Fuwan Chocolate: A Taiwanese Chocolate Legend from Bean to World Champion

Located in Donggang, Pingtung, Fuwan Chocolate is not just a chocolate factory, but also the realization of a dream and a model for Taiwan's agricultural transformation. From a desolate cocoa plantation to the internationally renowned World Chocolate Competition gold medal, Fuwan Chocolate's story is full of challenges, innovation, and love for the land of Taiwan.

Fuwan Chocolate was founded in 2015 by Hsu Hua-Jen, Taiwan's first international chocolate taster. At the age of 25, he transitioned from executive chef to the chocolate field, his passion for Taiwanese agriculture leading him down a completely different path. He discovered that Taiwan's climate is very suitable for growing cocoa, so he decided to start his cocoa dream in Donggang, Pingtung. Initially, he faced many challenges, including insufficient planting techniques and unfamiliarity with the market. However, he did not give up, but actively learned and experimented, eventually succeeding in growing high-quality cocoa beans. In 2017, he shifted to the "Tree to Bar" model, purchasing fresh cocoa fruit from local Pingtung and fermenting, drying, and roasting it himself, becoming one of the few brands in the world to master this complete process. He also developed unique flavors using local Taiwanese ingredients such as sakura shrimp, maqaw, and red quinoa, winning hundreds of international gold medals, including ICA's World's Best Dark Chocolate, and exporting to 13 countries.

Fuwan Chocolate Factory is not only a place to produce chocolate, but also an educational chocolate estate. Here, you can witness the process of cocoa beans turning into chocolate and learn about the chocolate-making process. From cocoa tree field management, fruit picking, centralized fermentation (producing unique flavors), sun-drying and roasting, coarse crushing, cocoa butter extraction, to temperature adjustment and molding, the entire process takes more than 1 month, and low-temperature aging takes more than half a year. Using the original FIDARGS process, more than 80% of the raw materials come from Pingtung, Taiwan, insisting on natural cocoa butter without hydrogenated oil. The factory's cocoa garden, fermentation field, drying field, roasting room, grinding room, and temperature control room are all carefully designed and strictly controlled.

The factory offers guided tours, and professional guides will take you through each area, explaining the chocolate-making process in detail, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of chocolate. In addition, the factory also has a DIY experience area, where you can make your own chocolate and enjoy the fun of making it.

Fuwan Chocolate insists on using cocoa beans grown locally in Taiwan and adopts a unique production process to perfectly present the flavor of cocoa beans. Their cocoa beans undergo fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, and temperature adjustment, and each step affects the flavor of the chocolate. The chocolate masters strive for perfection in every detail, striving to present the best chocolate to consumers. Their efforts have also been recognized internationally. They have won numerous awards in the World Chocolate Competition, including gold, silver, and bronze medals. These awards are not only an affirmation of the quality of their chocolate, but also an affirmation of Taiwanese agriculture.

In addition to producing chocolate, there is also a restaurant that uses champion chocolate to make baked bread, sweet and savory snacks, cocoa tea, sparkling drinks, world champion coffee, and Taiwanese wild tea, providing globally unique products and offering a variety of chocolate delicacies. The restaurant's menu is themed around chocolate, incorporating chocolate into various dishes, such as chocolate risotto, chocolate steak, chocolate pizza, and more. These dishes are not only delicious, but also full of creativity, allowing you to experience the infinite possibilities of chocolate.

The restaurant's desserts are also not to be missed. They offer a variety of chocolate desserts, such as chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate mousse, and more. These desserts are all carefully made by Fuwan Chocolate's chocolate masters, and every bite is full of happiness.

In addition to the restaurant, the estate also has Design Villa accommodation, a unique design resort villa that provides accommodation services, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the estate more deeply. Wedding, resort meeting, boutique catering and other services can also be booked in the park's grassland. It can only be said that Fuwan Manor is not only a chocolate factory, but also a comprehensive leisure park, which is very suitable for the whole family to experience together.

『Fuwan Chocolate』

Address: No. 100, Dapeng Road, Donggang Township, Pingtung County
Opening hours: 9:00~18:00 daily
Entrance fee: Free admission (DIY, guided tours, catering, and accommodation are subject to additional charges)

Transportation:
Public transportation: You can take a train or bus to nearby stations such as Donggang/Fangliao/Linbian, and then take a taxi or local bus to the manor (depending on the schedule of the day). If departing from Kaohsiung, you can first go to Kaohsiung Station/Kaohsiung Zuoying, and then take a bus or long-distance bus to Donggang, and then take a short shuttle.