Qudi Cucumbers

Qudi Cucumbers

Qudi Cucumbers are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　The “Qudi” brand cucumbers are a premium product carefully cultivated by Qudi Town. With their superior variety, vibrant color, excellent taste, and pollution-free cultivation, these cucumbers have entered over 50 cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Harbin. They have been designated as the exclusive cucumbers for KFC and McDonald’s chains. The “Qudi” cucumbers have obtained provincial quality certification, were named one of Jinan City’s Top Ten Pollution-Free Green Products, and in 2008 received the honorary titles of “Famous Trademark” at both city and provincial levels.

　　The “Qudi” brand cucumbers are produced in Qudi Town, Jiyang County, Jinan City, located on the alluvial plain of the lower Yellow River. Local farmers utilize an independently developed straw bioreactor technology to supply the cucumbers with ample carbon dioxide. Through photosynthesis, this method enables the cucumbers to achieve high quality, low carbon, and pollution-free growth without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. In addition, influenced by factors such as climate, soil, and sunlight, the resulting cucumbers are bright in color, straight in shape, densely spined, and crisp-sweet in taste, making them top-tier among cucumbers.

　　Qudi Cucumbers are well-proportioned in size, about 40 cm long, with short stems, dense spines, green skin, and straight shape. Besides their excellent taste, they are rich in nutrients such as protein, sugars, vitamins, carotene, niacin, calcium, copper, phosphorus, and iron. Compared to ordinary cucumbers, Qudi Cucumbers offer better benefits for clearing heat and promoting urination, as well as anti-cancer properties. They also contain components such as 1,2-dicarboxylic acid, cucurbitacin, and soft fine fibers, making them a rare detoxifying and beauty-enhancing food. Additionally, they help lower blood sugar, making them one of the preferred foods for people with diabetes.

　　The entire production, management, and distribution process of Qudi Cucumbers strictly follows the technical operating procedures for producing green food cucumbers, ensuring product quality. To strengthen brand protection, the production base actively participates in various agricultural product exhibitions organized at the municipal level and above. Product packaging uniformly uses the “Qudi” trademark, recognized as a Famous Trademark of Shandong Province and a Green Food label. Currently, the planting area covers nearly 50,000 mu, with over 20,000 winter-warm cucumber greenhouses, and an annual total output of 800 million jin.

　　The nationwide sales of Qudi Cucumbers would not be possible without the country’s largest specialized cucumber wholesale market — Jinan Qudi Vegetable Sales Co., Ltd. In recent years, Qudi Town has continuously nurtured and expanded the cucumber wholesale market as a leading enterprise under the modern industrial production model of “market + base + farmer.” After two rounds of upgrades and renovations in 2007 and 2008, the world’s largest specialized cucumber wholesale market was built, covering an area of 350 mu. More recently, an investment of 600,000 yuan was made to construct a new settlement center, improving office conditions and creating a favorable trading environment for customers and farmers. The vegetable market has now moved toward standardized management.

　　At the same time, the company has vigorously implemented a brand strategy. The “Qudi” trademark was awarded the titles of “City Famous Trademark” and “Provincial Famous Trademark” in 2008, and in June 2009, it passed the green food certification by the National Green Food Development Center. In 2010, it won the Golden Spectrum Award of Brand China and was ranked among the Top Ten National Agricultural Products. “Qudi” brand vegetables are sold to over 50 cities across the country and have successfully entered KFC and McDonald’s chains in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. After processing, they are exported to Russia via Manzhouli, forming a sales pattern that reaches both south and north. At peak times, daily trading volume reaches 1 million kilograms, annual trading volume exceeds 350 million kilograms, with transaction value surpassing 1 billion yuan, and per capita annual income increase of 8,000 yuan.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Qudi Town is located in the northeast of Jinan City, bordering the Yellow River to the south and backed by the Tuohai River. It lies between 36°46′–37°14′ north latitude and 116°52′–117°27′ east longitude. It is a key town in northern Jiyang, a historic and cultural town, and a centrally administered town named by the provincial government, as well as a “Civilized Township” designated by the Provincial Civilization Committee. The town has a population of 75,000, 128 administrative villages, and 8,000 hectares of land. “Qudi Cucumbers” are widely planted across all 128 villages, covering an area of 8,000 hectares. National Highway 220 and Provincial Highway 239 both run through the area, which features flat terrain and convenient transportation.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: “Qudi Cucumbers” are about 40 cm long, with short stems, dense spines, well-proportioned shape, green color, and straight form. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Qudi Cucumbers have a crisper taste and lower sugar content compared to ordinary cucumbers. They feature thin skin, thick flesh, small cores, and are rich in nutrients and trace elements such as protein, sugars, vitamins, carotene, niacin, calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium. Specifically, calcium ≥20.0mg/100g, iron ≥3.0mg/kg, zinc ≥1.5 mg/kg, selenium ≥1.81×10⁻³, total sugar ≥1.50%, dry matter ≥3.0%, vitamin C ≥15.2 mg/g, all higher than those of ordinary cucumbers (e.g., calcium 0.85mg/g higher, iron 1.6mg/kg higher, zinc 0.7mg/kg higher, selenium 0.84μg/kg higher). Qudi Cucumbers also offer better benefits for clearing heat and promoting urination, as well as anti-cancer properties. They contain components such as 1,2-dicarboxylic acid, cucurbitacin, and soft fine fibers, making them a rare detoxifying and beauty-enhancing food. Additionally, they help lower blood sugar, making them one of the preferred foods for people with diabetes. 3. Safety Requirements: The product clearly adheres to the names, specific contents, and relevant legal regulations of mandatory national technical standards for market access. Production follows green food safety requirements.