It was the first time when I and my fellow coffee farmer Neo visited Taiwan for a sustainability event. Although we’ve felt the social limitations because of language barriers, we’ve experienced first-hand the graciousness and hospitality of the Taiwanese especially the locals of Hualien. For one, we’ve met Claudia who gave us a semblance of home with her genuine friendship and passion for our ideals.
As a gesture of support, Claudia asked if we could have a meeting with her boss to talk about our coffee farms and advocacies. We readily agreed and true to her word, the meeting was set. We were surprised to learn that her boss is the CEO of one of the biggest hospitality chains in Hualian called East Coast Hotel.
Sharing Dreams on Sustainability
Despite his hectic schedule, the CEO namely Liam Chou (周育麟), gave us time to comprehensively share about our coffee project in the Philippines. Since it’s a new project, we’ve focused our presentation on the sustainable practices we are implementing at the farm to ensure productivity while preserving the forest and its biodiversity.
The CEO expressed his eagerness and support for our project. He mentioned that marketability can be a challenge at first, but it is possible to make it a profitable venture. I and Neo felt more excited with his pronouncements and couldn’t help but think of the possibilities.
I admire the commitment of the CEO to sustainability as he carries it as part of his personal and business advocacy. Claudia shared more details about how their hotels are incorporating green practices throughout their value chain.
It is for that reason that the CEO agreed to meet with us. He wanted to know how we grow coffee while caring for nature and in our case, preserving the rainforest.
Additionally, we presented our mini milestones since we started in 2021 and the grassroots impacts our project contributed to.
An offer of kindness and hospitality
Our visit to the East Coast Hotel did not end with our meeting with the CEO. To our surprise, Claudia had already arranged a room for us to spend the night before continuing with our other destinations in southern Taiwan.
I and Neo were already exhilarated by the opportunity to talk with the CEO and even more, we were joyful of the offer to stay in one of their rooms.
And wait, there’s more!
Before we called it a night, Claudia organized a dinner for us, all sponsored by the CEO himself. She led us to a restaurant that serves authentic local cuisines which certainly stimulated me given my love for such.
While feasting on the variety of delicious meals, we continued discussing our plans and collaborations with East Coast Hotel especially how to possibly promote sustainable coffee in the area.
Truly, I could not help but feel blessed by the meaningful conversations and the sincere hospitality that Claudia and their CEO have shown to us. These moments are certainly one for the books and are memories I will cherish for life.
We left Hualien with a heavy heart not because we’d had unpleasant experiences but rather because we would miss the beautiful encounters we’d had with the locals. Surely, this is something that will keep us coming back to Hualien, Taiwan.
Photos of East Coast Hotel
