On November 17, 2020, with the support of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS), the State of Hawaii Taipei Office (SHOT), the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council (SHAC), and DBEDT, a virtual meeting was held to promote Hawaii’s coffee industry in Taiwan. Mr. Ken Isley, the Administrator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Services, pre-recorded opening remarks for the event.
There were seven coffee growers from Hawaii and over 40 buyers from Taiwan who participated in the virtual event that facilitated introductions for future collaboration. Presentations were made to the buyers about Hawaii products through the online platform, and all buyers from Taiwan’s coffee industry attended the event, in-person, at the Taipei Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Taiwan attendees experienced Hawaii coffee samples/tastings during the event. Buyers also were encouraged to complete interest forms for post-event follow-ups. Many buyers were very interested in coffee from Hawaii and expressed a willingness to continue discussions about opportunities with Hawaii growers in the future.