When I started thinking about what kind of products I would bring (as a business or on a more personal level) to Taiwan, I immediately thought of food. Whenever I return to Poland, I get souvenirs for my friends (and some for myself too). You can guess these are mostly food.
But before I move on to what kind of yummies could be imported to Taiwan and have a success rate, I want to point out two items, not for consumption, that would find their place in the local market.
1. Ceramics from Boleslawiec
Traditional Boleslawiec Pottery (https://thepotterywheel.com/boleslawiec-pottery-marks/)
Cute pottery set from Boleslawiec (https://zakladyboleslawiec.com/)
The city of Boleslawiec is a straight-away recognised name by any Polish person and is rather popular worldwide. So far, there have been a few exhibitions of pottery in Taiwan, but buying it without going through the hassle of importing it from abroad or having the possibility to buy it once every few years, is not an option in Taiwan. The quality of ceramics from Boleslawiec and its unique style would find a place in Taiwan, no matter how popular the local ceramics popularity.
2. Household items/clothes with Polish minorities motifs
Looking at the photos below, you will understand why bringing household items, clothing, and more with those patterns is an excellent idea for solid intercultural and business cooperation between Poland and Taiwan. Those clothes are proof of hundreds and hundreds of years of ethnic culture and look beautiful, unique or cute.
Modern scarf with traditional Lowicz patterns (https://dzotczi.pl/blog/motywy-folkowe-codzien/)
Traditional Lowicz style dress with modern twist (https://art-madam.pl/sukienki/handmade-indywidualne-zamowienie-folky-folky,216965,856)
Food… Foooood…. Fooood!
Now let’s get back to the main topic – what foods can be brought and successfully told in Taiwan?
The question isn’t as easy to answer as “What can I bring from Poland as a souvenir?”. In my experience, traditional Polish food doesn’t agree with Taiwanese people. When I got to Taiwan in 2015, I couldn’t find anything that was Polish (except for some vodka in bigger Carrefour branches) and wasn’t sold/made by a Polish person. When I arrived in Taiwan in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic (2021), I was surprised to see Polish sweets in a place that can be found 5 kilometres from any location in Taiwan – the famous 7/11 stores. Not all stores have it, but so far, every other one has the traditional Wedel chocolate and a long-time favourite Jezyki (a type of crunchy biscuit with raisins and nuts covered in sweet or dark chocolate). It is also relatively easy to buy Polish beer and vodka (in RT-mart大潤發, Carrefours and more). There are also some tiny businesses situated all across the island – some bake traditional bread, some make pierogis (traditional dumplings) and some deal with cured meat (although, from what I’ve heard, it is not entirely conventional as the method requires particular wood and conditions).
So, are those products popular if we can buy all of those things (considering there are fewer than 500 Poles residing in Taiwan)? Probably yes (and no). The chocolates we can find in convenience stores are under the brand of Wedel, which is owned by Lotte (a Korean company), explaining how it ended up all over the island. The more traditional products don’t fare very well (as per informal talks with booth owners on Expos, night markets and import/export companies) as they don’t suit the local palate well. It is also heavily expensive to bring in consumables (especially meat and fruit) prevalent in Poland. However, to my knowledge, nobody tried to enter the market on a large scale (backed by the government or cultural offices etc.), so it is rather challenging to decide if there is a market for various “proper” Polish food.
To sum it up, I would like to see more sweets and traditional snacks (like dried plums in chocolate over here), but I don’t believe there is a larger market for Polish food in Taiwan. Except for pierogis… Everybody likes pierogis, so it is time for some companies to start bringing them in!
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