How can the bitter tea oil industry be revitalized?

[About Cha Shih Tang]

Writing civilization through agriculture, having a dialogue with the land through food and drink.

Cha Shih Tang, a brand originally built on bitter tea powder cleaners, was forced by the impact of a financial crisis to return to its original aspiration, to rethink who it is and what the value of the brand and its products really is.

The story goes back to the 1970s of the Republic of China era. At the time, the government encouraged farmers to plant bitter tea trees (also known as oil tea trees). Bitter tea seeds had high economic value and fetched good prices, attracting large numbers of farmers to grow them. The bitter tea seed industry flourished. With the import of foreign raw materials and bitter tea seeds from the mainland, the price of bitter tea seeds in Taiwan, China gradually shrank, the market became more diversified in its choices, and farmers were not good at sales, which led consumers to distrust bitter tea oil produced by farmers themselves. As the farmers grew older, they began to feel a lack of accomplishment, and the second generation was unwilling to take up farming, causing a severe agricultural gap. In the end, the bitter tea seed industry gradually declined. Cha Shih Tang, which had always used bitter tea seeds as its main raw material, learned about the history of bitter tea seeds by chance and decided to change everything, which gave Cha Shih Tang a sense of meaning.

Cha Shih Tang saw this decline into near extinction and hoped to change it, to change the meaning of all this. But how should it begin? And how should it change? Could change bring revival? These questions kept surfacing in our minds, and so in 2014 we took the first step of the "Revival Project" to revive bitter tea oil.

[About the Road to Bitter Tea Oil Revival]

With the simplest drop of oil, we bring basic human decency and social principles back through food and drink.

The road to bitter tea oil revival is a journey of discovery that began with the bitter tea seed industry.

Starting from food and drink, it is a knowledge platform dedicated to conveying contemporary urban life and capturing diverse life experiences, using people, events, time, place, objects and experiences, the simplest everyday things in life, as the starting point for our storytelling.

Food is not merely about filling three meals; it speaks even more of the bond between people and people, people and the land, and the land and the land. We do not forget past traditions and historical memories, and we try to find the possibility of blending and coexistence between the old and the new, so that emotions may continue.

Retain, linger, remember

We record the story of the bitter tea seed industry once again, hoping that a very, very, very long time from now, when we look back, the sincerity between people will still be there.

We care about:

1. From cultural creativity to agricultural creativity: returning to land-friendly farming methods, supporting farmers and valuing production records is a global trend.
2. Reflection on authenticity: after food safety incidents, rethink transparent traceability and respect and trust regarding food and drink.
3. The pure taste of cooking: care for and properly work the land, think through its principles, and recover the truest flavor of food.
4. Harmony among heaven, earth and people: a natural land movement, the sun, the land, labor and food in repeated cycles; food and drink give us strength, and we thrive together.

Next, we will share with you this oil-seeking journey — "The Road to Bitter Tea Oil Revival."