Xialun Sweet Potato Grill Introduction
Tsai You-tian (born in 1934) engaged in farming, selling sweet potato vines (seedlings) to farmers for planting. The Tsai brothers did not want to follow the family business; the eldest, Tsai Chen-tsun (born in 1964), went to the north to open a restaurant, while the second brother, Tsai Chen-hsiung (born in 1965), opened a supermarket in Kouhu. The restaurant did not operate well and eventually closed down. Tsai Chen-tsun remembered the sweet potatoes from his childhood and began selling them at the Linjiang Traditional Market, with supplies from his brother Tsai Chen-hsiung who stayed in their hometown. Surprisingly, the business prospered, although the profits were not high. After selling for a period, they switched to selling charcoal-grilled sweet potatoes, which became a signature product. The "Tu Po Shu Charcoal-Grilled Sweet Potato" is a registered trademark. Tsai Chen-hsiung not only supplied his brother Tsai Chen-tsun with charcoal-grilled sweet potatoes but also became a supplier for over ten charcoal-grilled sweet potato vendors in the north. In 2003, Tsai Chen-hsiung closed his supermarket business and focused solely on sweet potato supply, eventually starting to sell charcoal-grilled sweet potatoes himself with his brother's consent, establishing "Tu Po Shu Charcoal-Grilled Sweet Potato" and making a name for himself in the Shalun area. Tsai Chen-hsiung sources his sweet potatoes from two suppliers, primarily from Yunlin, but when local sweet potatoes are scarce in September and October, he purchases them from the central mountain areas. Sweet potatoes in the central mountain region are planted in March and April, ready for harvest in September and October.
