This week on China Corner Office, Chris Marquis talks to Xavier Naville, who candidly writes about his many ups and downs doing business in China in The Lettuce Diaries: How A Frenchman Found Gold Growing Vegetables In China. Xavier discusses many of the illuminating experiences he had over his 15 years in China, including how he dealt with the country’s dispersed and complex produce supply chains in ways to make sure farmers were treated fairly while also meeting his customers’ quality needs. Xavier was the only non-Chinese at a firm of 1500 employees and so he also has a lot of insights into managing a Chinese workforce. Looking forward, Xavier also expresses an optimistic perspective on China’s unique agriculture sector and how through platforms like Pinduoduo smaller farms are now able to sell their products directly to consumers — and how, as a result, China is now leading the world in the digital grocery space.
