Shandong's Linqu county accounts for 70 percent of China's foie gras market

Staff package goose liver products at a production line in Linqu. [Photo/WeChat account: wlweifang]

During the Spring Festival holiday, workers were busy filling orders at the processing workshop of Shandong Chungan Food Co Ltd in Linqu county – located in Weifang city, in East China's Shandong province.

"We didn't stop production during the Chinese New Year, " said Ma Lijun, general manager of the company.

Ma added that top hotels, high-end restaurants and Japanese restaurants in China were strong customers for Linqu's famed goose foie gras.

Gao Yuanliang is general manager of Shandong Zunrun Sanrougey Food Co Ltd, another leading foie gras maker in Liuqu. Gao said that the company's foie gras range was diverse – including raw and cooked products – perfect to be eaten in restaurants and available in supermarkets.

Linqu is the biggest production base of foie gras in China, with 105 related industry enterprises, more than 6,000 employees and an annual output of 5 million Landes geese, accounting for 70 percent of the domestic market.

The Landes goose originates from the Landes region in southwestern France. In 1988, the predecessor of Zunrun Sanrougey imported 10,000 Landes geese from France, marking the beginning of China's foie gras industry.

"Linqu and Landes are on the same latitude and the geographical environment is similar, with more than 95 percent similarity in humidity, temperature and soil, forming unique advantages," said Gao Shifeng, chairman of Zunrun Sanrougey.

"Our advantage lies in low labor costs and finer feeding processes, resulting in better quality goose liver," he added.

In 1998, Zunrun Sanrougey introduced a complete set of advanced French technology, a management model and a goose abattoir production line, establishing a sound feeding and epidemic prevention system. 

In addition to continuously streamlining the product supply chain, Linqu's foie gras producers are also continuously strengthening and extending the supply chain.

Currently, this extends to breeding, farming, processing, sales and research and development.