Pizza Hut developed truffle pizza series to help Chinese farmers

Duan Chaowen is an experienced truffle hunter. [Photo: China Plus/ Chi Huiguang]

60-year old Duan Chaowen is an experienced truffle hunter, a very expensive and sought-after kind of mushroom, in southwest China's Yunnan Province. He recently received special training on how to pick and protect the mushroom "treasure" scientifically for its sustainable development.

The maturation season of Yunnan truffles are from mid-November to the end of February of the following year or later. Due to the lack of corresponding scientific knowledge, local farmers began excavation in July. Immature truffles are of small size and poor quality, resulting in insufficient competitiveness in the international market and low prices. What's more serious is that this poor picking method that has caused a waste of resources, shrinking the truffle population, which eventually led to a sharp drop in truffle production.

Pizza Hut partnered with the local government to invite agricultural experts to provide guidance and training to local farmers. [Photo: China Plus/ Chi Huiguang]

Pizza Hut partnered with the local government to invite agricultural experts to provide guidance and training to local farmers, helping them to grasp scientific truffle digging and picking technology, as well as strengthening their supply chain management skills to achieve the sustainable development of the Yunnan black truffle industry. Duan Chaowen became the first beneficiary of the project.

It is more efficient and scientific to use dogs to find truffles. [Photo: China Plus/ Chi Huiguang]

In the past, it was well known that sows (pigs) were used to find truffles, but in fact, it is more efficient and scientific to use dogs to find truffles. Because dogs are more stable, they can better understand the instructions of the people and will not destroy the mushrooms.

Pizza Hut has developed a new series of truffles. [Photo: China Plus/ Chi Huiguang]

At the same time, Pizza Hut has developed a new series of truffles, and helped local companies improve their qualifications and procurement specifications. The company also purchased large quantities of Yunnan truffles. This move not only brought economic benefits to the local area, but also brought Yunnan Truffle to the Pizza Hut supply chain for the first time. The Pizza Hut truffle pizza series, which uses high-quality truffles from Yunnan, was officially listed in more than 2,200 Pizza Hut restaurants throughout China in April and has become popular among consumers.