China News Service, Beijing, October 4th question: Taiwan baking champion's "Internet +" story
Author Li Hanxue Zheng Qiao
From a Taichung boy with poor homework to a baking competition champion, to original maishan hill executive chef, "post-80s" Lin Yuwei is now an online celebrity with hundreds of thousands of Weibo fans.
In 2012, the investor asked Lin Yuwei to go to Beijing to prepare a bakery, and the first original mai hill opened the following year. "The turnover in the first month exceeded 500,000 yuan, and in the second month, colleagues from all over the country came to learn about our bread." Lin Yuwei said: "I have some former Taiwanese colleagues who are puzzled. Why can Yuanmaishanqiu be so successful in the mainland? I told them that this is the Internet effect."
Recently, Lin Yuwei, the executive chef of Yuanmaishanqiu and baking champion from Taiwan, was interviewed by a reporter from China News Service, telling the story of his coming to the mainland to develop. The picture shows Lin Yuwei, the former executive chef of Maishan Hill, standing in front of the Zhongguancun store in Yuanmaishan Hill (now relocated). (Picture provided by the interviewee)
"The Yuanmai Hill just stepped into the node of mainland consumption upgrading and baking industry iteration. When most bakeries make Japanese sweet bread, we dare to be the first and try soft European bread ."
Lin Yuwei once learned from the Taiwanese bread master Wu Baochun , who is famous in the Chinese world. He was famous, but it was not smooth sailing. He likes to eat bread and doesn’t like to study. When he was thirteen or fourteen, Lin Yuwei went to the bakery to ask if he needed an apprentice. When he was in high school, he went to night school and studied in the bakery during the day. The two masters I met at the beginning did not really teach the skills, and after learning for a long time, Lin Yuwei still did chores. "It was not until I met Master Wu Baochun."
Recently, Lin Yuwei, the former executive chef of Maishan Hill and baking champion from Taiwan, was interviewed by a reporter from China News Service, telling the story of his coming to the mainland to develop. The picture shows Lin Yuwei making bread. (Picture provided by the interviewee)
When I was studying art with Wu Baochun for half a year, something has left Lin Yuwei with a deep impression on me. "I have always been very skilled in my work, so Master Wu comfortably gave me a very basic filling. It was very simple, but I cooked it. He felt that I was not attentive to that matter and asked me to go home to reflect on whether this attitude is suitable for baking."
Lin Yuwei said that that incident had a great blow to him and his master. "But, the master asked me to go home to reflect, but in fact he gave me another chance. The next day, I went back and told him that I wanted to continue studying. After that, I was very cautious in every simple ingredients and weighing ingredients."
After more than three years of apprenticeship, Wu Baochun introduced Lin Yuwei to work in a bakery in 2003. Seven years later, with the encouragement of the store owner and Wu Baochun, Lin Yuwei signed up for the first time in Taiwan's Four Heavenly Kings Bread Competition and won the event championship the next year.
From then on, he began to plan to develop into a larger market. "Most bakeries in Taiwan are single stores and husband-and-wife stores, and it is difficult to grow. Moreover, Taiwan's area is so large, and more and more stores are appearing, which is just a worsening of competition." Lin Yuwei said.
Coincidentally, the investor of Yuanmaishan Hill found him in 2012 and suggested that he come to Beijing first. Lin Yuwei noticed that the mainland baking industry is in its infancy, and "everyone has good aspirations and motivation in this environment."
Two months later, Lin Yuwei moved to Beijing. But the preparation process is more difficult than expected; the recipes brought by the company must be readjusted according to the Beijing climate, and in addition, it also needs to communicate and run-in with investors who are new to the baking industry. He said: "This requires adjustment by myself. I have something to compromise. For example, raising the price of a certain product according to the requirements of investors, I am confident that consumers can accept higher prices. But the quality of bread must be adhered to."
After more than a year of preparation, the first store, originally Maishan Hill, was located in Zhongguancun, Beijing. "Why choose Guancun? Because there are many Internet companies nearby. Three months before opening the store, we used large posters to warm up the store. At the same time, we went to the Internet companies to sweep the streets to promote and invite them to try it. These Internet workers will post on WeChat Moments and Weibo to help us promote it."
In October 2013, the store was unveiled: the bright glass room reflected orange lights, and a rustic log display cabinet was placed in the center, decorated with a large number of golden wheat.On the poster outside the store, Chef Lin held bread in his hand and smiled warmly. The natural and tough decoration of the store was still rare in bakeries at that time. "The store took photos casually, and we welcome customers to share it online," said Lin Yuwei. At the same time, it also sparked online popularity. Continuous fan interactions are encouraged to share the story of "Bread and Love" in Yuanmai Hill.
At present, Yuanmaishanqiu has 26 stores in the mainland and has begun to develop towards omni-channel sales, cooperating with online sales platforms such as boutique supermarkets, convenience stores and Hema Fresh.
has achieved success in career, and Lin Yuwei still maintains his original intention of making bread. "Try to keep it as simple as your child for the food you like." Lin Yuwei wrote in his baking book "Variety Bread".
He also began to take care of his apprentices, mostly young people born in the 1990s in mainland China. Lin Yuwei hopes to pass on Wu Baochun's intentional spirit. He said: "Yeast is like a little baby, growing a little from scratch. So I treat bread as a new life." (End)
