Cheng Yu-hsuan (鄭畬軒) has become the first Taiwanese chocolatier to be included on 50 Next’s list of 50 Gamechanging Producers, which honors “farmers, artisans, and makers powering the supply chain in innovative ways.”
Cheng was ranked No. 34 for developing a “sustainable model for the chocolate and pastry industry in Taiwan, sourcing his ingredients responsibly and improving worker conditions in terms of salary and working hours,” the organization said.
Cheng founded his company, Yu Chocolatier (畬室巧克力), in 2015.
Photo courtesy of Yu Chocolatier via CNA
“As a creator of taste, I believe it is our duty to foresee the unimaginable, to explore the unknown,” Cheng says in his profile on the Next 50 Web site. “People can only decide if they like a taste or not once they have tasted it. It is up to us, the innovators, to imagine and realize the never-ending explorations of the human mind.”
In his acceptance speech at Friday’s ceremony at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, Spain, Cheng said he fully recognized how many people were supportive of his native culture, and that he was grateful to be able to imbue his creations with the flavors of Taiwan.
Cheng was born in Tainan and his family moved to Texas when he was a child. Returning to Taiwan for university in 2007, he dropped out to pursue a career as a chocolatier.
“I still remember my first bite of decent chocolate — a fruity, Madagascan dark chocolate,” Cheng’s profile says. “That experience has been echoing throughout my entire career.”
After dedicating a few years to teaching himself how to make chocolate, he moved to Paris to study at the Ferrandi school and interned at Alleno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen.
Cheng’s company has received international recognition, and he was the only Taiwanese chocolatier invited to the Salon du Chocolat Paris, one of the world’s most renowned chocolate expositions.
His success also prompted him to write a book about his time in France, with plans under way to open a shop in Paris.
50 Next is an annual series of lists compiled since last year by the creators of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Spain’s renowned Basque Culinary Center.
The curators select 50 individuals to be featured in each of its seven categories, including Tech Disruptors, Empowering Educators, Entrepreneurial Creatives, Science Innovators, Hospitality Pioneers, Trailblazing Activists and Gamechanging Producers.
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