15亿杯柠檬水背后：近百亿产业，每颗柠檬都要经过“选美”

Core Insights - The company, Mixue Ice City, reported that its signature product, "Ice Fresh Lemonade," has sold over 1.5 billion cups in the first ten months of 2025, equating to one cup per person in China [1] - The core lemon procurement area is located in Chongqing Tongnan, which has 150,000 acres of cooperative orchards and a self-built factory with advanced equipment and significant production capacity [1][4] - The lemon industry in Tongnan has grown into a nearly 10 billion yuan industry, with an expected total production of 350,000 tons and a comprehensive output value exceeding 9 billion yuan by 2025 [1] Production and Technology - The factory employs advanced technology, including high-speed infrared cameras and dynamic weighing systems, to ensure that only high-standard "first-class fruits" are used for the lemonade [1] - AI technology has been introduced to enhance the production line, allowing for data analysis of lemon size, surface quality, and weight, which improves sorting accuracy as production increases [3][7] - The company has established a Lemon Grower Support Center in 2023, investing in drones for pest control, which increases efficiency by 20 times compared to manual labor [7] Agricultural Practices - Mixue Ice City utilizes an "order-based agriculture" model, signing guaranteed purchase agreements with farmers to stabilize their income while aligning supply with demand [4] - The company is transitioning towards becoming an agricultural technology enterprise, investing 10 million yuan to build an integrated research system and establishing high-standard experimental fields [7]