Chapter 52 of 100

Chapter 52: Visiting the Distillery

12 min read2,910 words

The Shumulin Distillery is located at the western end of the main street, covering more than twenty acres. It has about forty workers and an annual production capacity of around four hundred tons, with an annual output value of over forty thousand yuan. This was the information Zhu Daodong found in the township records. By the end of last year, the distillery had submitted various reports, which were all汇总到他那里，因此，对于酒厂的情况，朱代东还是比较熟悉的。

In the afternoon, Zhu Daodong had nothing much to do, so he decided to visit the distillery alone. He had only seen the distillery's situation in the reports and had no idea about the actual conditions. This was his first visit to the distillery since he joined the township government.

"Hey, young man, who are you looking for?"

As soon as he reached the distillery gate, a stern voice came from the guardhouse. Although the Shumulin Distillery was not large, it was the only township enterprise in the area. Being a guard there was a prestigious position, and the guard felt a sense of pride that was hard to find elsewhere.

"Old Master, I'm from the township government. Is Factory Director Liu here?" Zhu Daodong was not offended. This was the only large-scale enterprise in Shumulin Township, and it was natural for the guard to feel a sense of superiority.

Upon hearing that he was from the township government, the guard's tone softened. He looked at Zhu Daodong carefully, feeling that he did not look like a fraud, and said, "Factory Director Liu is inside. You can go in."

As he walked through the distillery gate, a rich and familiar aroma of alcohol greeted him. The first thing he saw was a two-story red-brick building, which was the distillery's office. Behind the building were several workshops for brewing and bottling. Walking to the second-floor office, Zhu Daodong gently knocked on the door. Hearing a "come in" from inside, he pushed the door open and entered.

"Secretary Zhu... Director Zhu." Liu Wei, upon seeing Zhu Daodong, quickly came out from behind his desk, extended his hands, and firmly shook Zhu Daodong's hand, nodding repeatedly.

"Factory Director Liu, hello. I'm sorry to disturb you. I hope I'm not affecting your work," Zhu Daodong said. He had met Liu Wei once before, but now, observing him up close, he noticed that Liu Wei's face was somewhat tanned, but his eyes were bright and sharp. He was not tall, and his belly was slightly protruding, giving him a typical businessman's appearance.

"How could that be? Your visit to inspect our work is a great honor for us," Liu Wei said with a broad smile.

"Today is my first day on the job. Although the Enterprise Office is mainly responsible for collecting management fees, I have long heard of the distillery. I took this opportunity to visit privately. I hope Factory Director Liu will continue to support the work of the Enterprise Office," Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Where, where, the distillery will need more guidance from the Enterprise Office in the future," Liu Wei said, inviting Zhu Daodong to sit down and pouring him a cup of tea.

"I wouldn't dare to talk about guidance. The Enterprise Office is here to serve and coordinate for your enterprise. If there's anything I can do, please feel free to ask," Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Your words give me great confidence, Director Zhu," Liu Wei said happily.

"Factory Director Liu, may I take a tour of the workshops?" Zhu Daodong asked, as the distillery was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Enterprise Office, and he felt it was his duty to visit.

There was no problem with Zhu Daodong touring the distillery. Liu Wei personally accompanied him to the brewing and bottling workshops, where Zhu Daodong carefully observed the entire process from fermentation to bottling of the old white spirit.

"The Shumulin old white spirit is made from high-quality sorghum, using pure wheat koji as the saccharifying and fermenting agent. It is brewed using traditional old five-vats and two-clear processes, with fermentation in earthen jars. Its unique production process results in a fragrant, elegant, rich, and smooth taste, with a long-lasting aftertaste. When it comes to old white spirit, people often think of Hengshui old white spirit, but in terms of quality, our Shumulin old white spirit is not far behind," Liu Wei said with deep affection for the distillery. He had risen from a worker to become the factory director and was very familiar with the distillery's operations.

"Factory Director Liu, may I ask, what is the distillery's annual profit?" Zhu Daodong asked, unable to resist as he saw the rows of fermentation vats and the production workshops.

"The distillery's profit has been declining year by year. Last year, we could barely pay the wages, and this year, the situation is even more severe. Perhaps..." Liu Wei's expression turned somber when he talked about the profit. The Shumulin Distillery had once been glorious. In the 1970s, when he was just a technician, the most memorable thing was that people would come with letters from the county party secretary to buy alcohol, and they could only get two boxes, showing how popular the distillery was. Although the distillery now has only about forty people, it once had nearly two hundred.

"What caused this? Is it a shrinking market or a decline in quality?" Zhu Daodong remembered that the reports from last year showed a promising situation, but Liu Wei's words painted a very different picture.

"Neither. The market for white spirits is growing year by year, and our quality has remained consistent," Liu Wei shook his head. Whenever the topic of the distillery's profit came up, he felt a headache. Although small distilleries across the country were struggling, he was the factory director and could not shirk his responsibility.

"If neither of those is the issue, then it must be a problem with management. Factory Director Liu, how many varieties of old white spirit do you have?" Zhu Daodong asked, surprised by the severity of the situation.

"Only one variety," Liu Wei said, adding, "From the beginning of the distillery, there has only been one variety."

This was the result of the planned economy. Zhu Daodong found it hard to imagine that even after more than a decade of reform and opening up, they were still stuck in the mindset of the planned economy.

"Is it difficult to add more varieties?" Zhu Daodong asked. He could drink, but he knew little about brewing. He had read many books on economics and finance recently and wanted to help Liu Wei, as the Shumulin Distillery was under his jurisdiction.

"Adding varieties is not difficult, but getting market recognition is. We tried adding new products before, but they were ignored after production. We still have hundreds of boxes in the warehouse," Liu Wei said with a bitter smile. Everyone talked about reform, but it was not as easy as it seemed. Those who had not tried it would never understand the difficulties.

"Are the new varieties of lower quality than the current old white spirit?" Zhu Daodong asked, puzzled.

"Not at all. In terms of taste and quality, they are better than the current products," Liu Wei shook his head. He had personally participated in the development of those products, and everyone had thought they would turn things around, but the harsh reality had left them bruised and battered.

"Can you sell me a box?" Zhu Daodong suddenly asked. He was eager to taste the new variety and see what made it better.

"Are you trying to embarrass me? I'll have someone send two boxes to your office later," Liu Wei pretended to be upset, speaking in a huff.

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