Yilan: Orange Town Preserved Fruit Factory Introduction
The evaluation validity period: 2023/08/02~2026/08/01. The excellent validity period: 2011/10/05~2014/10/04. Yilan is the place with the highest production of kumquats in Taiwan, especially concentrated in the areas of Jiaoxi, Yuanshan, and Sanxing, with an annual output of about 2,000 to 3,000 tons. Seeing the decay of the orchards, the young Lin Zhiman thought of his newlywed wife, Hong Meifang, who specializes in food processing, and asked her if it would be possible to produce delicious candied kumquats to help farmers resolve the embarrassment of excess harvest leading to waste. In 1979, Hong Meifang, who was teaching food processing at the Yilan Agricultural and Industrial School (now National Ilan University), and Lin Zhiman, who has a special fondness for kumquats, began their journey to fight for kumquats. The traditional method of making candied fruits requires sugar soaking for 15 to 30 days and heating above 100°C, which causes the fruit peels to undergo "browning," so bleaching agents must be used to enhance appearance, and preservatives are added to extend shelf life. These traditional methods made the couple intuitively feel, "If we wouldn't dare eat it ourselves, how could we make it for others?" Thus, developing candied fruits without bleaching agents, preservatives, and flavorings became their primary goal. In 1983, they started a factory for research and development; the years of research were arduous and long. To cover research costs, Lin Zhiman sold a house. To break away from traditional candied fruit-making methods, the couple devoted themselves to reading relevant food science books, and eventually, they drew inspiration from molecular infiltration. "If we sugar-soak and heat in a vacuum, can’t we reduce the boiling point temperature?" Suddenly, a light bulb went off, bringing new hope to the entire research. Lin Zhiman then began designing the sugar-soaking equipment, and after countless trials and failures, he finally achieved the dream of boiling at 60°C under vacuum. Moreover, through his innovation, the long sugar-soaking process traditionally required was completed within 24 hours, effectively solving the "browning" problem and making the dream of creating candied fruits without bleaching agents or preservatives a reality. "From the hometown of kumquats, returning to natural flavors." The couple named their brand "Hometown of Kumquats." After seven years of painstaking research, in 1986, they sold the first uniquely crafted kumquat – a translucent candied fruit without bleaching agents, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and with low sweetness and low calories. In 1987, a small and inconspicuous factory received the New Product Award and the Excellent Management Award for Food Hygiene from the Food Science Society of the Republic of China. The achievements of "Hometown of Kumquats" surprised many major food manufacturers. The products of Hometown of Kumquats became the best dessert for hosting guests by the Yilan County Government, and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Council of Agriculture came to procure them for gifts to foreign guests. Hometown of Kumquats became the most economical “county gift” and “national gift.”
Workshop Café
Candied Fruit DIY
