Local Businesses Changing with the Times 傳統產業 亮起來
Local Businesses Changing with the Times
◎English Written by Lin Fang-ju
◎Photos courtesy of Lin Yu-en, Yang Chan-hua, Hou Ya-ting, Jhenfang's Mullet Roe, Mom's Great Stewed Delicacies
With Kaohsiung's industries relocating to other regions, local businesses are finding ways to reinvent themselves and keep up with the changing economy. Kaohsiung-based Jhenfang's Mullet Roe, Mom's Great Stewed Delicacies and Puhu Shoes are now incorporating production and factory tours into their businesses. This initiative has not only given their businesses a new vitality but has also increased local tourism.
◎Jhenfang's Mullet Roe
Jhenfang's Mullet Roe is located in Yancheng District. Jhenfang's Mullet Roe has traditionally sold products that were bought as gifts to give friends during holidays or for important house guests. This sixty-year-old business is now being run by second generation owner, Lin Yi-tian. Lin is striving to find a balance between tradition and innovation. He explains the modern challenges of maintaining traditional manual production of Mullet Roe include avoiding over-exposure of the sun, maintaining high levels of sanitation and being able to offer an affordable unit price. Over a year ago, Lin became ISO20002 and HACCP certified. This gave the business the opportunity to stretch its brand into a factory tour service, ensure high standards for sanitation, safety and the continuity of an age old business.
Lin explains the transformation into a factory tour company was a long and involved process. This included obtaining third party consultation, finding a location and purchasing and implementing the proper equipment. He stressed the transformation was their only option for survival. The new factory will be complete and ready for tours by the end of October. Lin also plans to include an exhibition center to illustrate the ecological background of Mullet Roe and its related folktales. The factory will also include a greenhouse type structure in order to maintain standardized, hygienic exposure to the sun. Group reservations are now available.
The 1.5 hour tour will allow visitors to observe production and experience the Mullet Roe cultural center. It will also give visitors the opportunity to make their own Mullet Roe. Visitors learn about Mullet Roe production from beginning to end and get to take their products home. Mullet Roe takes about a week of being sun dried in order to be ready to eat. Lin says the DYI experience they offer will make customers enjoy and appreciate Mullet Roe even more. He has also begun to develop a variety of different Mullet Roe products and hopes to expand this traditional delicacy into the international market.
◎Mom's Great Stewed Delicacies
Mom's Great Stewed Delicacies is situated in a Kaohsiung County farmhouse located in Gangshan Township. The owner Lin Cong-long and his wife were once street vendors at the night market. Their business did very well, but due to long working hours they had to keep their son with them while they were worked. As the child grew up, they found his interest was limited to playing pinball games. Mr. and Mrs. Lin knew it was time to offer him a better environment. They decided to move back to their hometown in the countryside and become wholesale distributors of stewed dishes.
Since the factory is right in their farmhouse, the Lins also began to sell produce and attended culinary exhibitions in Singapore and Hong Kong. They then began to receive orders from international clients who expressed an interest in visiting their factory to observe production procedures. They were thrilled that their products had gained international recognition but worried the farmhouse factory would not comply with international regulations. This was the beginning of their factory transformation. This transformation began in 2002, in 2003 they became GMP certified, which was followed by ISO20002 and HACCP certifications in 2005. In 2008, they applied to an assistance program offered by the Industrial Development Bureau to help them become more transparent and hygienic and develop factory tours. Factory expansion got underway and a new factory was built next to the old factory. Completion and public tours will begin by end of this year. It can accommodate up to four to six tourist busses every day. Currently, two to three buses come each day from schools, public sector, kindergartens and Chinese tourists. The tour lasts for 1.5 hours and includes production procedures and the opportunity to learn how to make stewed food.
◎Puhu Shoes
Puhu Shoes is a Taiwanese brand that exports 40% of their products to Japan. The rest is sold domestically, which include product placement in 10 retail stores and 8 department stores. In order to maintain productions in Taiwan, they began the only shoe factory tour in the country. Puhu's distribution marketing manager Shyue Bo-shiang said this was due to the fact that the factory is located in a narrow alley and they could only take reservations for two group tours of up to 80 people per day.
Apart from observing production, kids can paint their own white canvas shoes and grownups can get a foot checkup. These checkups give people an idea of the characteristics of their feet and how to select the most suitable footwear for them. Shyue pointed out that a few people know how to select the best type of footwear for them. Foot scans are included in the factory tour, accompanied with shoe consultations. Visitors can buy ergonomic shoes and customize arch support.
傳統產業 亮起來
◎文／葉娜慧
◎照片提供／林育恩、楊蟬華、侯雅婷、珍芳烏魚子、棒媽媽滷味館
面對產業外移造成的衝擊，傳統產業力求轉型。位處高雄的珍芳烏魚子、棒媽媽滷味館及彪琥鞋業，轉型成為觀光工廠，藉著讓參觀者DIY體驗的樂趣，吸引觀光客造訪，為企業找到新命脈，再創佳績。
◎珍芳烏魚子
在鹽埕區的老字號珍芳烏魚子，一直是高雄人年節送禮及招待貴賓的特色伴手禮，六十年老店由第二代的林義添接棒，林義添試著在傳承與創新中找出平衡點。他說，走過一甲子的店，一直維持著父母時代的生產方式，手工處理烏魚子、露天曝曬，在衛生上仍有疑慮，再加上製作單價仍偏高，讓這傳統的好味道面臨經營危機。一年多前，他選擇申請成為觀光工廠，並通過ISO20002、HACCP認證，讓食品衛生及安全升級，也讓傳承不斷層。
林義添說，決定轉型為觀光工廠後，便尋求專家協助規劃，規劃後便積極找地，地點確定後購置廠房設備及機器等，歷經一段轉型的路程，他強調轉型生存是唯一的選擇，目前新廠房已接近完工階段，在廠房內，他建構了烏魚文化館，呈現烏魚文化及民間故事，同時也設置一座超大型的玻璃曝曬場，在最衛生的環境中曝曬烏魚子。
珍芳烏魚子觀光工廠在十月底開始正式開放參訪，目前已開始接受團體預約參觀，觀光客到該廠參觀行程約一個半小時，除了參觀廠內設施及文化館外，包括動手製作烏魚子，從烏魚子的處理到整理成型，再帶回家曬一個星期便可以食用，林義添說，自己動手做的烏魚子吃起來別有風味，也著手研發更多烏魚子產品，並期許將烏魚子這傳統美食推展到國際上。
◎棒媽媽滷味館
棒媽媽滷味館起源於高雄縣岡山鎮的農家，老闆林琮隆夫婦一開始是在夜市擺滷味攤，生意相當好，卻也因為忙於工作而不得不將小孩子帶在身邊就近照顧，當孩子漸漸長大，卻總是跑到隔壁的遊樂攤子打彈珠，夫婦倆不希望孩子在乏人照顧的環境下成長，於是決定轉行做滷味批發，並搬回鄉下老家。
由於工廠就在家裡，出生於農村的林琮隆也兼作農產品的買賣，一次因緣際會中，前往新加坡、香港參加美食展，並順利拿到訂單，讓夫婦倆雀躍不已，但隨著拿到訂單而來的是外國客戶想前來參觀工廠及製作方式，讓他們既開心又擔心，開心的是產品受到國際肯定，擔心的是農屋改造而成的工廠恐怕不符合國際規定，於是夫婦倆開始為工廠進行轉型計劃。
棒媽媽滷味館從民國九十一年開始轉型，九十二年獲得GMP認證、九十四年獲得ISO20002、HACCP認證、九十七年申請工業局工廠觀光化的輔導，讓工廠更透明化，也更乾淨衛生，工廠擴建也在此同時進行，位在原廠隔壁的觀光工廠預計今年底完成，屆時一天將可接受四至六部遊覽車的觀光團體到廠參觀；目前一天約二至三輛遊覽車人潮，有公教團體、幼稚園師生及陸客等，到廠參觀時間約一個半小時，除可參觀工廠內製作情形外，還可親手製做滷味。
◎彪琥鞋業
不同於珍芳烏魚子及棒媽媽滷味館的食品業，彪琥鞋業則是台灣自創品牌的鞋子，員工及設計師全都是台灣人，目前百分之四十外銷日本，百分之六十內銷，在全台有十家門市，八個據點在百貨公司；為了根留台灣且更為茁壯，彪琥選擇轉型為觀光工廠，成為全台第一也是唯一的鞋業觀光工廠，彪琥行銷部經銷經理薛博祥說，因該工廠位在巷子裡，無法容納很多人，目前一天上下午各可接受兩團共八十人的團體預約參觀，參觀製鞋過程，小朋友團還可以在白布鞋上彩繪出一雙屬於自己的鞋；大人則可安排足部健檢，了解自己足部的特性，以選擇最適合自己的鞋。
薛博祥強調，很少有人知道自己的腳最適合什麼樣的鞋，因此，在彪琥的觀光工廠中，提供足部掃瞄服務，經由電腦判別足型，再建議合適的鞋款，參觀者也可以在該工廠訂作客製化的足弓墊，作一雙符合人體工學的鞋子。