灯塔水母CEO侯斌：中国牡蛎可以与法国进口牡蛎竞争

日前，高品质牡蛎品牌灯塔水母CEO侯斌接受全球领先的水产行业媒体SeafoodSource采访表示：当前中国牡蛎产品正加速发展，灯塔水母正在打造一个高品质牡蛎品牌，在不断增长的国内市场上与优质进口牡蛎展开竞争。

（以下为采访全文，来源：SeafoodSource）

With seafood imports headed into China delayed by an increased inspection regime, a young Chinese company is hoping to gain more share of the lucrative raw oyster market in the world’s most-populous country.

Weihai Lighthouse Jellyfish Marine Technology Co. Ltd. produces oysters in Rushan, Shandong Province, which has begun marketing itself as “the home of Chinese oysters – a campaign that earned the city a gold medal award at the 2020 China Trademark Branding Conference, organized by the China Trademark Association· In 2009, Rushan secured China’s geographic indicator (GI) for the city’s oysters and have since branded production under that GI.

For the most part, Rushan oyster output is focused on quantity, with more than 300,000 metric tons (MT) of annual production worth CNY 2.4 billion (USD 348 million, EUR 287 million), according to the city’s Ocean and Fisheries Bureau. The bulk of China’s oysters are used for sauces and roast oyster dishes, but demand is also growing for raw oysters, even though the market is currently dominated by imports from Western suppliers.

In an interview with SeafoodSource, Weihai Lighthouse Jellyfish CEO Hou Bin (who uses the English name Ben Hou) said his company is building a brand to compete against premium imported oysters in the growing domestic market. The company recently received an “Encourage Promotion Award” from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, which recognized the firm as one of three Chinese aquaculture companies “showing progress towards ASC standards” and holding “special roles and contributions in responsible aquaculture·”

SeafoodSource: Are Chinese consumers willing to eat raw oysters? Or do they like cooked or grilled oysters?

Hou: In China, raw oysters are not the mainstream. More consumers like grilled oysters and steamed oysters. In Chinese night markets, garlic roasted oysters are very popular and they are the most accepted way of eating [oysters]. Next is steamed oysters, served with some ingredients. Of course, there are other different ways of eating in different places, such as fried oysters, oyster porridge, dried oysters, and so on. In general, there are many ways to eat oysters in China, but most of them are in the form of cooked food.

SeafoodSource: You want to compete with oysters imported from countries like France, which are very expensive in China?

Hou: Given the positioning of our mid- to high-end oyster products, our competition with French oysters will be inevitable. Foreign oyster industries such as the French oyster sector have developed [the Chinese market] over many years. There are many things we can learn from them. We will learn from the outstanding parts of them and form the characteristics and competitiveness of the Lighthouse Jellyfish. The prices of imported oysters such as French Gillardeau are indeed very high in China.

SeafoodSource: What is your biggest goal or aspiration for 2021?

Hou: We are still not sure whether domestic consumers can accept mid- to high-end oyster products, and whether they will show more demand and habits for edible oyster products in the future, but we will continue to work hard. In the future, as our high-end raw oyster purification center is completed and put into production, our oyster products will also be presented to consumers with a higher-quality image. Although people in China are not optimistic about the acceptance of oyster products, we still have belief.

Taking the mid- to high-end product route is something we are determined to do. This is also the inevitable trend of future development for Rushan oysters. We hope that through our efforts, more people can accept and recognize our oyster products. Not only that, we also hope that our raw oysters can go international in the future, so that more international friends can taste Chinese high-quality oyster products.

SeafoodSource: Why are the prices of French oysters so much higher than Chinese oysters?

Hou: French oysters are well-known internationally, and their quality is recognized by everyone. They are high-end oyster products. In addition, there will be additional costs in the process of transporting [oysters] to China· So the price will thus be relatively high· In China, people's acceptance of oysters is still in its infancy, and most oyster-producing companies do not have the awareness or [take the] actions to create high-end products· They often cater to the current consumer market for pricing and sales, so there is a large price difference· Compared with oysters from other regions in China, Rushan oysters have certain quality advantages· We are also constantly promoting the development of Rushan oysters towards the high-end oyster market through various improvements· This is why Rushan oysters are better than oysters from other regions in China· They are expensive, but there is still a certain gap compared to French oysters such as Gillardeau·

SeafoodSource: Who are your typical customers? Do your customers eat oysters at home or in restaurants?

Hou: The middle-class people who pursue quality are our ultimate target group· Now our products are more targeted at restaurants and ordinary consumers· Customers who buy our products through e-commerce platforms are often willing to cook their own oysters at home, but after all, opening oysters is a tedious task, so there are still a large number of people who are willing to directly taste the finished oysters through offline restaurants·

SeafoodSource: What is the biggest challenge you faced in 2020?

Hou: 2020 was a relatively difficult year· The epidemic has had a huge impact on many industries· In particular, China's oyster industry is in its infancy. We have made many adjustments and changes during the year. The most important thing is that we put more focus on the e-commerce platform. During this year, we have been trying to optimize the overall design of online products, not only the appearance is more refined, but also the details of user experience. We want to make our products different from other similar products on the market … more refined, more in line with consumer needs, more high-end oyster products.

（以下为翻译全文，若有出入，请联系指正）

当前，随着中国检疫制度的加强，进口海鲜通关受到影响。在这个世界上人口最多的国家，一家年轻的中国公司开始希望在利润丰厚的牡蛎市场上争取获得更多份额。

威海灯塔水母海洋科技有限公司位于山东省乳山市，是一家依托乳山牡蛎产业优势兴建的集高质牡蛎育种、新品种推广、养殖、净化、加工、销售、冷链物流、文旅于一体的现代海洋高技术公司。乳山，中国牡蛎之乡。2009年，乳山获得了中国牡蛎地理标志（GI），并开始建立发展乳山牡蛎区域公用品牌；在“2019中华品牌商标博览会”上，“乳山牡蛎”以其独特的品质赢得了海内外客商的高度评价，荣获金奖。

乳山市海洋与渔业局数据显示，乳山牡蛎当前年产量超过30万吨，价值24亿元人民币（3·48亿美元，2·87亿欧元）。中国的大部分牡蛎用于制作酱汁和烤牡蛎菜肴，但对鲜活牡蛎的市场需求也在增长，尽管目前来自西方供应商的牡蛎产品仍在该市场占据重要地位。

威海灯塔水母海洋科技有限公司首席执行官侯斌（英文名Ben Hou）在接受SeafoodSource采访时表示，灯塔水母正在打造一个高品质牡蛎品牌，在不断增长的国内市场上与优质进口牡蛎展开竞争。该公司最近获得了水产养殖管理委员会（ASC）颁发的“中国负责任水产养殖企业奖”，委员会承认该公司是三家获奖中国水产养殖公司之一，“在实现ASC标准方面取得了进展”，并在“负责任的水产养殖中发挥了特殊作用和贡献”。

SeafoodSource：中国消费者愿意吃牡蛎吗？或者他们喜欢蒸牡蛎还是烤牡蛎？

侯：在中国，牡蛎还不算是主流食品。更多的消费者喜欢烤牡蛎和蒸牡蛎。在中国的夜市上，蒜蓉烤牡蛎非常受欢迎，而且是最受欢迎的食用方式。其次是清蒸牡蛎，配上一些蘸料。当然，在不同的地方还有其他不同的吃法，比如炸牡蛎、牡蛎粥、干牡蛎等等。一般来说，中国人吃牡蛎的方式很多，但大多是以熟食的形式。

SeafoodSource：你想和从法国等国进口的牡蛎竞争吗？法国牡蛎在中国售价很高？

侯：考虑到我们中高端牡蛎产品的定位，我们与法国牡蛎的竞争将不可避免。法国牡蛎业等外国牡蛎产业多年来一直在发展（中国市场）。我们可以从他们身上学到很多东西。我们将借鉴其中的优秀部分，形成灯塔水母的特色和竞争力。法国吉娜朵等进口牡蛎在中国的价格确实较高。

SeafoodSource：你对2021年最大的目标或抱负是什么？

侯：国内消费者能否接受中高端的牡蛎产品，未来是否会对食用牡蛎产品表现出更多的需求和习惯，我们还是不确定，但我们会继续努力。未来，随着我们高端牡蛎净化中心的建成投产，我们的牡蛎产品也将以更高的品质形象呈现给消费者。虽然中国人对牡蛎产品的接受度并不乐观，但我们仍然有信心。走中高端产品路线是我们决心要做的事情，这也是乳山牡蛎未来发展的必然趋势。希望通过我们的努力，让更多的人接受和认可我们的牡蛎产品。不仅如此，我们也希望我们的牡蛎将来能走向国际，让更多的国际朋友能品尝到中国优质的牡蛎产品。

SeafoodSource：为什么法国牡蛎的价格比中国牡蛎高这么多？

侯：法国牡蛎在国际上很有名气，品质也得到大家的认可。它们是高端牡蛎产品。此外，在运输（牡蛎）到中国的过程中，还会有额外的成本。因此价格将相对较高。在中国，人们对牡蛎的接受程度还处于初级阶段，大多数牡蛎生产企业还没有意识到或没有采取行动来创造高端产品。他们往往迎合当前消费市场的定价和销售，所以有很大的价格差异。与国内其他地区的牡蛎相比，乳山牡蛎具有一定的品质优势。我们也在通过各种改进，不断推动乳山牡蛎向高端牡蛎市场发展。这就是为什么乳山牡蛎与中国其他地区牡蛎相比价格更贵，但与吉娜朵等法国牡蛎相比仍有一定差距。

SeafoodSource：谁是你的典型客户？你的顾客是在家里还是在餐馆吃牡蛎？

侯：追求品质的中产阶级是我们的终极目标群体。现在我们的产品更针对餐厅和普通消费者。通过电子商务平台购买我们产品的顾客，往往愿意在家里自己烹饪牡蛎，但毕竟开牡蛎是一项繁琐的工作，因此，仍有大量的人愿意通过线下餐厅直接品尝成品牡蛎。

SeafoodSource：你在2020年面临的最大挑战是什么？

侯：2020年是比较困难的一年。疫情对许多行业产生了巨大影响。特别是中国的牡蛎产业还处于起步阶段。这一年我们做了许多调整和改变。最重要的是我们开始更加关注电子商务平台。在这一年中，我们一直在努力优化网络产品的整体设计，不仅外观更加精致，而且在用户体验的细节上也更加精益求精。我们想使我们的产品不同于市场上其他同类产品，我们的产品将更加精致，更符合消费者的需求，成为更高端的牡蛎产品。