2024 Taobao Hidden Specialties Report

Harbin, the first internet-famous city this winter, not only ignited the enthusiasm for ice and snow across the country, but also let people all over the country know: "It turns out that cranberries can be produced right at our doorstep!" Soon after, more hidden specialties began to come into everyone's sight.

Taobao released the "Taobao Hidden Specialty Product Report", which compiled and included 102 "hidden specialties" across the country that are still waiting to be known, just like cranberries, based on the sales scale, consumption scale, and new store openings of agricultural products on the platform in 2023. In addition to Lu'an foie gras and Tongren matcha, which were discovered by netizens some time ago, Qiqihar Wagyu and Tengchong, Yunnan, dried cockroaches are also constantly refreshing netizens' cognition. The report has also been called "a new question bank for geography exams" by many netizens.

(Image source: Taobao 2023 Hidden Local Products Report)

Yunnan is the province with the most hidden local specialties. Northwest China hides more seafood.

The "Taobao Hidden Local Specialties Report" shows that Yunnan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Heilongjiang and Anhui are the five provinces with the most hidden local specialties. Yunnan Province ranks first with 12 hidden local specialties, including fruits, nuts, fungi, fish, and even Dali whiskey.

Yunnan, located in the southwestern border of my country, has become an ideal breeding base for many animals and plants due to its unique geographical environment and climatic conditions, as well as its rich landforms. Various "foreign specialties" have also been cultivated and taken root in Yunnan, achieving localized cultivation.

Yunnan has brought us more surprises than just Matsutake biscuits. In addition to Baoshan coffee, Lincang macadamia nuts, and Honghe blueberries, which have already been commercialized on a large scale, "Tengchong dried cockroaches" have gradually entered the public eye. According to information from the Tengchong Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, in 2022, Tengchong, Yunnan built a 35,000 square meter American cockroach (commonly known as cockroach) breeding base, achieving a production of 350 tons (dried products) and an output value of 350 million yuan. Dried cockroaches have become a brand-new industry in Tengchong because of their unique medicinal value.

It is understood that there are nearly 100 stores in Yunnan on Taobao that sell dried or dried American cockroaches. Facial cleansing soaps and facial masks with American cockroaches as the main raw material are also sold on the platform.

The Northwest region, which is the farthest from the sea, has also amazed many netizens because it can farm seafood on a large scale. The white shrimp in Zhangye, Gansu and Yulin, Ningxia, the hairy crab in Weinan, Shaanxi, the rainbow trout in Longyangxia, Qinghai, the snow crab in Xinjiang, which was sold to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai in September last year, and the cold-water fish in Altay, which went out of Xinjiang for the first time during Tmall Double 11 last year... Scientists and technicians have explored and tried again and again on the vast land, simulating an artificial sea area suitable for the survival of "seafood" in inland areas. The continuous iteration of technology has made many impossible things possible. The saline-alkali land in Erdu has even turned waste into treasure, not only breeding new food, but also improving the local ecological environment.

Caviar, black truffles, whiskey... Domestic high-end ingredients with high cost performance are served on thousands of dining tables

Black truffles, foie gras and caviar are known as the world's three great delicacies. For a long time, they were usually associated with the words "imported" and "high-priced". They were ordered by the gram in high-end restaurants, making them a dish that many people would not dare to eat.

Today, high-end ingredients are still the favorites of gourmets, but the localization of these ingredients has given diners more choices. Domestically cultivated high-end ingredients such as foie gras, wagyu beef, and caviar have "settled down" in many places such as Anhui, Shandong, and Zhejiang. With large-scale cultivation, the prices have all been "brought down".

The "Taobao Hidden Local Specialties Report" shows that domestically produced ingredients such as caviar, foie gras, and matcha are about half the price of imported ingredients. More cost-effective domestic high-end ingredients are served on thousands of tables.

(Image source: Taobao 2023 Hidden Local Products Report)

Currently, China's caviar production accounts for 60% of the world's total, and China's largest caviar production company is in Zhejiang.

"As early as 1998, our start-up team founded the Sturgeon Breeding Technology Engineering Center of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and embarked on the road of sturgeon breeding and farming. Today, our breeding volume ranks first in the world." Xia Yongtao, executive general manager of Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Sturgeon Technology Co., Ltd., told reporters: "Through Tmall, our caviar goes directly from its place of origin to the table, and consumers can enjoy it at a price far lower than that of Michelin restaurants. At present, our annual sales on Tmall exceed 10 million."

Xia Yongtao said that as many young people began to try to bring caviar into their daily lives, domestic caviar with guaranteed quality and affordable prices has won the love of more and more consumers. The high repurchase rate just proves that domestic caviar has entered thousands of households through Tmall.

In addition to food ingredients, the localization exploration of "foreign liquor" is also in full swing. Whiskey, brandy, and vodka have also ushered in a new trend of domestic production.

In recent years, brewing a Chinese whisky with "local flavor and international vision" has become the goal of many wine companies. Many domestic brands have begun to vigorously develop domestic whisky, and foreign brands have also built distilleries in China to try localized brewing.

Zhang Shousheng, the person in charge of the Qingdao Liquor flagship store that just opened on Tmall at the end of September 2023, said that Qingdao Whisky was officially launched in June 2023. The price of the brand's flagship 700ml is around 299 yuan, and the taste is closer to the preferences of Chinese people and tends to be softer. "Different from the way imported whiskey opens up the domestic market, our brand is currently on a large scale, with an online share of 40%, and the price is the same online and offline."

Zhang Shousheng said, "As a domestic whiskey that is gaining brand awareness and recognition, online operations are a front that cannot be ignored. Since the opening of the Tmall flagship store, monthly visitors, sales, and searches have all increased by more than 100%. 90% of consumers are male users, aged between 31 and 35 years old, with the largest number in Shandong, followed by Guangdong."

The report shows that, taking the market's conventional 700ml/bottle packaging as an example, the average price of domestic whiskey is 242.2 yuan, which is about one-fifth of the price of imported whiskey of the same specification. Among the top ten cities for domestic whiskey consumption, nine are in the south.

From "not being able to eat" to "being able to afford to eat", the market for special agricultural resources is vast and has huge potential

With the joint efforts of production and research, many crops have gradually achieved localization, modernization and industrialization. Advanced aquaculture technology allows people in inland provinces to enjoy local seafood; extensive breeding and introduction activities allow ordinary people to afford "super fruits"; the exploration of agricultural industrial clusters has brought high-end global ingredients down from the altar and into the lives of ordinary people. The delicacies that were once "unavailable" can now be included in the options for three meals a day at affordable prices.

Li Pan, Guangzhou Rural Science and Technology Special Commissioner and Associate Professor of the School of Food Science and Engineering at South China Agricultural University, said that my country is vast and rich in agricultural resources. However, there are still many resources that have not been explored and developed. Agricultural resources are the most important link in the entire agricultural product processing industry. The release of the "Taobao Hidden Local Products Report" provides effective information for exploring characteristic agricultural resources and developing characteristic advantageous industries. At the same time, it is of great significance for local areas to utilize local characteristic advantageous resources and accurately realize the high-quality development of local agricultural industries through the industrialization of modern food processing technology and the creation of tens of millions of hot products.

Rooted in the "local", embodying the "special features", and forming the "production", there are more than a hundred "hidden local specialties" that have broken the information gap. Behind them is not only the diversified and sufficient domestic demand driving force, but also a vast consumer market. The "invisible local specialties" are becoming a potential stock to promote the revitalization of industries in various places.