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Cover Story

commercial coffee varieties to be planted in Taiwan from serious setbacks, suffering significant frost injuries. This
Java in 1901. Liberica, Robusta, and Arabica coffee were led to a steep fall in coffee quantity and, as a result, a steep
planted in Pingtong Hengchun, near what is now Kenting rise in coffee prices. The United States of America, which
National Park. consumed about 1/3 of the world’s coffee and hoped to
After more than a decade of research and evaluations, stabilize the skyrocketing price of beans, began encourag-
it was concluded that the Arabica variety were the most ing countries in subtropical regions to plant coffee.
successful in Taiwan. The Japanese then established the Taiwan at that time was under American aid, so
Chiayi Agricultural Research Branch, collecting data from the Agricultural Restoration Committee, with American
Hengchun and from other small coffee farms throughout backings, contracted Japanese-American coffee specialist
Taiwan, laying down the foundation for future industry- Doctor Gotou to investigate the possibility of reviving coffee
grade coffee farming. farming in Gukeng of Yunlin County. After setting up the
The Japanese were methodical in developing Tai- initial base of operations in Yunlin County, the Agricultural
wanese coffee farming. They first tried to determine the Restoration Committee devoted over 20 million Taiwan-
suitability Taiwan for coffee farming. Once they ascertained ese dollars to found the Yun Lin Hsien Economic Farm ,
the practicality of planting Arabica coffee in Taiwan, they complete with the most advanced American and German
then devoted their industrial resources to set up coffee farm water processing units, mills, roasters, grinders, and can
in Taiwan, which the Japanese government planned to turn machines which money could buy. It became known as the
into the largest coffee producer for Imperial Japan. First largest coffee milling plant in Eastern Asia, and an important
establishing Tonan Industry Co., Ltd. in Douliu of Yunlin contributing factor to Taiwanese trade surpluses.
County in 1927, the Japanese subsequently established However, the high production costs of coffee in
sizable coffee farms in both Hualien County and Taitung Taiwan and the increasing coffee production in Central
County. Eastern Taiwan thus did become the largest coffee and Southern America, which led to the eventual decline of
producer for Japan at the time. international coffee prices once again, would soon impact
Taiwanese coffee industry. Coffee from Taiwan, priced
several times higher than coffee from Central and Southern
America, began to lose its competitive edge. After 1962,
the Agriculture Restoration Committee stopped backing
the Yun Lin Hsien Economic Farm, and Taiwanese coffee
farming once again went into decline as farmers chopped
down coffee trees to plant more lucrative crops. This time,
the decline of coffee would last 30 years, until its eventual
re-revival in the aftermaths of the 921 earthquake in 1999.
The second peak of Taiwanese coffee industry did
not last, but before its decline, it reached some landmark
heights. In 1962, the total coffee production year was at
155,890 kilograms, exceeding the record set during Japa-
nese occupation. In fact, during the period of American aid,
Taiwanese coffee production exceeded that during Japanese
occupation in both unit production and total production.
The Popularity of Instant Coffee and the Rarity of
Brewed Coffee
Another development in Taiwan coffee industry After the Second World War, instant coffee was
during Japanese occupation was the emergence of cafes. the most mainstream coffee product. This period between
Though at the time, cafes were only frequented by the 1945 and 1966 was later termed the “First Wave of Coffee.”
privileged Japanese and a select few Taiwanese artists. Taiwan under American aid was also deeply entrenched
Regular Taiwanese residents, like all Chinese in general, in instant coffee culture. Coffee pack with milk and sugar,
were still more aligned with the Chinese tea culture, and made by Nescafe or Maxwell House, were the trendiest and
preferred tea as their drink of choice. most popular coffee by far. Cafes serving dripped coffee
Taiwan coffee production peaked at 139,805 kilo- or utilizing the syphon existed sporadically. The oldest of
grams in 1940. The coffee produced mainly consisted of these cafes was Fongda Café, located on Chengdu Road in
Brazilian Typica, Red Bourbon, and Java Typica. However, Ximending. The owner Cao Zhiguang opened the doors of
with the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II and Fongda in 1956, and the café has, to this day, proudly stood
the end of Japanese occupation, Taiwanese coffee produc- the test of time for more than half a century. Cao was once
tion fell drastically since Japanese coffee specialists soon a prominent bee keeper who frequently travelled abroad
returned to Japan. In 1949, total coffee production in for his business. Learning about coffee in his travels, he
Taiwan fell to 14 kilograms, a staggering number indeed. eventually decided, after one bee sting too many, to start
his own coffee import business and open his own café.
Second Peak: Period of American Aid (1951-1965) Fongda, meaning “the bee master” in Chinese, is the oldest
Despite the sharp decline of coffee production, café, coffee shop, and green bean supplier in the city of
Taiwanese coffee industry did not forevermore fade into Taipei right now.
obscurity after Taiwan was restored as a part of China. Also on Chengdu Road is a Nanmay Café, which
What happened on the other side of the globe prevented has been business for 53 years. It is often referred to as
it. From 1953 to 1954, Brazilian coffee production ran into the first café in Taipei to roast its own beans. Both Fongda
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