Autumn is the season of persimmons, which is especially true for the high-altitude Lishan-farmed Jiro persimmons, available only during select times of the year. This variety is characterized by its large fruits, enticing aroma, and distinctively sweet flavor. In Japan, the fruit sells for as much as NT$2,100 on e-commerce platforms for a 10-piece 3-kg set. Back in Taiwan, ETMall decided to work with local farmers and the Taichung City Government to introduce a special offer exclusive to ETMall users. The offer was announced on the Eastern Farm live shopping show, where the same box set was sold for only NT$799. Eastern Group President Gary Wang further announced a 50% ET coin rebate for up to a maximum of 599 ET coins eligible per order, meaning that each box would cost as little as NT$200. The persimmon box set became an instant best seller with over 10,000 units sold.
Common persimmon varieties in Taiwan include Fuyu, Jiro, and Hanagosho. The Jiro variety has become especially noteworthy thanks to Taichung farmer Jian-Wang Zhang (also known as the “Persimmon King of Taichung” and his 1,450 meter above sea-level high-altitude persimmon farm in Lishan. He utilizes organic fertilizers like milk, eggs, and enzymes in combination with the high day-night temperature differences to breed the sweetest, largest, and best-looking persimmons ever seen on the market. Taichung City Government Agriculture Bureau Director Ching-Chiang Tsai commented that, “Even though the Jiro variety comes from Japan, it has adapted much better to the high-altitude environment in Lishan compared to the flat-land environment typically used by Japanese farmers. Taiwanese Jiro persimmons can reach up to 16-18 Brix in sweetness with a crisp texture and bright exterior, surpassing the quality of Japan-farmed Jiros.”
To help promote local agricultural products, the Taichung City Government has often worked with ETMall’s “Eastern Farm” program to launch instant-sellout items such as the Taichung Agricultural Product Pack and the ETMall Exclusive Star Product Gift Box. This time, program host Sasa, Director Tsai, Farmer Zhang, and Dongshih District Farmers’ Association General Secretary Shi-Xin Tian have joined hands to promote the premium-quality 8A level sweet persimmons. Each persimmon in the set weighs an average of 300 grams. The set has attracted a surge of orders from customers to catch the deal while it lasts. Minister Cai was particularly thankful and appreciative of the sales brought on through ETMall, saying: “We are always very happy to see the positive reception of our products on ETMall. In the future, we will continue to work together to promote seasonal products to help customers gain access to Taichung’s excellent agricultural products.”
Hong-Wu Peng, General Manager of ETMall, also said, “We are dedicated to enforcing the strict quality control standards of the EHS Select spirit. ETMall finds the best products from Taiwan and delivers them straight to customers.” ETMall also echoed the 2021 Taichung Shopping Festival to launch a section on the website featuring fashion, cosmetics, home appliances, trips, and local specialty agricultural products from Taichung. Customers can place their orders from the convenience of their homes and have high-quality Taichung goods delivered right to their doorsteps. Director Tsai also said that in-person visitors are just as welcome. From October 10 to December 9, purchases made during the festival are eligible for a lottery with daily prizes worth up to NT$5,000, weekly prizes of up to NT$100,000, monthly prizes of up to NT$ 1 million, and an ultimate prize of a multi-million-dollar luxury house.
ETMall is committed to supporting small-scale farmers. Having experienced the impact of the pandemic on local communities, we were the first to join the national agricultural and fishery products marketing team. With our support, we sold 1,600 Chiayi Aurora muskmelons, 3,500 sets of Taitung atemoya, and 16,000 Tainan Matou Wendan pomelos in seconds, 4,000 sets of Tainan Guanmiao pineapples, and 8,000 fourfinger threadfins and dragon tiger groupers, achieving excellent sales performances each time. We not only uphold the spirit of EHS Select to choose the best produce but also help farmers with domestic sales. By doing so, we can share with consumers the taste of local specialties.
Eastern Farm adheres to the strictest selection and quality control standards and delivers products straight from the farm to customer homes. The program was well-received by many ETMall members, and we have since followed up by offering the same products on Mama Bear Shopping. We are dedicated to keeping the high standards of EHS Select products, as we will continue to look for quality gems from all over Taiwan. We hope to lead by example and inspire our peers to also support Taiwan’s local agricultural industry.