I-Mei Foods: A Century of Stubbornness, a Food-Safety Conscience, and Multi-Dimensional Practice for the Common Good

30-Second Overview: I-Mei Foods, a Taiwanese century-old institution founded in 1934, has not only witnessed the changes in Taiwanese society but has also, through multiple food safety crises, earned the title of "conscience of the food industry" with its stubborn "honest businessman" approach and its "built but not used" laboratory strategy. This piece examines in depth how I-Mei, starting from its historical point of origin in Dadaocheng, has constructed the multi-layered face of its century-old brand through a distinctive retail channel strategy, inheriting the spirit of Chiang Wei-Shui, rigorously operating its self-built laboratory, and even crossing into the robotics industry — while seeking balance and transformation amid brand mythology and real challenges.

The Starting Point in Dadaocheng: From Da-An Hospital to a Pastry Shop with Social Responsibility

In 1934 (the 9th year of the Japanese Showa era), on Yanping North Road in Taipei's Dadaocheng, a confectionery shop called "I-Mei" (義美, meaning "righteousness and beauty") quietly opened its doors.¹ The choice of location carries a special significance: it was situated at the former site of the "Da-An Hospital" once operated by Dr. Chiang Wei-Shui (蔣渭水), the founder of the Taiwan Cultural Association.² The transformation from a place of medical salvation to a pastry shop nourishing the lives of ordinary people meant that I-Mei bore from its very beginning a latent gene of "social responsibility." Founders Kao Fan-Wang (高番王) and his wife Kao Chen Hsiu-Ying (高陳秀英) began with traditional pastries, bringing sweetness to Taiwanese society during the Japanese colonial era. The I-Mei main shop stands at the former site of Dr. Chiang Wei-Shui's Da-An Hospital — not merely a geographical coincidence but seen as a spiritual inheritance. Da-An Hospital was a base for the anti-Japanese cultural, social, and democratic movements of 1920s Taiwan.¹³ The Kao family of I-Mei not only leased the premises but wove Chiang Wei-Shui's spirit of "healing Taiwan's culture" into their operations, treating food safety as the foundation of social health. This deep historical connection gave the I-Mei brand cultural significance that transcends commerce.

It is worth noting that the year after I-Mei opened — 1935, marking the 40th anniversary of Japanese rule over Taiwan — the Government-General held the grand "40th Anniversary Commemoration of Taiwan's Administration Exposition." This exposition was not only a display of political achievements but also the starting point of modern commercial competition. The newly established "I-Mei Shop," only one year old, actively participated in this grand event, distinguishing itself with its traditional pastries — particularly pineapple cakes — winning an "Excellence Award" or equivalent distinction.¹⁶ This recognition not only laid the foundation of I-Mei's brand image in its early period but also symbolized its ambition for modern management already evident during the Japanese colonial era, successfully linking traditional pastries with "award-winning quality" and standing out among the many pastry shops of Dadaocheng.

The Young Successor: Kao Teng-Chiao's Philosophy of the "Honest Businessman" and the Family Motto of Diligence and Frugality

I-Mei's fate took a turning point in 1937. Kao Teng-Chiao, then only 16 years old and still a student at Taiwan Commercial and Industrial School (today's Taipei Kainan Commercial and Industrial Senior High School), resolutely took over the family business when his father died suddenly.³ In an era of material scarcity and turbulent times, Kao Teng-Chiao and his mother worked tirelessly, planting the family motto of "diligence" and "honesty" deep in the corporate culture. He once said: "Making pastry is the business of an honest person — a business of conscience!"⁹ These words were not only his guiding principle for management but also became the most solid brand foundation for I-Mei when facing market tests. Under Kao Teng-Chiao's leadership, I-Mei gradually expanded from a local pastry shop into a national food enterprise, emphasizing the sustainable management philosophy that "diligence and frugality are the foundation of the family, of the nation, and of environmental protection."

Hidden Partner of McDonald's and the FamilyMart Channel Strategy: Self-Production Rate and Market Expansion

I-Mei's position in Taiwan's food industry is reflected not only in its own brand but also in its powerful "hidden OEM" capacity. As early as 1984, when McDonald's entered the Taiwanese market, I-Mei became an important supply chain partner, responsible for manufacturing products such as creamer.⁴ This long-term collaborative relationship not only proves I-Mei's production capability but also highlights its commitment to quality. A remarkable 97% of I-Mei products are self-manufactured and self-sold — this high self-production-rate strategy gives I-Mei a high degree of control over product origin and process, which became a key to protecting itself in food safety storms.

Entering the 21st century, I-Mei further demonstrated a flexible channel strategy. In March 2015, I-Mei and FamilyMart announced an expansion of cooperation, bringing I-Mei soy milk and other products into FamilyMart channels. This move immediately caused a market sensation: after I-Mei soy milk appeared on FamilyMart shelves, it sold over 500,000 bottles in a single week, at one point overtaking President's Chain (統一) — which had dominated the soy milk category for years — and becoming a market legend.¹² This cooperation was not only a commercial success but was seen as a victory for "netizen power" and "businesses with conscience." FamilyMart used this to successfully establish a differentiated image from President (7-Eleven), and I-Mei's quality products reached a broader consumer base.

A company's value lies not only in how many products it sells, but in how it defines the boundaries of its own responsibility.

The "Nuclear Deterrent Laboratory" and Rigorous Quality Control in Food Safety Storms

In 2011, Taiwan's plasticizer scandal shocked the nation, with many well-known food brands implicated — yet I-Mei emerged unscathed.⁵ This was no coincidence. I-Mei General Manager Kao Chih-Ming (高志明) once stated publicly that I-Mei's ability to repeatedly avoid food safety crises was not based simply on laboratory testing but on a rigorous philosophy of procurement and production. He emphasized that I-Mei's procurement follows five principles: looking at the source of raw materials, looking at reasonable prices, looking at client lists, possessing laboratory testing capability, and careful acceptance inspection upon delivery.⁶ Among these, laboratory testing capability is, in Kao Chih-Ming's view, "like a nuclear weapon — 'built but not used,' primarily as a deterrent to unscrupulous suppliers."¹⁰ This attitude of tracing quality to its source and refusing to easily compromise has built a solid firewall for I-Mei within the industry chain.

I-Mei's investment in food safety goes beyond philosophy; it is embodied in concrete hardware facilities. I-Mei possesses a "Food Safety Research Institute," with a branch opened in Douliu in 2020.¹⁵ Its laboratories have passed TAF (Taiwan Accreditation Foundation) and TFDA (Food and Drug Administration) certifications, and have procured Europe's latest raw milk testing equipment and high-sensitivity mass spectrometers for detecting potential hazardous substances including pesticide residues, veterinary drugs, and plasticizers.¹⁵ This investment in high-tech equipment provides solid scientific guarantees for I-Mei's product quality.

Kao Chih-Ming has also spoken candidly that the various food safety scandals in Taiwan are all "historical karma (歷史共業)," and that harsh punishments and heavy fines cannot prevent food safety problems from occurring again; the government should take a three-pronged approach of "education, guidance, and assistance" to lead the food industry onto the right track.¹¹ These words not only identify the deep structural causes of Taiwan's food safety problems but also demonstrate the social concern of I-Mei as an industry leader.

The Two Sides of the "Conscience" Mythology: Challenges, Controversies, and Innovative Transformation

Although I-Mei is praised as "the last conscience of the food industry," its brand image is not without controversy. In 2019, I-Mei fresh milk experienced a case of "going bad before the expiration date," triggering consumer doubts about its quality, with some media describing it as "the mythology shattered."⁸ In addition, there have been past negative reports about expired raw materials. These incidents remind us that even the most rigorous companies may face blind spots in management under complex food supply chains and large-scale production. However, I-Mei typically responds to such controversies with open and transparent attitudes and actively addresses consumer concerns, which has partly maintained the long-term brand trust it has built.

Facing a rapidly changing industry environment, I-Mei is also actively seeking innovation and transformation. In 2025, Chin-An Machinery (金鞍機械) — under the I-Mei Group — co-invested with Newcam Technology (新代科技) and Mirle Automation (盟立自動化) to establish "An-Sin-Meng Robotics Manufacturing Company" (鞍新盟機器人製造公司), targeting the humanoid robot market opportunity.¹⁴ This move into the high-tech industry demonstrates the I-Mei Group's ambition for diversified development and also presages the possibility of introducing AI and automation technology into food production lines, injecting new vitality into the century-old enterprise.

I-Mei has ranked at the top of Taiwan's FMCG Brand Footprint for over a decade; its 2024 consumer reach reached 82.1 million instances, with 89% of Taiwan's households (approximately 8.07 million households) having purchased I-Mei products.⁷ This remarkable data reflects not only market recognition of its products but also identification with its brand spirit. I-Mei is not just selling pastries — it has continued at the former site of Da-An Hospital a certain character of "social diagnosis." When Kao Chih-Ming calls food safety "historical karma," these words are not only a defense of colleagues in the industry but also a reflection on Taiwan's overall institutional framework. Whether I-Mei's mythology has shattered is not what matters most; what matters is the shape of an "honest person" surviving in a complex society, and how it continues to create value for society through constant innovation and practice.

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