Exploring International Trade through Sustainable Commerce
Exploring International Trade through Sustainable Commerce
Program Details & Highlights
ONLINE WORKSHOPS
Program Description
Economic development in northeastern China is relatively stagnant compared with other parts of China, and reducing the poverty issue is still a big challenge for locals. Locals suffer from severe cold weather 8 months of the year and agribusiness in most of rural areas is constrained. Therefore, most farmers don't have opportunities to increase their income and remain poor. Fortunately, there are considerable amounts of wild natural resources in forests and wild bushes. For example, local blueberries grow wildly over the wetlands.
Farmers and Longjiamai Food just realized that they can harvest these wild berries and make
earnings by selling the berries or packaged berry products. However, they need professional guidance including market information and a business development plan. Keru students will develop a sales strategy after collecting data from local interviews and analytical research.
What is more, students will design & execute a marketing campaign to promote wild berry.
Local Partner
Longjiangmei Food Company is a blueberry food company based in Mohe city, Longjiang Province, China. They hire local poor families to collect raw blueberries in the forests and also procure blueberries from local farmers. Wild blueberries are sour and bitter, but Longjiangmei tried their best to develop a set of reprocessing workflows to make wild blueberries into wines, cookies, jelly and snacks. They own two factories and a souvenir store in Mohe.
Although they attend Chinese Food Exhibition every year, they find there are also international market opportunities for them. If local food companies in Mohe like Longjiamei know how to sell blueberry products outside of China, Longjiangmei will be able to hire or pay more local poor families to make local blueberries a successful product.
Content Expert
Mariana Du
Marina graduated from St. Olaf College with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. She is certified in Permaculture Design and Foresight Practice.
Marina is a Manager at Ernest & Young China’s Consulting team where she focuses on Digital Transformation and Corporate Innovation projects. With a background in design consultancy and digital product management, she loves to use human-centered approach to inspire new business model that drives growth and digital product that makes a meaningful difference. She was a speaker at 2050 Conference and Startup Weekend.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Sign up by scanning the QR code above.
Participate in a 15-minute video interview with a Keru staff member.
Wait for the Keru admission decision.