In April, Longdong, Gansu, is a scene of renewal. At the vast ecological orchard of Gansu Demei Diyuan Modern Agriculture Group Co., Ltd., Chairman Tian Jilin is busy from dawn to dusk. Without a formal introduction, it would be difficult to distinguish him from the other fruit growers.
Jingning County is recognized as the "Number One County in China for Large-Scale Apple Cultivation." Tian Jilin, a leader in the apple industry, has written an inspiring story of "gold from apples" on this land through decades of dedication.
Making Apples Valuable "In 2013, a chance encounter in a Beijing supermarket revealed a stark contrast to Tian Jilin: American Snake Fruit was priced as high as 20 yuan per jin, while apples from his hometown of Jingning sold for only 3 yuan. This significant price disparity struck a chord with him.
At that time, although Jingning apples had gained some recognition, they often struggled to command good prices due to fragmented cultivation, extensive management practices, and a lack of strong branding and premium sales channels. In that moment, Tian Jilin found a new mission: to make the yellow earth yield gold and help his fellow villagers prosper.
Upon returning from Beijing, Tian Jilin decisively left the familiar trade sector and plunged wholeheartedly into the apple industry, determined to build the "Jingning Apple" brand.
Over the past decade, Tian Jilin has invested nearly 800 million yuan in technological research and development, seedling tissue culture, ecological planting, and cold chain storage and transportation. He pioneered the promotion of modern ecological orchards in Jingning's core apple-producing areas, investing over 400 million yuan to establish a 10,000-mu ecological orchard.
Tian Jilin traveled to countries like the Netherlands and Japan to study advanced techniques and introduce superior varieties such as domestic Ruixue, Qincui, and Venus Golden. In smart agriculture parks, technologies like "integrated water and fertilizer management" and "intelligent cloud monitoring" enable precise management, allowing apples to "reside in constant-temperature rooms and wear fresh-keeping clothing."
Thanks to their superior quality, Jingning apples began competing directly with imported premium apples. Since 2013, Gansu Demei Diyuan Modern Agriculture Group has invested over 30 million yuan to establish "Jingning Apple" brand形象 stores and "Ganwei" marketing centers in major cities like Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Xi'an, pioneering the concept of brand physical stores dedicated to a single fruit category in China.
While building the regional public brand, Tian Jilin also meticulously developed the company's own brand, "Demei Fruit." It has obtained green and organic certifications, meets the supply standards for national athletes, has successfully entered relevant units of the General Administration of Sport of China, and has won honors including the "China Green Food Expo Gold Award." Currently, the "Demei Fruit" brand is valued at 581 million yuan, ranking among the top three apple enterprise-owned brands in China.
Today, "Jingning Apple" has been included in the China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indications, with a brand value reaching 18.1 billion yuan. The products are exported to 22 countries and regions.
Enabling Collective Prosperity "Growing the enterprise isn't the real skill; the true skill is leading fellow villagers to prosperity together," Tian Jilin often says.
In the Jingning County Chengchuan apple base, fruit grower Du Mancang calculated his gains: after joining the Demei cooperative, the purchase price for his apples is 0.5 to 1 yuan per jin higher than the market price, resulting in an annual increase of over 40,000 yuan from his 10-mu orchard. His wife works at the cold chain logistics park, earning 36,000 yuan annually. "Last year, our family's income exceeded 150,000 yuan, something we never dared to imagine before," Du Mancang said.
This success stems from Tian Jilin's innovative model of "contract farming + guaranteed minimum purchase price + profit sharing." Under this model, the enterprise provides unified technical support, agricultural supplies, and sales services, allowing farmers to focus on growing high-quality fruit. The "cooperative + base + farmers + end market" chain effectively integrates scattered farmers into the industrial chain.
Currently, this model has attracted 10,600 farming households, established 6,000 mu of standardized bases, and increased farmers' income by over 600 yuan per mu.
The industrialized model explored by Tian Jilin, integrating "leading enterprises, research institutions, cooperatives, and farmers" with "unified management, unified purchase, and unified sales," has increased the average selling price of apples by 0.2 yuan per jin and raised farmers' income by 600 yuan per mu, achieving a win-win situation for quality and效益. This model has been recognized as a provincial benchmark and won the "8th Provincial Government Quality Award Nomination."
In 2018, driven by Tian Jilin's efforts, the company's cold chain logistics park was approved as one of Gansu Province's first and Pingliang City's inaugural apple delivery warehouses, opening a channel for Jingning apples to enter the futures market.
Simultaneously, Tian Jilin's innovative "insurance + futures" risk management model was fully implemented across Jingning County. Data shows this model has been implemented for seven consecutive years, covering 238 administrative villages in 18 major production townships, benefiting 20,119 fruit-growing households cumulatively. Over seven years, the insured area reached 55,600 mu, covering 66,700 tons of apples, providing 511 million yuan in risk protection for growers.
This "insurance + futures" model, an innovative practice involving collaboration between government, enterprises, and financial institutions, has become a successful example of using financial tools to stabilize the agricultural industry and support rural revitalization, providing a replicable "Jingning Solution" for risk management in apple-producing regions nationwide.
Empowering Children's Dreams On August 8, 2025, the atmosphere was lively and celebratory at the "Pairing Care · Loving Jingning" 11th Demei Group Public Welfare Student Aid event held at the Jingning Theater.
Nine students from Jingning County who were admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University received scholarships totaling 180,000 yuan. Additionally, 276 other students received financial aid, with total disbursements reaching 1.12 million yuan. Tian Jilin has organized this student aid activity for 11 consecutive years, helping over 3,000 disadvantaged students realize their university dreams.
For years, Tian Jilin has consistently upheld the principle of "remembering the source of water when drinking" and giving back to society. He provides genuine care and support through various channels including industry, education, and funds.
Gansu Demei Diyuan Modern Agriculture Group creates employment opportunities for fruit growers by developing the 10,000-mu modern ecological orchard and cold chain logistics park, and also allows farmers to become shareholders, driving local prosperity. Simultaneously, the group has assisted thousands of people in need, distributing support funds totaling 30.22 million yuan, bringing hope to numerous families.
From technological innovation to forging a famous brand valued at 581 million yuan, from brand operations to leading the enterprise to become a national leader, from uniting farmers for common prosperity to generous educational donations... Over the years, Tian Jilin has devoted himself entirely to the humble apple, fulfilling his simple vow: "In this lifetime, I will focus on one thing: expanding and strengthening the Jingning apple industry, so that more fellow villagers can lead better lives."
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