A big focus for us this year is our environmental performance at Dragons Garden. We are continuing to strive towards achieving a zero ecological footprint by conserving, restoring and replacing the natural resources we use in our operations. Our most recent investment is solar panels, which now cover the entire roof of one of our […]
Spotlight on Green Read More »
Last month we harvested a good crop of strawberries from our organic farm blocks in China. The winter had been benign with adequate rainfall. This led to a discussion on how worldwide weather was changing and we wondered whether the normal cold dry winters in north China might be moderating. Kirby, our China Managing Director,
The Great Green Wall of China Read More »
Recently I had the opportunity to embark on a fascinating work trip to China, where I visited our joint venture’s growing and processing operation near the coastal city of Qingdao, in Shandong province. Along with several business meetings we visited a plant tissue culture lab, an electric truck depot, met with local government, and visited
China: My First Impressions Read More »
Recently we visited Bodnant Gardens about half an hour’s drive away from our office in North Wales. Bodnant is a true national treasure; it owes much of its beauty to the Victorian-age plant collectors who brought back rhododendron, wisteria, magnolia, gentian, primulas, lily and azalea plant material from China. Characters like Ernest “Chinese” Wilson were
Fruit-full China, with a spotlight on kiwifruit Read More »
It is barely believable 25 years have passed since my business partner Kirby Wang and I discussed starting a joint venture in fruit growing and processing over a few beers in Qingdao. That was in 1999 and here we are in 2024 celebrating 25 years of Dragons Garden Ltd. From humble beginnings with a leased
Berry Ltd spring news 🍓 25 years of Dragons Garden 🥂 Read More »
Dear Reader, Last month I had the pleasure of visiting Yunnan, China’s large south western province, with Dragons Garden’s MD Kirby Wang. Starting in Xishuangbanna we travelled to Menghai, Pu’er (famous for tea), Zhenyuan, Jingdong, Jianshui (famous for teapots) and Kaiyuan. The purpose of the trip was to visit our sources of cultivated blueberries in
My last trip to China was in November 2019, and it was great to be back. So how are things in the Middle Kingdom since the Covid Pandemic? The first thing is the new flight route. Instead of heading up to 60 degrees North over Helsinki and then traversing Siberia the new route from Europe
June 2023 China Trip Read More »
We have started 2022 with some exciting changes (new toys!) at Dragons Garden. To meet customer demand we have recently installed some new kit/expanded our existing set up. Our products now have a retail presence on two continents, with a substantial amount of the retail packing done at Dragons Garden and new product launches on
New kit and capabilities at Dragons Garden Read More »
We would like to have a short discussion on Chinese Hawthorn (Lt. Crataegus pinnatifida), also called Mountain Hawthorn 山楂 (pinyin: Shān Zhā). Hawthorn is a very popular edible fruit in China but not consumed much outside China. The Chinese use it in a variety of deserts and sweets and also jam and wine. It is
Hawthorn, a prized little fruit high in vitamin C Read More »
Major problems in Los Angeles, the Suez Canal and now Yantian have been massively disruptive to global supply chains but lesser widespread congestion should not be overlooked. Yantian, one of China’s busiest ports, stopped accepting new export containers in late-May because of a Covid-19 outbreak. Initially this was supposed to be only a few days
What the freight: June 21 – Widespread congestion Read More »
