TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Namchow Group Chair Alfred Chen (陳飛龍) passed away at the age of 88 after a career turning the group from a soap producer to a food conglomerate, reports said Saturday.
Chen was born in Hong Kong in 1937 and grew up in Shanghai before moving to Taiwan, per UDN. He passed away at home in the presence of his family on Feb. 12, Namchow said Saturday.
When he joined Namchow, the company had already been operating in the chemical industry for 14 years, becoming a prominent soap producer. In the face of tough competition, he imported modern machinery from Italy to manufacture the crystal laundry soap the company would become famous for.
Namchow later transformed itself from a chemical producer to a food group, managing brands including Duroyal ice cream and the Paulaner Brauhaus German restaurant chain. With plants in Taiwan, Thailand, and China, more than 90% of the group’s revenue now comes from the food sector.
Chen also served as a legislator for the People First Party from September 2004 to January 2005.
