China Anji White Tea Network Information: From the early 1980s to the end of the last century, which was nearly 20 years, was a great development phase for famous and high-quality teas. Entering the new century, the new highlight of China's tea industry is the construction and operation of brands. In the era of "shortage" of Anji White Tea, the supply could not meet the demand, no matter how much was produced it would all be sold, even the "coarse stems and large leaves" were not worried about sales channels, so naturally, the various tea producing areas did not need to consider brand issues. Until 1985, when the Anji White Tea market first showed production exceeding sales, with partial oversupply in some areas, the tea producing regions and enterprises gradually began to pay attention to packaging, promotion, and other brand marketing methods.
In the initial stage of Anji White Tea's development, like many other places in Zhejiang, tea enterprises and farmers either lacked the strength or had no brand awareness. At that time, the government stepped forward and became the main body of brand construction. By the late 1990s, the Anji County White Tea Development Leading Group was established, formulating the first phase plan and preferential policies for Anji White Tea development, encouraging farmers to develop white tea production. Meanwhile, they completed the application work for the registration of the Anji White Tea trademark. The government organized Anji White Tea to participate in various evaluations for famous and high-quality teas, winning multiple gold awards. To date, they have won more than a hundred awards of various sizes. Now, as long as Anji White Tea participates in a competition, it seems almost certain to win a gold award. The government led various manufacturers and major tea producers to participate in Anji White Tea expos across different locations, hosting recommendation meetings in Shanghai, Beijing, Jinan, and other Anji White Tea distribution centers. Along with activities such as the White Tea Festival, White Tea Street, and naming of the White Tea Ancestor, the brand awareness of Anji White Tea quickly opened up, making a big splash in the Anji White Tea market. Farmers also received real benefits from this; in 2004, Anji White Tea increased the income of Anji's farmers by nearly a thousand yuan, and in some villages, just from white tea alone, the average farmer's income approached ten thousand yuan.
During the rise of the Anji White Tea public brand, the strength of local white tea production enterprises grew accordingly. Many enterprises initially completed the original accumulation of assets, using the momentum of the public brand to make their enterprise brands also gain a certain market reputation. Especially after 2000, the number of registered trademarks applied for under the name of enterprises showed geometric growth, among which appeared well-known enterprise trademarks such as the "Yinye" brand of Yangjia Mountain Tea Garden, the "Lingzhishan" brand of Lingzhi Mountain Tea Garden, and the "Aoliaoa" brand of Dawu Mountain Tea Garden.
Based on the current status of Anji White Tea brand development, the Anji government began to change its role, transitioning from being the main body of brand construction to managing and promoting the brand. It mainly engages in public brand management, brand market promotion, and technical support for white tea production.
Since ancient times, white tea has always been marked by its place of origin as a brand symbol, which is no different from ordinary agricultural products. From this perspective, Anji White Tea and Anji bamboo shoots are both in their primitive brand forms. They gradually gain recognition through the special attributes of items from specific origins, becoming iconic commodities. In this sense, public brands like Anji White Tea can basically be considered commonly owned by the locals, lacking exclusivity in the brand itself. Therefore, there are instances where a few tea farmers and enterprises do not cherish the public brand and engage in actions detrimental to the brand's reputation.
In light of this, Anji White Tea has consistently adopted dual trademark management, i.e., the "Anji White Tea" trademark + enterprise trademark mode, a mother trademark plus sub-brand management model. Those who use the Anji White Tea brand must be members of the Anji County White Tea Association, with unified Anji White Tea packaging. This means that any packaging bearing the four characters "Anji White Tea" must have an original place-of-origin certification trademark and the manufacturer's trademark, along with the production factory name and address. This encourages everyone to cherish the public brand construction, while ensuring the quality of Anji White Tea, improving its quality, and facilitating management.
For medium and small tea farmers without their own brands, they are encouraged to join specialized white tea cooperatives, uniformly using the cooperative's brand. If individual farmers mishandle the situation, it harms the Anji White Tea industry. The largest white tea cooperative in Anji County, Huangpu Jiangyuan Cooperative, authorized by the government, uses the registered trademark "Huangpu Jiangyuan". It includes over 350 tea farmers and 275 white tea processing plants of varying sizes, driving 18,000-19,000 households. The tea garden is divided into eight zones, with each tea field within a zone numbered, assigning responsibility to individuals, allowing members to better maintain the brand image when using the cooperative brand. Currently, the Huangpu Jiangyuan Cooperative has white tea trademarks "Yejia Bai" and "Huangpu Jiangyuan", and plans to register another trademark, forming a situation where high, medium, and low-end products all have corresponding trademarks.
The Anji County Agriculture Bureau's Special Crops Station has consistently provided technical support for the development of Anji White Tea, offering services and technical guidance before, during, and after the harvest of Anji White Tea. They research and promote new technologies for cultivating Anji White Tea. Since the mid-to-late 1990s, they have conducted regular training on Anji White Tea machinery, fertilizers, and harvesting every year. Last year, the government used the Unicom network to open a text message platform for tea farmers, notifying them immediately about pest control, legal regulations, and market information. Strictly monitoring quality, this year, in the province-wide quality inspection of Anji White Tea, all more than 20 inspected Anji White Tea enterprises passed. Anji White Tea also follows the direction of green, harmless, and organic development. By 2004, there were already 14,000 mu of provincial non-polluted tea bases and 3,000 mu of organic tea certified area. This year, it is estimated that around 20 enterprises will apply for non-polluted organic tea certification.
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