Agrilandia is a bit of a Beijing paradise, but with a mission.

This Italian-style farm not far from the airport is chock full of fresher air, vegetation, quaint and spacious hotel accommodation, and heavenly food.

Sure, it’s an excellent place to escape from the five-day workweek that seems more like 25 at the speed Beijing goes (save for government offices).

But the owner, Lu Hong Wei, has a bit more in mind than corporate retreat (or retreat from corporate).

She’s beginning to spearhead a consortium of Italian food producers that would lobby on their behalf for favorable treatment in China.

“We know lots of producers and know their problems,” Ms. Lu said.

Many producers hope they can enter the China market, Ms. Lu said, but they are often subverted. Sometimes they lack money to do it. Sometimes they can’t get past government regulations.

Ms. Lu intends to help them reach the market in China.

“We have existing channels to sell,” Ms. Lu said. She intends to help more Italian producers import their products into China, and also act as a service provider to promote their products.

Davide Pasini, who heads up marketing at Agrilandia, envisions a “political bargaining center for producers.”

He noted that the Italian food and beverage industry in China is precarious.

There have been bans on Italian cheese, for instance. The ham and salami market also has been restricted, he said.

Mr. Pasini has seen the following scenario unfold time and time again: A producer comes to China, makes considerable investment to distribute products, and after a few months, there is a government ban on said products. Until the ban is lifted, that producer loses a lot of money, he said.

At this point, Agrilandia is able to accept companies into its consortium. It is licensed to do so, Mr. Pasini said. It is in talks with the Italian embassy to further promote this effort.

The consortium is just now getting underway, but it is “ready to accept companies,” Mr. Pasini said.

As noted in our story yesterday, lobbying in China is different from in the West, although even among foreign companies, it is said to be as common as water. The difficulty Agrilandia may face is that being non-government associated, it may find it has little access to stakeholders that influence policy. We noted:

• Lobbying via Chinese trade associations can have mixed results. There are a lot of associations – more than 400 nationally – but their power is mitigated by two factors. Those that are completely autonomous can’t get access to government stakeholders. Those that aren’t can’t convey what they might like to. Those in the middle – with some access but without complete autonomy – could be helpful to engage.

Mr. Pasini said that Agrilandia is not an association, but rather a consortium of business interests. There also is a lot of variability from industry to industry in terms of interest group influence, so Agrilandia may have more luck than the average association when its consortium really gets underway.

It’s a big idea. And that suits Agrilandia – which is one big place – just fine.

The farm has some other big plans.

Like becoming a voice for the environment – and giving others a voice too.

“A lot of people would like to do something for environment protection but maybe they don’t have such a chance to do more,” Ms. Lu said. “We provide a chance.”

The farm has a big billboard space it’s willing to rent out to companies that have something to say about environmental protection.

About 300 to 400 people are expected to see it at the farm on a good weekend day – both foreigners and Chinese. Agrilandia intends to charge 2000 yuan per month for renting the space.

Really, Agrilandia itself should be message enough about the environment.

The green fields that soon will bear fruit ripe for picking are places as worthy of preservation as Hutongs.

So this summer, go chill out at Agrilandia – or get involved in its vision for a better world where Italian food, business, and the environment all can cohabitate peacefully in China.

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    Channel: Movers & Shakers     |