This month, I returned home to find my parents entirely preoccupied with the pig they were raising. Whenever my father had a free moment, he’d bathe the pig, feed it leftover watermelon rinds, light mosquito coils nearby, and even set up a fan to cool it when it got too hot. He fretted daily over what vegetables to feed it, consulted relatives with pig-rearing experience, and was meticulous about not mixing store-bought pork broth into the pig’s food, fearing contamination. The only thing missing was giving the pig a massage. If I were still a child, I might have felt jealous—why was my father so attentive to this pig?
Previously, my father had tried to buy pork from a farmer who raised pigs naturally, hoping to make some traditional cured meat for the New Year. He assumed the farmer would agree, but was turned down—the pig had already been reserved by a relative. Disappointed, he realized that free-range chickens and pigs are hard to come by these days, as fewer people raise them. So, he decided to raise a pig himself this year.
Market pigs are typically fast-grown, fed with commercial feed, and reach slaughter weight in three to five months. In contrast, a home-raised pig takes about a year, primarily eating vegetable scraps and plant-based food. The difference in taste is significant.
All this talk about pigs brings me back to my own trade: moxa floss and moxa sticks.
When customers purchase my products for the first time, I don’t encourage bulk buying. I suggest they try two boxes first—if they like it, they can come back for more; if not, they can look elsewhere. It’s all about going with the flow. One customer didn’t say my product was bad, just that the moxa sticks were a bit loose. I responded, “Oh, then perhaps you shouldn’t buy my moxa sticks again!” This left an impression of me being quite aloof.
Recently, I’ve also been turning down new distributors. Some feel that the profit margins I offer are too low, even suggesting that retailers should earn more than manufacturers.
In typical sales models, manufacturers often have a lower status, relying on distributors to sell their products, essentially being led by the nose. Customers are treated as deities, and offending them is unthinkable. This traditional model leads manufacturers to continuously cut costs to maximize profits, often compromising quality. Distributors invest heavily in packaging and advertising, passing these costs onto the products, which consumers ultimately pay for. Each segment operates independently; manufacturers rarely interact with consumers, and as long as distributors profit, they’re content. This is an efficient sales model, benefiting manufacturers and distributors, but consumers may not always get quality products. Who suffers in the end?
This is an inevitable result of societal division of labor. If manufacturers and businesses have faith and conscience, insisting on quality products, there’s no issue. However, frequent food and drug safety incidents prove that many manufacturers fall short.
I’m as particular as that farmer selling pork because I understand the challenges involved. He raises just one pig a year with great effort, and the money earned can’t buy back such trustworthy meat.
I start quality control of my mugwort leaves right from procurement, rejecting those with thick stems. They’re naturally aged for two to three years before processing and sale. Large-scale manufacturers don’t differentiate mugwort leaf quality so meticulously. They can reprocess repeatedly, increase proportions, and even mix in peanut shells, which have fibers similar to moxa floss. These manufacturers collect hundreds of tons annually, processing them into floss using special techniques. Some methods involve using greenhouses to create high temperatures, allowing essential oils to volatilize, producing quick, attractive floss. Others use harmful methods like sulfur fumigation. This way, manufacturers can complete the entire process from procurement to floss production in two to three months. Moxa stick processors then wholesale this floss, focusing only on its appearance. The rest doesn’t matter. Once processed, they casually label the packaging as “premium, aged five years” or “aged three years”—who can tell the difference? Some produce and sell moxa sticks themselves, but most are sold to wholesalers. Due to large volumes and low profits, they still make money. Therefore, unless one handles the entire process from mugwort leaf procurement to floss processing, the quality of moxa floss is generally unreliable. I used to wholesale some floss to moxibustion centers and buyers, who mostly wanted the freshest, current-year floss. Later, I stopped selling even this type, reserving my floss exclusively for personal use.
The market is flooded with pork and various moxa sticks. They cater to customers, smiling and coaxing them to buy their products. I won’t do that. If a customer is destined to find me, I’ll welcome them warmly. If they don’t trust me, they’re free to come and go. I don’t advertise, play tricks, or use fancy packaging because I devote my energy to letting the floss age naturally, patiently waiting for the mugwort leaves to change color and aroma, and volatilize naturally. In today’s generally impetuous society, achieving this is challenging. I’ve endured this, striving for the best quality, believing that someone will seek me out—it’s truly commendable!
I don’t intend to be aloof, but if I come across that way, it’s because you don’t understand me or my products. If you prefer being deceived, go ahead!
My efforts aim to protect the interests of end customers. Not offering high profits to distributors ensures my own profit margin. Without a certain profit, it’s hard to maintain my current business approach and guarantee product quality. Since 2009, I’ve been investing without turning a profit! How many manufacturers can endure this? Even so, production remains low. Therefore, having few distributors doesn’t affect me. If I were to please anyone, I’d rather please the end customer. If they find the product effective, that’s my motivation.
With positive feedback from customers, my confidence grows stronger. Being called foolish or aloof doesn’t matter; what matters is having a good product.