The Truth about the Profits from Imported Peppers: Middlemen Take Away 80% of the Profits

When you areing Mexican Habanero Peppers in a hot pot or making a dipping sauce with Indian Naga Jolokia Peppers, have you ever wondered how these exotic flavors cross mountains and seas to reach your table? China imports more than 200,000 tons of peppers annually, behind which lies a hidden track with an annual scale of nearly 10 billion yuan - today, let's dissect this transnational journey of this "Red Gold".

Mr. Zhang has been engaged in spice trade for 12 years, and there are always several specialized temperature-controlled containers for peppers in his containers: "Unlike ordinary agricultural products, pepper imports have to overcome three life-and-death hurdles":

• Variety Admission Barrier: China implements a list-based admission system for fresh peppers, and currently only 13 countries have obtained admission qualifications
• Pesticide Residue Barrier: In 2023, 33% of the batches of Chinese peppers notified by the European Union as unqualified were due to excessive pesticide residues
• Flavor Stability Barrier: The spiciness of different batches from the same producing area may differ by 50,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units)

Ms. Li's team processes 3,000 tons of imported peppers annually, and she has summed up the industry's golden formula: Spiciness × Stability × Logistics Cost = Procurement Decision. In practice:

• Dining customers tend to choose Vietnamese Purple Pepper with a spiciness of 8,000 - 50,000 SHU
• Food processing factories prefer the Indian S17 variety with lower costs
• High-end supermarkets are willing to pay a 3-fold premium for Peruvian Rainbow Peppers

The cruelest truth of this track is: 80% of the profits are devoured by middle links. The landed price composition of a batch of Tanzanian peppers:

• 35% is paid to international logistics companies
• 28% is consumed in the inspection and quarantine link
• 22% belongs to overseas plantations
• The profit of the agent is less than 15%

With the global population of spicy food lovers exceeding 3 billion, this track is undergoing chemical changes:

• The Rise of Niche Peppers: The annual import volume of Kochi Peppers in Japan has increased by 170%
• Deep Processing Alternatives: The proportion of chili essence imports has accounted for 28% of the total
• Reverse Customization: Chinese agents have begun to guide overseas planting

When you pick up a pack of imported peppers in the supermarket, you are essentially voting for the entire supply chain. Maybe the next time you make a choice, you can pay attention to the origin information on the packaging - behind that string of codes lies the flavor Silk Road built by countless people. Welcome to share the most amazing imported pepper you have eaten in the comment section, and we will draw three readers to give away the Global Pepper Flavor Map.