After deciding on the name of the mall, the next step was the issue of employees. Zhang Hao directly ordered:
"Don't rush to recruit new employees. Let Xiao Ren and the others take over for a few months. Anyway, they will be idle until all the cans arrive."
"Mr. Zhang, how many months will the mall be empty like this?"
"Don't be afraid of being late for a good meal. Don't worry about these minutiae. Let me remind you again that 'household wealth' does not need to be profitable, it can even be a loss.
You can think of it as an Internet celebrity store. Its only purpose is to help the pudding company build its brand. Don’t sacrifice the good for the sake of the bad.”
"I understand."
Although Gao Ce was not optimistic about this, he still nodded solemnly. Everything the boss said was right.
……
In the blink of an eye, three days later, Zhang Hao and his party finally arrived in Los Angeles, the City of Angels, and then rushed non-stop to Helena, the capital of Montana.
Montana's economy is dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry.
Part of the famous Sulfur Stone Park is located within its territory. Once a super volcano erupts, this area will definitely be the hardest hit area.
Those who stay have almost no chance of survival.
This is also the main reason why Zhang Hao chose this place.
After settling down in the hotel, it was time for dinner. The few of them were eating steak while chatting about their upcoming itinerary.
During this period, Vice President Gao couldn't help but said curiously:
"Mr. Zhang, why don't we go directly to those big companies and insist on coming here?"
"Big companies are expensive, so small companies are more suitable for us. And I want to try it to see if I can cultivate a new brand.
We came here this time not only to look for sources of goods, but also to inspect foundries. Only in this way can we completely build our reputation, which is crucial to the company's future strategy."
"OEM? Can't our local ones work?"
Ren Yulong said doubtfully.
Zhang Hao had already thought about the reason: "Local raw materials are too expensive. Montana is a famous livestock state in the Western Region. Whether it is pork, beef or mutton, it has a cost advantage."
Although under the wave of internationalization, tariffs have long been eliminated in major regions, the costs of labor, transportation and environmental protection still add up to a large expense.
There is a big gap in prices among various regions.
"It seems so. The price of beef here is indeed much cheaper than in the mainland."
After Ren Yulong finished speaking, he took a bite of the steak.
Zhang Hao continued to explain: "Before coming, I asked people to collect some information. There is a local canning factory in Helena, which has produced doomsday cans for many big brands, including 'Costco', the third largest in the world.
Retailers."
"So awesome?"
"It's not what's awesome, it's the local developed animal husbandry industry. In fact, the technology for processing doomsday cans is not as complicated as everyone thinks. Generally, larger regular canning factories can do it."
"Mr. Zhang, how much do we want to purchase this time?"
Vice President Gao followed up and asked.
"In the early stage, it was about 500 million. The purchase volume was too small and the cost could not be reduced."
Zhang Hao said a number that was not an exaggeration.
In fact, the real number is closer to three billion.
The reason why I didn't say it out loud was mainly because I was afraid of scaring everyone. After all, purchasing food worth three billion at a time would be unjustifiable no matter where it was placed.
You can feel it from a macro perspective.
According to official statistics, last year, the Eastern Region imported more than 2.5 million tons of beef, with a total value of nearly 100 billion yuan.
Three billion is equivalent to 3% of the import volume.
This is no small number.
"So much? Can you sell it?"
Vice President Gao was shocked.
Their company's total annual trade volume in the past barely reached 100 million. This man is indeed very wealthy.
Zhang Hao showed a knowing smile: "What you want is this kind of shock. If you want to do it, you have to be the largest in the country. Otherwise, how can you attract attention? Besides, the shelf life of such cans is generally as long as decades, so there is no need to worry about sales."<
/p>
Vice President Gao was at a loss for words and couldn't find any reason to refute. Now he is increasingly unable to keep up with his boss's thinking. Maybe he is too old!
But he is clearly only in his early forties.
……
After dinner, I had a sleepless night.
Early the next morning, after receiving the visit application from Zhang Hao and others, Liston, the owner of BumbleBee Food Company, took it very seriously and even put aside his personal wealth to drive a luxury car over to greet the distinguished guests.
The economy has been in recession in the past few years, and domestic demand and exports have stopped at the same time, resulting in a serious decline in the efficiency of our own factories. If this continues, I am afraid that we are not far from bankruptcy.
Now he finally met a super big customer, who was his big savior.
After half an hour's drive, the factory arrived.
According to Wriston, this is an old canning factory with a history of hundreds of years. It was once one of the three major military canning manufacturers in the West Second District.
In a word: just place an order.
After entering the canning production workshop, boss Wriston couldn't wait to promote the quality of his products.
Jili Guala talks a lot about organic meat, zero added preservatives, etc.
Zhang Hao casually picked up a palm-sized can of beef and said straight to the point:
"Wriston, how much does this jar cost?"
"Zhang, this is 150 grams in size. It uses grade B or above beef. I won't bullshit you. Its ex-factory price is 88 yuan."
The price of ordinary doomsday cans is usually several times that of ordinary cans of the same type. After all, you get what you pay for, so the requirements for raw materials are also higher.
"It's too expensive." Zhang Hao shook his head.
"It's really not expensive. The price of beef is there, and we use real materials. It really can't be cheaper." Liston replied with a grimace.
He was already prepared not to make any money from this order. No matter what, he had to keep the company going first.
Maybe we can wait until the day when the market improves.
Zhang Hao put down the can in his hand, then pulled Wriston aside and whispered:
"Is there such cheap meat?"
"Cheap? Then we can only use the worst grade of beef, which costs about ten yuan."
Wriston quickly replied.
Zhang Hao still thinks it’s expensive: “Is there anything cheaper? As long as it’s edible.”
"Yes, if all beef tenderloin is used, the ex-factory price should be less than ten yuan."
"Don't you eat offal here? What if you add cow offal and cow urine? Can you reduce the cost to less than five yuan?"
"Innards? Are those used to make pet food?"
Liston's eyes widened instantly.
"You don't have to worry about this. Just tell me if I can do it?"
"It's possible, but there's no market for this thing at all..."
Zhang Hao interrupted directly: "As long as you can ensure the quality and successfully pass customs inspection, you don't need to worry about the rest."
"OK, I can't answer you now about the specific cost. I have to test it first. It will probably take a few days."
Liston gritted his teeth and agreed.
Our own factory is about to go bankrupt, so we can only put aside everything about reputation and survive first.