Corona involves the help of China’s struggling lime farmers
The Corona Beer initiative creates new agricultural jobs in the community and improves the quality of the harvest
corona Beer lovers know there’s only one thing that can do better: add a wedge of lime. It is a ritual practiced in countries around the world including China.
What is less well known is that China imports most of its limes from Vietnam and Taiwan. Farmers who grow limes locally are typically small, family-run businesses who struggle to produce high quality crops and make ends meet.
Most of them live outside of Ziyang City in rural Anyue County in Sichuan Province and do not have the skills or resources to improve their businesses and become more profitable. When Corona and its local manufacturer, Budweiser Brewing Company (BBC) China, learned of the struggles among lime producers, they helped.
“BBC China has long worked to financially empower, educate and connect local farmers who grow the natural ingredients used to brew our beers,” said Gracy Gao, vice president of corporate affairs for BBC China.
“It was a matter of course to expand our efforts to improve the livelihood of the lime farmers and to make a contribution to the local community with the support of Corona, a brand that has been operating with lime for decades.”
Together with the Anyue County Industry Bureau, the Corona X Lime Poverty Alleviation Project was launched in 2019, which is strongly supported by the local heads of government in Ziyang and the city’s deputy mayor, Yuexia Zhou.
The project is led by a team of technical and agricultural experts who identify low-income villages in areas suitable for growing limestone crops. The staff teaches farmers how to improve their land, use pesticides and fertilizers properly, buy equipment, and learn techniques to improve their yields. The initiative creates new agricultural jobs in the community and improves the quality of the harvest.
The limes are then bundled and sold nationwide with Corona beers to bars, pubs and restaurants, providing farmers with a consistent source of income. In the first month of the 2020 harvest, more than 4,300 kg of limes were sold.
Thanks to the partnership with the government, the project to combat Corona X calcium poverty was presented at the Global Lemon Development Industry Conference in Ziyang at the end of last year. Next, Anyue County’s lime farmers will take the plunge into the digital age when project leaders introduce them to direct sales to consumers on e-commerce platforms like TikTok and Tmall.
“We are very excited that the Corona X Lime Poverty Alleviation Project is a model for lifting farmers out of poverty and a means of building more prosperous communities in China,” says Gracy Gao.
