Introduction

At the beginning of our cyberfair project, we found there was a wide coverage about Red on Tree in the media. These reports triggered our curiosity, and we started planning an interview with the brand owner and hoped to know this young entrepreneur in-person. Thus we made contact with Red on Tree and were very lucky to get a deeper look at this company.

Q1.  Why did you name your company as “Red on Tree”? What do you expect consumers to think about when they heard of “Red on Tree”? (Jie-sheng)
A1.  I hope that consumers may think about Taiwan when they heard the name “Red on Tree”. This name was brainstormed after discussion among our team. It means totally ripe fruits that taste marvelous, but this kind of fruits has very little commercial value because it is too ripe to be transported. In other words, fruits that are red on tree cannot be stored away, and are a blessing for the locals only. Therefore this name serves as a symbol that only the hard-working farmers and lucky local people may have access to such wonderful ripe fruits. As long as you love this land and identify with this local spirit, you are entitled to such heavenly flavors.

Q2.  What is your main idea of launching this brand? (Tsung- jun)
A2.  I hope to create more values for Taiwan’s farm produce and to let more people appreciate the precious things in Taiwan. Taiwanese are so blessed to have a variety of fruits on this island, yet in Europe, fruit sometimes costs more than meat. We shall learn to appreciate these beautiful crops and vegetables. If we don’t appreciate how much we have got, and squander what we have at present, we might one day find fruits in the markets all from mainland China and Southeast Asia. I sincerely hope that everyone realizes Taiwan is indeed a beautiful island with ample natural resources and loves what we grow on this island.

Q3.  Why do you want to establish this firm? Did your family give you any support? (Shu-han)
A3.  I considered starting a firm when I was a junior in college. As I discovered many good-quality, delicious fruits were not valued by the Taiwanese; it occurred to me that I might make processed fruits to impress our people and to increase the value of local product. Taiwan is “Fruit Kingdom “indeed. The reason why I chose jams as the major commodity is because jams are a kind of basic processed food and can be made in no time. It can be done without any additives and still tastes wonderful. All we need is a little sugar, fruits, and lemon juice. My family does not interfere with my business start-ups, because they know I was doing what I love and will not back away.

Q4.  Where are the fruits for Red on Tree coming from? How do you know the fruits you select are organic or toxin-free? (Ying-chen)

A4.  We only select local fruits grown in Taiwan and we have our franchised farms and orchards. Not all the fruits are organic, as a matter of fact, but they are sure to be toxin-free! Most important of all, not a trace of pesticides can be found in them. The way we pick good fruits relies on:

1. Mutual trust between us and farmers. We believe in their provided data and don’t doubt their integrity.
2. Frequent visits. We visit farmers quite often and look carefully at their soil, farming methods, and how they use fertilizers or do pest control. This is important for fruit cultivation.
3. Sample inspection. We send samples to the inspection labs to make sure they are toxin-free.

Q5.  What is the most popular item for now? Do you have any plan for new flavor or other kinds of product?  (Tsai-chen)
A5.  Red guava jams are most popular with our customers for the time being. Now we have tried to make coffee-related products as a breakthrough. We also considered other processed food such as cocoa, so it might be possible to have chocolate products in the future. We don’t set limits for our line of products, only that we want to make sure the timing is right, and if we are capable of doing this at any given time. We are a technology-oriented company, and we want to do good things when the timing is right.

Q6.  How did you promote your commodities?  (Hui-yu)
A6.  We never spent a penny on any advertisement; no matter it is a TV program, newspapers or magazines. Of course there is still room for improvement, but we as a conservative company, tend to make investment in commodity quality, which, in our opinion, is what really matters. That’s why we don’t want to spend in commercials, and would think it more meaningful to put money in food technology so as to give feedback to local farmers and our consumers.

Q7.  Why do you keep on doing this business since Red on Tree has not brought in sufficient profits yet? (Tsung- jun)
A7.  Currently our head chef takes care of desserts and jams, and I deal with public relations affairs. This company is my dream, even though it has burned a lot of money so far. I am able to last awhile, and I really want to do more to keep this company alive, because this is a calling to me, and I want to make contributions to our society. Maybe we should inspect the process of making for the first place. I took a major in horticulture, and for me, knowledge itself does not bring joy. It is the application of knowledge that makes me happy. I love the idea that what I read in books prove to be applicable in reality.

Q8.  What hardships do you think are most challenging for Taiwanese farmers?  (Ying-chen)
A8.  Farming is a high-risk work and uncertainty like natural disasters influences the results a lot. The weather, including sunshine, rain, typhoons and so forth, could sway the production and damage all the efforts. Farmers won’t know in advance what the harvest will be like this year, and their living cannot be guaranteed. Also, they are not familiar with internet and have difficulties searching updated information.

Q9.  Recent news about food safety has triggered the public’s concern and panic. If we want to do food safety education for the public, what is your suggestion? (Wei-che)
A9.  Our products are toxin-free; no worries about that. As to food safety, I think consumers shall take more responsibility over what they eat every day. When purchasing products, they shall make a point of knowing what the contents of this food are. People are inclined to buy convenient, cheap foods, which leads to this outbreak of crisis months ago. I think it is important to start from early education, and schools shall take food safety into textbooks so as to help our future generation to understand basic concepts about it.

Q10. What is your recommendation for our initial promotion program about food safety? (Wei-che)
A10. It is really interesting and meaningful to take this issue into the course. Since making jams require scientific knowledge and lab experiments, I believe you have learned a lot from such experiments. It is of vital importance for today’s people to know more about food safety, and I wish your efforts may be well paid off.

Conclusion