It was a sunny Friday morning when I took an early train from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, to Yilan, on Taiwan’s east coast, to meet Master Fu, the owner of an organic family owned tea farm. 

Nearly ten years ago, Fu left his career at a tech company to return home and take over the tea farm, a family tea farm named after him by his grandfather. As the fourth-generation successor, he manages every step from cultivation and production to sales, while gradually transforming the farm from conventional agriculture into an organic tea garden. Through this shift, he promotes 100% pesticide-free Yilan tea that is fully grown, produced, and sold by the family.

Beyond tea production, Fu is dedicated to rediscovering and preserving the history of Yilan tea culture. He believes that local people must first understand and identify with their own heritage before sharing its uniqueness with others. By studying historical records, visiting elders, and tracing traditional tea-making techniques, he connects the changing flavors of tea with Taiwan’s social and cultural transformation.

Combining his father’s craftsmanship with his own innovative mindset, Fu developed products such as Kungfu Black Tea 功夫紅茶, using oolong tea-making techniques to reduce the bitterness of black tea while enhancing the fruity sweetness uniquely with Taiwanese oolong. 

“I want to rediscover the context and history of tea cultivation in Yilan. Only when local people first build a sense of identity with it can we share what makes Yilan unique with others.” - Fu Yu