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Haitian delegation tours I-Mei factory in Taiwan

The Caribbean delegation exchanged business ideas with Taiwanese counterparts in Taoyuan

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Haiti's ambassador Rechel Coupaud (Center) visits the I-Mei Foods factory on Nov. 14.

Haiti's ambassador Rechel Coupaud (Center) visits the I-Mei Foods factory on Nov. 14. (Taiwan News photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A business delegation led by the Haitian ambassador in Taiwan, Rechel Coupaud, visited the I-Mei Foods factory in Taoyuan on Thursday (Nov. 14) in order to gain a better understanding of food industries in the island nation.

The delegation from the Caribbean began the tour with a museum visit, where the history of the food company, established in 1934, was introduced. They later visited a bakery, at which the company has been producing muffins for major food companies in Taiwan since 1984.

During the tour, the delegation passed by a culinary classroom where a group of kindergarten pupils were making apple pies. Out of curiosity, they joined the pupils for a while, watching them knead and shape the dough under the teachers’ guidance.

Haitian delegation tours I-Mei factory in Taiwan

▶︎ The delegation passes a classroom where a group of kindergarten pupils make apple pies.

Afterwards, the delegation moved to check out a number of state-of-the-art laboratories that help keep all the raw materials in the factory safe, including the food safety lab, radiation testing lab, dioxin and POP testing lab. The delegation was also shown the cake studio, where they tasted cheese cakes and sipped coffee, both of which were produced in the factory.

Aside from touring the factory, the delegates, some of whom are among Haiti’s best-known food producers themselves, presented their products and exchanged ideas with their Taiwanese counterparts. These ideas included various rum flavors, including cocoa, orange, and cream from “grandma’s recipe.”

The delegation members presented chocolates made from pesticide-free cocoa in the Haitian countryside. They also exchanged ideas about the chocolate market, both in Taiwan and the Caribbean nation.

Haitian delegation tours I-Mei factory in Taiwan

In addition to the Haitian ambassador, the delegation included Herbert Barbancourt Linge, president of Berling S.A. distillery; Corinne Joachim-Sanon, founder of Askanya Chocolates; and Marie Roberte Laurent, founder of the natural beauty brand, Belzeb.

Haitian delegation tours I-Mei factory in Taiwan

▶︎ Products produced in Haiti.