In the Linxia County National Rural Industrial Integration Demonstration Park, a bustling scene unfolds during winter: workers are busy installing equipment and renovating factories, production lines in operational workshops are running at full speed, and transport vehicles stand ready for dispatch.
Stepping into the production workshop of Yikelamu Food Co., Ltd., the earliest company to settle in the park, the aroma of food fills the air. Yak meat, chicken, vegetables, and seasonings are fed into machines in precise proportions to create meat paste. The paste undergoes steaming, frying, and boiling processes to form various types of meatballs and sausages. After two hours of quick-freezing, the packaged products are shipped nationwide and overseas.
Yi Zhenhui, the company’s assistant chairman, explained, "Our product range includes five major categories—beef, lamb, fish, chicken, and vegetable-based products—with over 100 varieties, exported to Kazakhstan, the UAE, Malaysia, and other countries. Last year, our revenue reached 123 million yuan."
"The difference between this facility and our old factory is like night and day!" Yi remarked. The original factory in Tuqiao Town had limited space and outdated equipment, capping production capacity and hindering growth.
A turning point came when county officials, during a visit in 2023, recognized the company’s challenges and extended an "olive branch," inviting them to relocate to the demonstration park. The county offered incentives, including a "three-year rent-free, two-year half-rent" policy and funding for equipment upgrades.
"These supportive policies gave us wings to soar and boosted our confidence," Yi said. Relocating enabled standardized, large-scale production and fostered industrial synergy with neighboring agricultural firms. "Our raw materials—beef, lamb, chicken, and vegetables—are sourced locally, reducing costs and ensuring freshness."
In the company’s workshop corridor, plaques such as "Provincial High-Tech Enterprise" and "Gansu Key Agricultural Industrialization Leader" stand out prominently.
Innovation drives the company’s success. Yi noted that their R&D team collaborates with institutions like the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, combining advanced quick-freezing seasoning technology with premium local ingredients to develop popular products like Hezhou Traditional Meatballs and Meatball Assortment.
Beyond production, Yikelamu has built a robust sales model. Its 3,000-square-meter live-streaming base showcases a variety of Linxia products, from hotpot meatballs to lamb and beef products. Ma Bo, the e-commerce manager, shared that the base employs 10 full-time hosts and partners with 20,000 influencers. "On average, one host sells 700 orders daily, generating 300,000 yuan in daily revenue across platforms. We also help neighboring businesses sell eggs, peppercorns, and other agricultural specialties."
Since adopting live-streaming sales in 2022, the company’s online revenue has exceeded 20 million yuan, significantly boosting brand recognition and supporting offline production.
This year, Yikelamu leased three additional workshops in the park, where equipment installation is underway. Once operational, the new lines will produce yak meat products, potato-based meatballs, and processed chicken. "We plan to open our workshops to the public, creating a transparent factory with immersive experiences, blending production tours, education, and leisure to promote agricultural-cultural-tourism integration," Yi added.
Chen Zhaosheng, a representative of the park’s management, Linxia County Urban Construction Investment Co., stated, "Our model is to build the nest before attracting the phoenix—providing ready infrastructure for businesses to move in seamlessly." Following Yikelamu, the park has drawn in Gansu Hezhou Muwai Biotechnology Co., a seasoning producer, and is negotiating with more agricultural and food-processing firms.
Chen emphasized, "During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the park will leverage Linxia’s agricultural strengths to deepen industrial integration, combining farming with processing, rural tourism, and cultural experiences to develop leisure and sightseeing agriculture, fostering coordinated rural industrial growth."
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