Building a Chocolate Community in Taiwan

Finding a cacao farm in Taiwan was almost unheard of until Fu Wan Chocolate came onto the scene. Starting as a chef in Fu Wan Cafe Villa, founder Warren Hsu has been a huge supporter of locally sourced ingredients. While he was sourcing seasonal local ingredients to add to his cuisine, he stumbled upon a cacao farm in Pingtung, a county in the South of Taiwan, and had the idea of incorporating cacao beans into his creations.
In the beginning, Fu Wan sourced cacao beans worldwide, including in Taiwan, as they were unsure how to adopt the model of Tree-to-Bar Chocolate. They adopted a Bean-to-Bar model, sourcing the cocoa beans from farmers in South America. After three years of learning and building their brand, Fu Wan adopted the Tree-to-Bar model to use locally sourced cacao beans and ferment the cacao in-house.

Making a Mark in the Chocolate World


Some regard them as the NASA of chocolate, which aligns well with how Fu Wan presents itself. They are always willing to innovate and experiment with different fermentation processes, techniques, and ingredients to showcase what Taiwan has to offer to the world.
Response to the Pandemic

In reaction, Fu Wan diversified their products to suit the current spending habits of Taiwanese consumers and make Fu Wan more resilient. With the domestic market being their major target audience, they diversified their product offerings by introducing biscuits and pastries, items that Taiwanese consume daily.

One reason that Fu Wan is able to make progress and compete in the industry is that they know the taste buds of their primary target consumers. Given Taiwan’s subtropical climate, people don’t consume as much chocolate as their western counterparts. In addition, Taiwanese tend to consume savory products more than sweets. Therefore, Fu Wan’s dark chocolate series does better in comparison to the milk or white chocolates.
"We definitely see a growing demand for fine chocolates in Asia as people start to appreciate chocolates and a growing awareness of the health benefits of consuming chocolate."
- Warren Hsu, Founder of Fu Wan Chocolate
The pandemic will not stop Fu Wan from progressing as they are confident in Asia’s growing market.
Advice to the Next Generation of Leaders in Fine Chocolate

Reflecting back on his journey, Hsu was unsure where this venture will take him and how it will go. He started with a firm belief that everyone loves good chocolate and that the chocolate market is still vast to explore. But soon he realized it was not so simple. There were no proven guidelines or standards to reference when they started the Tree-to-Bar model; without any way to forecast the outcome, Hsu was uncertain about where this new model would lead Fu Wan.

The next generation of fine chocolate leaders will need a lot of passion for chocolate to go far in this industry. However, Hsu expresses a sense of hope for the chocolate scene in Asia. I am excited to see what Fu Wan will bring to the table in the future and in the meantime, I am heading over to order myself an award-winning chocolate bar and get a taste of the fruit of their labor.
Don't miss FCIA’s webinar featuring Fu Wan Chocolate’s Founder Warren Hsu on November 4, 2021! He will share insights on the chocolate preferences in Asia and the cacao flavor profile of Taiwanese consumers. You can find more details and register for the webinar on the FCIA website.
Photos courtesy of Fu Wan Chocolate.
