Slow growth

However, the goodwill project to help local farmers profit from their kiwi fruit has struggled. In the first two years of the company's operation, she and her son poured 1.5 million yuan into advertising and marketing, but the sales have not been enough to make the company profitable.

"We never failed to pay the farmers for their hard work but we have suffered from losses throughout the years. It has been hard but I don't want to give up," Shen said.

Shi said they've upgraded marketing through new packaging and putting a QR code on the tag so consumers can read information about the kiwi fruit and the lives of the low-income farmers who produce it. The company has also expanded its line of goods to more than 100 food products, including some sourced from Yunnan and Qinghai provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Shen expects the business's performance to soon improve, as its products have recently been included on the list of recommended goods for local governments and enterprises to purchase as part of a national drive to help farmers out of poverty.

Despite her age, Shen said she enjoys keeping busy and working with younger people. "You don't go into charity work if you want to make a fortune. I just want to make my life worthwhile."