Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei Attends Coffee Events in Succession, Aims to Build a Coffee Tourism City

The Hualien City Zhu Nong Community Development Association and the 2019 Hualien County Indigenous Coffee Acclaim Series Events held the "108th Year Coffee Craft Training Activity" and the "Hualien Good Coffee, It's All About You - Coffee Cupping Finals" on the 23rd (yesterday) at the Zhu Nong Community Activity Center and New Paradise respectively. County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei hopes that Hualien coffee will become part of Hualien's culture, and that Hualien's coffee industry will be pushed into the international market, boosting Hualien's overall economic development.

County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei stated that the president of the International Panama Fine Coffee Association, Mr. Wilford Lamastus, who is also the owner of the renowned Elida Estate, came to Hualien to share the characteristics of Panama's coffee-growing regions, and also provided many innovative ideas to local coffee farmers in Hualien, including that coffee is a high-value industry with a global annual trade volume of up to 45 billion USD, of which Taiwan accounts for 2.5 billion USD in output value.

She mentioned that Hualien's coffee industry has a history of one hundred years, and that the unique natural climate and soil of Hualien's Wuhe, the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range are also quite suitable for growing coffee. She also hopes that Hualien coffee will become part of Hualien's culture, and she invited fellow residents to come together to learn about coffee and taste coffee.

County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei pointed out that she hopes that through international-level coffee competitions, coffee master exchange and sharing sessions, and Panama master Mr. Wilford Lamastus sharing his coffee estate planting experience, Hualien's own energy can be gradually enhanced. She also gave advance notice that the county government will have a series of coffee courses and activities, and looks forward to adding the aroma of coffee to Hualien, a tourism city, following the aroma of rice and the aroma of tea, making it part of the daily life culture of Hualien residents. Afterwards, County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei strolled through the surrounding vendor stalls and small market, offering encouragement.