Former CEO of Ant Group and former partner of Alibaba, Hu Xiaoming, recently posted on social media, saying, "The '1.8 meter' agricultural technology company has been officially established, with me serving as the chairman."
He stated that the mission of "1.8 meters" is to "make agriculture better through technological innovation", hoping to improve agricultural efficiency through technological innovation, provide consumers with better high-quality ingredients, and enable farmers to obtain higher income.
Securities Times reporters have found that since the beginning of this year, several agricultural technology companies named "1.8 meters" have been established in a low-key manner, with Hu Xiaoming and Jack Ma directly holding some of the company's shares. Previously, Jack Ma also established the "Ma Family Kitchen", which sparked speculation in the market for related concept stocks.
The 1.8 meter product has been launched
Hu Xiaoming said that the name "1.8 meters" company originated from Jack Ma's original intention of participating in agriculture - "all mothers in the world hope that their children can grow up healthy and taller than 1.8 meters.".
Securities Times reporter found through Tianyancha that "1.8 meter" series companies have already reached a considerable scale.
"1.8 meters" Marine Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. was established in July this year with a registered capital of 110 million yuan. The legal representative is Deng Zhonghua, and its business scope includes aquaculture, biomass energy technology services, etc. Among them, Hu Xiaoming holds 15.7% of the shares, and 1.8 Meters Technology Holding Limited is the actual controller of the company.
"1.8 Meters Technology Holding Limited" was established in August this year as the controlling shareholder of "1.8 Meters Technology Holding Limited" Food Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. It is worth noting that Hangzhou Dajingtou No. 22 Cultural and Art Co., Ltd., controlled by Jack Ma, holds 10% of the company's shares.
One meter eight Agricultural Technology (Hainan) Co., Ltd., One meter eight Marine Technology (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd., and One meter eight Marine Technology (Wenzhou) Co., Ltd. have also been established this year. The equity penetration chart shows that there is a controlling shareholder behind these companies: 1.8 Meters Technology Holding Limited.
The Securities Times reporter found that currently, the "1.8 meter" series has made progress in the aquaculture industry in some regions.
The Self Inspection Report on the Implementation of Rural Revitalization Strategy in Shengsi County, Zhejiang Province, recently released, mentioned that in 2023, "One meter Eight" Marine Technology (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd. was successfully introduced, and "One meter Eight" fresh mussels were listed in 21 Hema fresh stores in Hangzhou and Shanghai.
In a press release by the Shengsi County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, it was also mentioned that Alibaba Group's "1.8 meter" marine technology company has been successfully introduced to participate in the construction of the "Yibei Industrial Park" in Ganxie Village, Goji Township, effectively promoting the high-quality development of traditional industries.
With the gradual expansion of the "1.8 meter" series company's business, the first batch of products have also been launched. Hu Xiaoming stated that two high-quality products, Zhoushan Shengsi Archipelago Yibei and Wenzhou Nanji Island Yellow Croaker, are currently available on the Hema channel and will soon be sold on more online and offline channels such as Tmall.
Securities Times reporter saw on the Hema app that the products sold on Hema for "1.8 meters" include two types: Zhoushan Shengsi Islands Yibei and Wenzhou Nanji Island Big Yellow Croaker. The high-quality "1.8 meters" frozen yellow croaker priced at 99 yuan/box is 330 grams, and the fresh "1.8 meters" yellow croaker priced at 29.9 yuan/box is 750 grams.
Ma Yunluozi Agricultural Food Competition Road
Jack Ma's establishment of a food company has recently attracted attention.
According to Tianyancha, Hangzhou Dajingtou No. 22 Cultural and Art Co., Ltd. established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Hangzhou Majia Kitchen Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Majia Kitchen), on November 22, with a capital contribution of 10 million yuan. The former is controlled by Jack Ma, with a shareholding ratio of 99.99%.
The Ma Yun Luozi Agricultural and Fishery Food Competition is actually not a new phenomenon. In recent years, Jack Ma's itinerary information indicates that he has shown a strong interest in fields such as agricultural products, fisheries, and food.
According to information disclosed on the official website of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, on July 2, 2022, Jack Ma visited Wageningen University to exchange and discuss new technologies in animal husbandry and fisheries. Jack Ma said that his time and energy will be fully invested in the agricultural field, including planting crops in the Gobi Desert.
At that time, Dutch scientists shared their insights on sustainable animal husbandry, aquaculture, and the future of fisheries with Jack Ma. Jack Ma also visited the new high-tech greenhouse and the Dutch Plant Ecological Phenotype Center on the campus.
In January 2023, Jack Ma inspected CP Group in Bangkok, Thailand. Due to the long-term deep cultivation of agriculture, animal husbandry, food, wholesale and retail by Zhengda Group, it is also speculated that the purpose of Jack Ma's visit is to exchange development experience in industries such as food and grain.
In May of this year, the University of Tokyo in Japan announced the appointment of Jack Ma as a visiting professor at Tokyo College. The school stated that Jack Ma will provide advice and support on major research topics and conduct joint research with researchers from the University of Tokyo, especially in the fields of sustainable agriculture and food production. In the second half of 2022, during his stay in Japan, Jack Ma conducted on-site inspections of Japanese aquaculture technology and visited the Oshima Station of the Aquaculture Research Institute at Kinki University.
Public information shows that the business scope of Majia Kitchen includes food sales (only selling pre packaged food), food internet sales (only selling pre packaged food), initial processing of edible agricultural products, etc. The market once interpreted the establishment of Majia Kitchen as Jack Ma's pre packaged food track.
However, Chen Wei, former assistant of Jack Ma, later stated on social media that the Ma family kitchen does not make pre made dishes.
According to the reporter's understanding, pre packaged food, according to the definition of the Food Safety Law, refers to food that is pre quantitatively packaged or made in packaging materials or containers, corresponding to bulk food. However, the business scope of Ma's Kitchen is not clearly defined as pre packaged food.