Today, pine nuts have become a common ingredient in everyday cooking. Snacks like pine nut nougat, pine nut cake, and eight-treasure porridge heavily rely on pine nuts from Meihekou. More than half of the local pine nuts are exported to over 40 countries and regions, including the United States.
Despite the development, Meihekou faces challenges with single product structures and low added value. To further unlock the industry's economic potential, local associations have established a collaborative innovation platform between enterprises and academic institutions to tackle advanced pine nut processing technologies.
Some leading companies have already developed derivative products like pine nut coffee and pine nut wine, pushing the pine nut industry towards a high-value-added trajectory.
