Xialun Sweet Potato Charcoal Grill Introduction
Tsai Yiu-Tian (born in 1934) was a farmer who sold sweet potato vines (seedlings) for planting purposes. The Tsai brothers did not want to follow in their father's footsteps; the eldest brother, Tsai Chen-Chun (born in 1964), went north to open a restaurant, while the second brother, Tsai Chen-Hsiung (born in 1965), opened a supermarket in Kouhu. The restaurant did not perform well and closed down. Tsai Chen-Chun thought of the sweet potatoes from his childhood and began selling them at the Linjiang Traditional Market, sourcing the products from Tsai Chen-Hsiung who stayed in their hometown. Surprisingly, business was good, but the profit was not high. After selling for a while, he switched to selling charcoal-grilled sweet potatoes, which became a hit and led to the establishment of the registered trademark "Earth Burrow Sweet Potato Charcoal Grill." Tsai Chen-Hsiung not only supplied his brother Tsai Chen-Chun with the charcoal-grilled sweet potatoes but also became a supplier for over ten charcoal-grilled sweet potato vendors in the northern region. In 2003, Tsai Chen-Hsiung closed his supermarket business and focused on supplying sweet potatoes; he also started selling charcoal-grilled sweet potatoes himself. With his brother's consent, he registered the brand "Earth Burrow Sweet Potato Charcoal Grill" and made a name for himself in the Xia-Lun area. Tsai Chen-Hsiung’s sweet potatoes come from two sources; in principle, they are from Yunlin, but when local sweet potatoes are scarce in September and October, he purchases them from the central mountain area. The central mountain area is planted in March and April, making them available for harvest in September and October...
