At daybreak in a production workshop in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, baskets of tender white bean sprouts stream off fully automated lines while workers monitor temperature and humidity data on digital displays.
At daybreak in a production workshop in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, baskets of tender white bean sprouts stream off fully automated lines while workers monitor temperature and humidity data on digital displays. There is none of the damp, muggy air of traditional sprout workshops—only the precise motion of robotic arms in a sterile environment. This is the modern tableau born from the encounter between intangible heritage craft and the smart factory.
From a single soybean to a block of tofu, and from a block of tofu to an entire industry, Zuming Bean Products Co., Ltd. (“Zuming”) is redefining a traditional sector through new drivers of productivity: investing over 100 million yuan in intelligent production lines, building an industry-leading R&D system, and establishing an end-to-end cold-chain logistics network that brings new vitality to the age-old soy-foods trade.
As a designated inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, Zuming carries the essence of Chinese culinary culture. Yet the company knows that safeguarding tradition does not mean clinging to it. Upstream, Zuming has established a GMO testing center to rigorously examine every batch of soybean raw material. On the production floor, soaked soybeans are conveyed through enclosed pipelines directly to the grinding machines in a transparent, viewable workshop.
“In the past, we judged the timing of coagulation by experience,” said workshop director Jiang Guoliang, who has 28 years of tenure. “Now, by monitoring protein content in real time, we can control the coagulation moment down to the second.” Beside him, milky soymilk circulates automatically within a sealed system; the master craftsmen’s focus has shifted to parameter calibration and process optimization. On the innovation front, Zuming established a Bean Products Research Institute, led by industry experts and comprising five product R&D teams and one equipment-automation R&D team. “Since its founding, the institute has obtained 31 granted invention patents and 62 utility model patents,” noted Associate Director Fu Sufang. The company has also received multiple science-and-technology innovation awards in China’s soy-foods industry and has participated in setting industry standards.
From hand workshops to smart factories, intangible heritage is the soul and technological innovation the engine. “This ‘culture + technology’ twin-drive is precisely the core logic behind how we cultivate new drivers of productivity,” said General Manager Cai Shuiqi.
Inside Zuming’s aseptic sprout facility, a Japanese line introduced with an investment of 200 million yuan runs around the clock, achieving additive-free production across the entire process. Meanwhile, the company has built a comprehensive cold-chain system with its own transport fleet, ensuring cold-chain freshness from production and warehousing to distribution and sales. This “field-to-table” control is underpinned by deep digital management: the smart supervision system provides end-to-end visualization, monitoring, and traceability for the whole production process.
Zuming has long adhered to green manufacturing. During the “Zero-Waste Asian Games” initiative, the company advanced resource utilization and low-carbon development by developing a green organic fertilizer made from soy-product residues, achieving 100% recycling of okara. It also uses methane generated from wastewater treatment for heating, realizing energy self-circulation and reductions in both pollution and carbon. For these efforts, Zuming was named a “Zero-Waste Asian Games Factory” demonstration site. In parallel, the company has launched innovative products such as high-protein plant-based meat, plant-protein crisps, and low-purine soymilk to meet evolving consumer demand.
From a heritage workshop to an industry leader, and from a regional brand to nationwide deployment, Zuming’s three-plus decades of growth embody the transformation and upgrading of China’s traditional food sector through new drivers of productivity. “Looking ahead,” said General Manager Cai Shuiqi, “we will keep new drivers of productivity as our core engine. Through intelligent upgrades and green technological innovation, we will continue to strengthen our core competitiveness and steadily advance toward the goal of building a world-class food enterprise.”
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