"Taiwan Stationed in the UK" (Episode 5) When "Cambridge Bakery" first started selling its products, it had no distribution channels and no brand recognition. The only opportunity to promote Taiwanese pastries was through participation in the British Snack Festival. This festival was often held in London, and besides having my husband drive me (I can't drive), the round trip from Cambridge to London took at least four hours. Add to that the large quantity of pastries we had to prepare each time, requiring a week of back-to-back all-nighters to get everything ready. When the sales event coincided with winter, we had to stand outdoors all day selling in sub-zero temperatures. I was lucky enough to sell out in three hours,...
Living in the UK for an extended period of time, due to its latitude and climate, coupled with the cold and gloomy winters, has led me to develop depression. I started making pineapple cakes simply to fulfill my eldest son's dream and add some fun to life. Initially, there was no pressure, but the research and development costs were staggering. My hardworking husband always covered the material costs. Later, I discovered that baking was the only time I could truly focus my mind, and I'd also heard that baking could help with depression. A friend suggested, "It's healthier and cheaper than medication, and it might even lead you to your dream." Deep down, I really hope to rediscover joy in...
"Taiwan's Station in the UK" (Episode 4) To start my business, I had to obtain a British health certificate, pass a five-star kitchen inspection, and so on. Even though I was over 40 and my memory was failing, I still diligently memorized the professional English terminology. Compared to the hard work of building distribution channels, all that studying English wasn't as arduous as the initial effort of establishing those channels. Sometimes, to earn just five pounds, I would deliver goods by bicycle in the cold winter, selling at cost price without pay and having to deal with customers' attitudes. All of this was part of the learning process. In the first few years of selling pineapple cakes, the process was...
"Taiwan's Station in the UK" (Episode 2) Everyone's family background is different. I was a student in the lower grades during my school years, and I witnessed all the exciting moments of the "cattle class". I remember when I first got married and moved to Cambridge in 1999, I met many friends here and accompanied elites from all over the world. This made me feel inferior and insecure. I felt clumsy and couldn't even speak basic English conversations smoothly. In the loneliness of a foreign land, I could only quietly soothe my homesickness with the flavors of home in the kitchen, while also taking care of the health of my children and the whole family. I also used food to...
Thank you to the Facebook page administrator of "Immigrant Stories Across the Ocean" for the invitation, which gave me the opportunity to share the origins of my journey in starting Kang Chiao Bakery in the UK. Please enjoy my journey from a baking novice to a professional Taiwanese pastry baker. My growth process of starting a business in a foreign land was filled with laughter and tears. The process was not easy, but it felt so good to strive for my dreams in a foreign land! Without sacrifice, one can achieve nothing! Those who have never experienced hardship are afraid of storms; People who haven't experienced setbacks are especially vulnerable; Those who have never lost or failed will find it...
