How Live Streaming Powers Sales for a Sichuan Olive Oil Producer

LANGZHONG, China – From the 7,000-meter peaks skirting the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau to the fertile lowlands in the east, Sichuan province is known for its bold cuisine and as the homeland of China’s giant pandas. It is also emerging as a key player in China’s modest but expanding olive oil trade.

Going to Yu Ning, vice president of the olive section of China’s Forestry Economics Association, Sichuan hosts 452,000 mu (30,000 hectares) of olive groves—about one-fifth of China’s total. High humidity and steep slopes are the main challenges for producers in the northern reaches of Sichuan province. (Photo: Daniel Dawson) My journey into this landscape begins in Chengdu, the provincial capital of 21 million people, where I meet the entrepreneurial 20-something Ziyun Jin.

We are heading to his family’s estate and mill, Fattoria Zhongyi, in northern Sichuan. His father, Chongqing Jin—a lean man with a company handshake and a sharp business sense—entered the olive sector in 2011 after what he describes as an epiphany in Greece.

During a visit to the homeland of Koroneiki, one of the two varieties planted on the family’s 5,600 mu (373 hectares) of groves, he encountered a 3,800-year-old olive tree. Per to investigation from Sichuan Agricultural University, the province’s olive-growing regions receive 855 to 940 millimeters of rainfall between May and December, and more than 1,000 millimeters annually. Langzhong is known for being one of China’s best preserved historic cities, dating back to the seventh century. (Photo: Daniel Dawson) Many visitors stop at the central tomb of Zhang Fei to pray for good fortune.

Fattoria Zhongyi takes its name from him—an emblem of moral clarity and commitment to quality that the Jins hope to reflect. In homage to the origins of the Chinese olive industry, the business planted a row of grafted Arbequina-Kalinjot trees at a scenic outlook in the grove. (Photo: Daniel Dawson) Most buyers are located in the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, as well as the Shanghai municipal region.

Going to the International Olive Council, China consumed an average of 41,000 tons of olive oil annually between 2022. 2025—advance that has stalled since 2014 but remains nearly triple the volumes from 2006 to 2009. Fattoria Zhongyi has put marked time and effort into selling via live stream, which the businesses credits with broadening their customer base across China. (Photo: Daniel Dawson) The factory sits about 20 minutes from Langzhong’s historic center, surrounded by hills covered with decade-old olive trees.

As we pull into the courtyard—complete with a tea room, offices, showroom, mill and bottling line—a young salesman positions a smartphone on a tripod. Starts his six-hour shift. “He didn’t know anything about olive oil, and now he’s an expert,” Jin explains. Jin anticipates that Fattoria Zhongyi will produce 200 metric tons of organic olive oil this year. (Photo: Daniel Dawson) Jin estimates production will reach 200 tons of organic olive oil this year—a blend of Arbequina and Koroneiki—after an above-average crop. Production is expected to continue rising as the business plants an additional 400 mu (close to 27 hectares) of new trees each year.

The firm has not yet identified the olive varieties best suited to the humid climate of northern Sichuan. Fattoria Zhongyi divests the early harvest of its flagship product for 138 Renminbi (close to €17) per 500-milliliter bottle, and the later crop for 108 Renminbi (roughly €13).

Along with production quality, Fattoria Zhongyi as well emphasizes packaging to help drive. Maintain takings. (Photo: Daniel Dawson) “The price of our olive oil is very high, so for people who can afford it, the fact that it is organic is very important,” Jin said. By the end of the visit, a delighted Jin unveils that the day’s online sales have reached 30,000 Renminbi (€3,645).

The figure easily covers the salesman’s salary and the 3,000 Renminbi (€365) he paid to promote the livestream to targeted shoppers.