Chinese firewood stoves are favored by overseas markets, with a global search heat soaring by 1300%. With the rise of cross-border e-commerce, the export volume and recognition of Chinese cookware in international markets such as Europe and America are gradually increasing. Cast iron pots are sought after in overseas markets due to their high quality and cooking performance. On October 2nd, Zhejiang Yongkang cross-border e-commerce kitchenware brand Karot rang the bell and went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising up to HKD 750 million. With an average price of 540 yuan for its iron pot, Karot has adopted a fast new model and sold 670 million yuan on Amazon and 1.583 billion yuan across all channels last year. Among major online kitchenware brands in overseas markets, it ranks second in the United States, third in Western Europe, second in Southeast Asia, and third in Japan. Google Trends also shows that in recent times, the global search popularity of "firewood stove" has surged by 1300%, with particularly active searchers from countries such as Canada, Ireland, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. China's rich culinary culture has created diverse cooking utensils with distinct Chinese culinary cultural characteristics. According to the total online sales data of OvCloud Network, the online retail sales of open flame cookware from January to August 2024 reached 8.37 billion yuan, an increase of 3.3% year-on-year. It is expected that the annual sales of iron pots will be 105 million units. According to Tianyancha data, as of September 2024, there are 9.9 million existing "kitchenware" related enterprises, and 2.86 million new enterprises were added in the first nine months of this year. Domestic cookware shines in overseas markets. Recently, the production workshop of Hebei Sanxia Kitchenware Company was busy. The fiery red molten iron is injected into the mold, and after more than 10 processes and more than 80 experimental tests, freshly baked cast iron pots will continuously enter the kitchens on the other side of the ocean. The majority of current production is for orders from the United States The company's marketing director Zhang Junxiang said that all production lines are operating at full capacity 24 hours a day, and existing orders have been scheduled until March next year. It is reported that the cast iron pots produced by this company located in Longyao County are sold well in more than 20 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, and Germany, occupying 50% of the North American market and 30% of the European market. In the exhibition hall of Sanxia Company, thousands of stir fry pans, frying pans, soup pots, and baking pans with various shapes are colorful, finely crafted, and meticulously used, like exquisite handicrafts. Our unique core technology can firmly fix the glaze on cast iron, and the enamel pot will not lose glaze when dropped from a height of one meter The person in charge of the production department of the company, Jie Huilong, said. Nowadays, Sanxia Kitchenware has accumulated more than 300 B2B customers worldwide, with over 2000 employees in the factory. Its high degree of automation has fully achieved 24-hour production. Compared to Hebei Sanxia kitchenware, which quietly cultivates in the industry, Zhejiang kitchen enterprise Karot is killing all corners overseas. In 2013, Karot extended its business into product research and industrial design, designing, developing, and customizing kitchenware products for international brands. In 2016, Karot directly faced end consumers and launched a more innovative and cost-effective brand of its own kitchenware products. The business revenue increased from 283 million yuan in 2021 to 531 million yuan in 2022, and then to over 1.5 billion yuan in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of over 120%. Industry insiders point out that the global success of Chinese iron pots is not only a victory for the manufacturing industry, but also a victory for culture and brand strategy. With the continuous exploration and growth of Chinese kitchenware enterprises in the global market, their experience will provide valuable reference for the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry. A good pot relies on a thousand hammers and a hundred ironworks, including casting, pressing, polishing, and polishing... After multiple processes, an exquisite iron pot is born. In Jia County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, known as the "Capital of Cast Iron Boilers in China," an average of about 200000 iron pots are shipped from here to domestic and international markets every day. According to official data from Jiaxian County, as one of the largest distribution centers for the production and sales of cast iron pots in China, the county produces over 70 million units of various types of cast iron pots such as non stick pots and high-end enamel pots annually, accounting for two-thirds of the total production of cast iron pots in the country. Its products are exported to more than 20 countries and regions including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2023, the total output value of the cast iron pot industry in the county reached 3.17 billion yuan, with a total export value of 89.7 million US dollars. Nearly 60% of the approximately 5 million iron pots produced by the company each year are sold overseas, especially the enamel pots produced, which can retail for over $300 in the European and American markets Wang Long, the general manager of Henan Huabang Electric Cooking Utensils Company, said that the company will continuously innovate in product types and appearance based on cooking habits and aesthetic differences at home and abroad, meet the needs of the domestic market, and develop lightweight cast iron pots and other products suitable for foreign markets. Currently, there are more than 300 types of products available. It is understood that most kitchenware companies adopt automated assembly line operation for large-scale production, while in Zhangqiu, Shandong, a major iron smelting town with a history of more than 2000 years, the production method of manual boiling is still preserved here. The process of creating a qualified iron pot is extremely strict. According to records, it requires 12 processes, including 7 cold forging processes, 5 hot forging processes, 1000 degree high-temperature smelting, and 36000 forging processes. Without this effort, we cannot produce this product. If you fool it, it will fool you. With just one blow, the entire pot may become scrap, "said Wang Yuhai, a blacksmith at Jinan Sanhuan Kitchenware Company. Liu Zimu, inheritor of Zhangqiu iron pot forging and forging skills, president of Zhangqiu blacksmith handicraft industry association, and chairman of Jinan Sanhuan kitchenware, said that buying and selling is the best protection, and use is the best inheritance. With a dual approach of online and offline, it breaks down regional and channel barriers, crosses geographical boundaries through the promotion of e-commerce platforms, and extends to the whole country and even the world, further expanding the market scope and achieving a win-win situation of cultural heritage protection and economic value enhancement. Liu Zimu stated that in order to ensure the authenticity of Zhangqiu iron pots, the group standard for Zhangqiu iron pots has been established, which specifies requirements for forging tools, tool shapes, hammer patterns, and other aspects of Zhangqiu iron pots. Making more Chinese brands sell globally through iron pot casting has a history of over 600 years in Jia County, Henan Province. For many years, traditional iron pot casting techniques have been continued here. According to a document provided by the Jiaxian Iron Pot Association, in addition to insufficient brand building, problems such as rigid industrial chains, inadequate supporting facilities, and disorderly competition among enterprises are also constraining the development of the local subway pot industry. We have initiated the application for the geographical indication of 'China Jiaxian Cast Iron Pot' and proudly launched the 'Vast World' cluster brand. Further improve the product quality system, strengthen testing and research and development, improve support policies for the development of the iron pot industry, and promote the transformation and upgrading of the iron pot industry Liu Guojun, Secretary General of Jiaxian Iron Pot Association, said that in the face of challenges, on the one hand, we need to give full play to the leading role of the association, regulate industry behavior, cultivate modern development concepts for enterprises, help enterprises improve their internal strength, and promote industry transformation and upgrading; On the other hand, measures such as unifying quality standards, improving the traceability system of the entire chain, modular production, and establishing brand image should be taken to gradually reverse the situation where brands have substance but no name. Not long ago, the first 10 million yuan investment of Jiangsu time-honored brand industrial investment fund landed in Wuxi city. The city's time-honored kitchenware brand "Wang Yuanji" successfully obtained this financing, and the century old iron pot brand took off with wings. With the skyrocketing sales on the platform and the shortage of products, Wang Qingqing, the chairman of Wang Yuanji, began to inspect several nearby pot casting factories and teach Wang Yuanji pot making skills, which revitalized some pot casting factories that were on the brink of bankruptcy. Currently, Wang Yuanji has sold iron pot products on Amazon and has opened multiple sites in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and other countries. In 2023, overseas sales will reach over 20 million yuan, accounting for nearly 33% of total sales. It is expected that the business volume will increase by 200% year-on-year in 2024. In China, a large iron pot is not a rare cooking utensil, but for foreigners, a large iron pot is a unique existence. Recently, a blogger on Xiaohongshu who married away from Denmark successfully cultivated Chinese iron pots abroad. Experts here admitted that the demand for healthy and convenient kitchen supplies from global consumers is increasing. Chinese made cookware, with its innovative design and quality assurance, has shown a significant growth trend in overseas markets, especially in the North American market where sales have significantly increased. More and more Chinese cookware companies have successfully opened up international markets by continuously improving product quality, enriching product lines, and utilizing cross-border e-commerce channels. In the future, more Chinese brands will sell globally. (New Society)