Mutual Help across the Ocean via the Belt and Road Initiative

BlueRiver donated RMB 2.4 million to rush to the rescue of Italy

On March 14, medical supplies worth RMB 2.4 million donated by BlueRiver, including 40,000 N95 masks, 1,800 sets of medical protective suits and 250,000 pairs of medical gloves, were urgently airlifted to Sardinia, Italy. This is the first dairy enterprise in Hunan to donate medical supplies to Italy.

On the same day, Zhou Yue, Member of CPC Group and Deputy Director-General of Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce, Chen Yuewen, Member of CPC Group and Deputy Director of Administration for Market Regulation of Hunan Province, Huang Caixin, Director of Changsha Customs Import and Export Food Safety Department, Zhou Kai, Secretary of CPC Working Committee of Wangcheng Economic Development Zone, Zou Heyang, Member of CPC Committee and Deputy Director of Hunan Provincial Business Service Center, Pan Hong, Deputy Secretary of CPC Group and Deputy Director of Administration for Market Regulation of Changsha Municipality, Nie Rong, Deputy District Head of Wangcheng District People’s Government, She Haoyu, Member of CPC Working Committee of Wangcheng Economic Development Zone and Deputy Director of the Management Committee, Zhu Feiyue, Director of Administration for Market Regulation of Wangcheng District, Zhu Haoguang, Director of State Administration of Taxation of Wangcheng District, Liao Jianwu, Director of the Bureau of Finance of Wangcheng Economic Development Zone, Chen Yuanrong, Board Chairman of BlueRiver Group, and Chen Litao, Chairman of BlueRiver Group attended the donation ceremony, and connected via videos with the leaders of Italy Sardinia Government on the spot, witnessing the occasion together.

With boundless love, BlueRiver rushed to the rescue of Italy in response to the call

The outbreak of COVID-19 declared as a “global pandemic” by WTO is raging on. So far, more than 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed outside China. Italy, one of the countries which are worst affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 overseas, has more than 17,660 confirmed cases. Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, held a telephone conversation with Italian Foreign Minister Di Maio on the evening of March 10, Beijing time. Italy, facing a shortage of hospital supplies and equipment, hopes that China can help solve the urgent need. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that as a good friend and comprehensive strategic partner of Italy, China fully understands the challenges faced by Italy and would like to stand firmly with the Italian people. On Wednesday (March 11), a Chinese anti-epidemic team took a special plane to arrive in Rome, carrying relief supplies to support Italy in its joint fight against the epidemic.

Chen Yuanrong, Board Chairman of BlueRiver said, “BlueRiver, as a key enterprise to guarantee people’s livelihood in Hunan Province, has comprehensively resumed production. Its plant in New Zealand started three shifts of 24/7 production in early February”. International flights are fully adopted despite the tripled cost of air transportation. Even so, BlueRiver assured there will be no increase of price, degradation of quality and shortage of supply of BlueRiver products.

As an enterprise to make overseas investment in Italy through the Belt and Road Initiative and Go Global Policy, upon hearing the voice of Italy for help, BlueRiver has the responsibility to respond to the call of the Chinese government soon and provide assistance within its capacity. As a result, BlueRiver took an active action on March 11 to purchase anti-epidemic supplies. So far, a total of 40,000 N95 masks, 1,800 sets of professional medical protective suits and 250,000 pairs of professional medical gloves with a total value of more than RMB 2.4 million have been purchased, all of which are in line with the EU certification standards. The supplies will be donated to the hospitals designated by the government of Sardinia, Italy. Over the past two days, BlueRiver has connected with the head of the civil defense department of Sardinia government, which is responsible for receiving supplies, to ensure that supplies can be airlifted to hospitals in a point-to-point way as quickly as possible. Across the ocean, BlueRiver will be of one mind with Italy to jointly fight against the epidemic.

On the spot of donation, Alessandra Zedda, Vice President of Sardinia, Italy, and Mario Nieddu, Minister of Health of Sardinia, Italy delivered their gratitude via video connection

Formed ties via the Belt and Road Initiative BlueRiver and Italy provided mutual help for each other across the ocean

To quote a line from the Book of Songs, “You throw a peach to me, I give you a white jade for friendship”. What behind the mutual help across the ocean is the profound friendship between BlueRiver and Italy. In 2016, BlueRiver conducted the merger and acquisition of AlimentaS.r.l, which commenced the first cooperation between Chinese and Italian dairy enterprises. As a result, BlueRiver owned more than 70% of the world’s sheep whey protein, and obtained the resource advantage of the whole industrial chain of sheep’s milk; In 2019, BlueRiver received 35% subsidies from the Italian government for its investment in a new infant formula plant and a sheep’s milk plant in Sardinia. With the total investment of 45 million Euros, the subsidies amount to more than 15 million Euros,（RMB 120 million）. It was also the first project for which a private Chinese company going global received so much government subsidies.

Nothing that happens to humans should be treated with indifference

BlueRiver will lose no time in completing the construction of the plant project together with the Italian partner Minotta Group, with the aim to introduce the high-quality sheep’s milk resources of Sardinia, bring in the world’s unique organic sheep dairy products and organic sheep infant formula to China as soon as possible, and make Chinese consumers able to drink high-quality sheep’s milk from the world’s famous island of longevity. After the new plants are completed and put into operation, it will ensure the production and supply of sheep lactoferrin, sheep hydrolyzed protein, organic sheep, buffalo milk and other raw materials and products. This also reflects how BlueRiver, as a private enterprise, respond to President Xi’s guidelines of the “Belt and Road Initiative” and “Go Global Policy”.

Integrate global high-quality resources; Step into the track of high-quality development

The Italian government’s strong support for the overseas investment of BlueRiver also enabled BlueRiver to make full use of global high-quality resources and step into the track of high-quality development. At present, BlueRiver is working hard to build an organic demonstration area in Sardinia, Italy. In addition, its research and development of sheep lactoferrin, sheep hydrolyzed protein, buffalo milk and other high-quality raw materials and products have made considerable progress, and they are about to be launched into the market. BlueRiver owns 70% of sheep’s milk resources globally, and independently masters the core technology for the production of D90 desalted whey powder and whey protein concentrate (WPC).

Thanks to the ready layout of global industrial resources, BlueRiver has made extraordinary achievements, and been successively ranked the first place in New Zealand export growth (dairy enterprises) as awarded by Deloitte. In the first quarter of 2020, BlueRiver remains strong in its development despite the impact brought by the outbreak of COVID-19. It not only continues to enjoying brisk sales in offline terminals, but also saw a strong 9-fold increase in online e-commerce sales after the Spring Festival. The overall shipments of BlueRiver were increased by more than 300% compared with that in 2019.

With sufficient reserves, BlueRiver has achieved remarkable results in its prospective layout

According to relevant sources in Italy, as affected by epidemic containment in Europe, the global resources of D90 desalinated whey powder, especially sheep whey powder, are becoming scarce, and the milk powder production is facing the crisis of supply interruption. At present, many European countries have closed or partially closed international logistics channels in response to the escalation of epidemic containment, which seriously hindered the import and export logistics of milk powder. Multiple factors accumulated and confronted the production, canning, transportation and distribution of infant formula with severe tests. In the next two to three months, the raw material supply guarantee of milk powder from cow and sheep will face a challenge.

As a manufacturer of self-owned brand milk powder, BlueRiver has made remarkable achievements in its strategic layout in advance. At present, it has sufficient stocks for the supply of goods, which can guarantee the supply of D90 sheep demineralized whey powder needed for its own production; As a global core supplier of sheep’s milk resources, BlueRiver also expressed its willingness to do its best to help more dairy companies around the world in guaranteeing the supply of raw materials.

Provide rescue for three times BlueRiver took action to show its generous love

To provide urgent rescue for the sake of love, BlueRiver has consistently taken actions. On February 8, 2020, BlueRiver donated dairy products worth about RMB 4.3 million to Wuhan and other regions severely affected by the epidemic. On February 29, BlueRiver provided urgent rescue again, in which a designated donation of 17,263 cans of infant milk powder was made to the families of medical personnel and poor families with left-behind children in Xiangyang and Shiyan, worth about RMB 6 million. In the urgent rescue for three times, BlueRiver has donated more than RMB 12.7 million in total.

“No man is an island,” wrote John Donne, a 17^th-century English poet. Today, in the face of the outbreak of COVID-19, no one can be immune from it. In the fight against the sudden outbreak of the epidemic, BlueRiver has been committed to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, gone all out to shoulder its responsibility. BlueRiver has interpreted generous and boundless love with its practical action.