASEAN, China and Bangladesh [so] we are basically sitting at the source,” Bose told TechCrunch.

“Merchants want to buy from our B2B platforms and sell on B2C channels, Zilingo could be one of them,” she added. “It’s a high margin profitable business and we want to scale that up.”

Future plans

Zilingo said it still has its Series B round in the bank so that, combined with this newest funding, gives it quite the war chest for investment.

Aside from pushing its international strategy, the company plans to add more tech services to its merchant ecosystem while also expanding its Zilingo.com e-commerce site deeper into Southeast Asia. The Philippines is top of the list, but opening up in Vietnam and Malaysia is also on the planner.

The company will also continue to build its brand and market share in its existing Southeast Asian markets. There’s a particular focus on Indonesia where it recently signed up actress Pevita Pearce to front its first TV ad campaign.

As for raising more money right after the Series B, Bose said that the timing felt right.

“The logic behind raising this round is that Southeast Asia is heating up but fashion doesn’t have a big leader because Zalora is stumbling, but it is also the only high margin vertical in e-commerce,” she said.

“When things are going well, there’s momentum, and we figured that we might as well use that because this is a fantastic time to be running a startup in Southeast Asia — people are taking the region seriously,” she added, referencing increased investments from Tencent and Alibaba.

Unbelievably, Zilingo closed the Series C round “weeks” after its Series B, according to Sequoia India managing director Shailendra Singh. Bose explained that investors had begun to see the results of the B2B push and were keen to double down right there and then.

Luckily for the rest of the market, there are no imminent Series D plans at this point… apparently.

[w-olf-heart]

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