The seasonal nature of the dried fruit factory was deeply ingrained, and both he and the previous factory director had tried to change it. However, every attempt at change had been unsuccessful. This had led Liang Xiaohai to gradually abandon the possibility. Who wouldn't want to remain under the city government with established positions? If the seasonal characteristic of the dried fruit factory could be changed, making it something the city government wouldn't want to relinquish, that would be inevitable. It was just a pity that their years of effort had never yielded success. Now, hearing Yu Zhou claim he had a way, Liang Xiaohai was naturally excited.
"There is indeed a method, and if successful, it could very well change the characteristics of the dried fruit factory. However, do you think the conditions are right for reform? If they are, we can proceed." Yu Zhou certainly had a plan; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered taking over the dried fruit factory. Yet, for him, success wasn't just about developing new products. If the workers in the factory weren't enthusiastic, they might not be able to achieve success but would be more than capable of ruining things. If his brilliant idea was botched by these people, Yu Zhou would have nowhere to turn for solace.
"Is there really a way? If there is, I can guarantee that all the workers in the factory will be thoroughly disciplined. Not only will the attendance bonus keep them in line, but situations like arriving late or leaving early will be strictly prohibited with a zero-tolerance policy." Liang Xiaohai became utterly enthusiastic. If this matter could be accomplished, the entire dried fruit factory would be completely revitalized. Even though it was no longer a city government enterprise, his feelings for the dried fruit factory had always been profound. As long as this somber dried fruit factory could be brought back to life, Liang Xiaohai would not hesitate to do even the most unpopular things. However, he didn't yet know if Yu Zhou's claims were truly feasible.
"It's actually quite simple. What is the main category of our dried fruit products? You should know, right?" Yu Zhou didn't drag it out further. This was his original plan. Even if it couldn't be implemented immediately, he had already decided on it, and there was no hidden secret. As expected, upon hearing Yu Zhou's question, Liang Xiaohai began to ponder. Dried fruit products, if one were to categorize them, were essentially snacks. However, these snacks were somewhat different from those bought in supermarkets. They were sold by weight, and their biggest difference from fast-moving consumer goods was that the latter could be eaten straight from the bag, losing their flavor after a period. Dried fruits, such as peanuts and melon seeds, or various nut snacks, became treats for people to enjoy during leisure time. They were generally not consumed alone but rather when a group of guests was present, eaten while chatting. Because of this characteristic, dried fruit snacks lacked technological sophistication. After all, even in ordinary households, people would still roast peanuts and melon seeds themselves, and their flavor wouldn't be too bad if roasted well. Their market, therefore, was naturally limited to cities, to those without farmland. Moreover, there were peak and off-peak seasons, which were unavoidable.
"Snacks? You mean making small pre-packaged ready-to-eat snacks?" It was precisely because Liang Xiaohai had been immersed in this industry for so long that he was so perceptive. At this moment, he was like this. Yu Zhou had only mentioned the general category, and he had already grasped what Yu Zhou intended to do. Ready-to-eat snacks of this kind had already started to become popular in this era. However, most of them came from joint ventures. Examples included potato chips, shrimp crackers, and instant noodles. These snacks could be considered highly profitable. Could dried fruits also be made into ready-to-eat snacks?
"You don't mean you want to switch to making things like shrimp crackers, potato chips, and prawn crackers, do you?" Liang Xiaohai frowned, contemplating carefully. "The competition for these is not ordinary! And our factory doesn't have such sales channels." Could these things be made? Of course, they could, and the technical requirements weren't very high. If the workers were trained, they might even do a better job. But being able to make them was one thing; being able to sell them was another entirely. Their previous sales channels had always been dried fruit wholesalers, who mainly supplied small vendors, along with procurement from the city government. After Yu Zhou took over the dried fruit factory, the city government had also promised that the procurement of dried fruit would not change. However, approaching wholesalers for ready-to-eat snacks would be a different matter altogether. Dried fruit wholesalers and ready-to-eat snack wholesalers were entirely different groups of people. Under such circumstances, even if Yu Zhou made up his mind, could he really sell these products? It was important to remember that ready-to-eat snacks also had a crucial element: branding. There were numerous brands of miscellaneous ready-to-eat snacks, but very few truly made money; in fact, many only made illicit profits.
"Why not stick to our original line of business, that is, peanuts and melon seeds?" Yu Zhou continued to say with a smile. "Can't peanuts and melon seeds be made into ready-to-eat snacks? Your thinking is a bit limited. Think about it, can't it be done?" The main reason he began to consider what the dried fruit factory could do after taking it over was to make money. It was precisely because of this that he thought of 'flavored melon seeds,' which had consistently sold well in later generations. Did this product require technical expertise? Yes, the ratio of various spices might require some research. However, it was also somewhat exaggerated to say it had significant technical content, as it wasn't difficult to research and develop within a short period with sufficient effort. Flavored melon seeds represented a significant upgrade compared to the sunflower seeds of the current era. In Yu Zhou's memory, the first brand of flavored melon seeds appeared around 1998. If he were to start developing it now, there would be no competitors, and establishing a brand would not be particularly difficult. The same applied to peanuts. How famous were 'wine-drunk peanuts'? Was it difficult to make them into sealed, ready-to-eat bagged snacks? It was equally not difficult. However, people at this time were constrained by conventional thinking. They all believed that dried fruits like melon seeds and peanuts just needed to be roasted; who would think of creating new variations or small pre-packaged bags?