Early this month, the National Development Council invited the new Executive Yuan Youth Advisory Committee for a policy discussion on the “National Strategic Plan for Regional Revitalization.”

Fuyung Xiyi, a participant, shared his experience of running a computer information labor cooperative. He said when introducing science and technology to support local industrial reform, people should work together to cultivate indigenous talents to foster a sustainable culture.

☕ It reminds me of a cup of coffee I tasted in Pingtung. This cup of coffee came from the Ulaljuc tribe, with a story about the creation of the original countryside.

⛰ In 2009, the Morakot typhoon destroyed the old Taiwu tribe and the village changed its name to Ulaljuc after moving away. In order to rebuild, the people began to explore the mountains. They found the Japanese coffee garden and chose “organic boutique coffee” as their development goal. Today, there are 126 hectares of coffee grown in Taiwu Township, by 178 coffee farmers. The Coffee Industry Development Hall opened in 2016 is the only post-production factory in the country that can verify the back-end processing of organic coffee; students from all over the world can study here.

🏆 Now, Taiwu coffee has spread its aroma around the globe. The International Coffee Appraisal (Coffee Review) evaluated Taiwu Nature Typica at 93 points in 2016 and ranked it among the top three in the Asia-Pacific region, making it one of the most representative coffees of the year.

🏠 One of the keys to Ulaljuc’s success lies in the establishment of the Pingtung Native Taiwu Coffee Production Cooperative, which uses its own brand to integrate upstream and downstream industrial chains, supporting each other and marketing together.

🔗 According to the Ministry of the Interior website, there are currently more than 4,000 cooperatives of 10 categories in Taiwan, including production, distribution, labor, and consumption. In addition to selling goods, cooperatives can also operate insurance and provide services.

📜 In the past, there were different interpretations of laws and regulations, and unclear demarcations between coop members and employees. Coops often ran into a wall when they approached government contracts because they could not provide “documents of employment.” Therefore, we are coordinating with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor, and the Public Construction Commission to add a clause on “protection of the rights and interests of cooperative members” in the contract template for the purchase of labor services. In that way, the authorities can better understand the nature of co-ownership and co-governance in cooperatives. We can also recognize the labor rights and interests of members and give full play to the strength of the cooperative economy.

🍯 According to the Paiwan people, in ancient times, the sun laid eggs in a pottery kettle with a hundred-step snake guarding it. Finally, a man and a woman were hatched, that is, the ancestors of the tribe. As a result, the Ulaljuc Village Monument is surrounded by three symbols: the sun, a hundred-step snake, and a pottery kettle.

🌞 The Coffee Hall and the Cooperative, like hundred-step snakes and pottery kettles, guard the reborn Ulaljuc tribe. I sincerely hope that with the support of the regional revitalization strategy, the development of all parts of Taiwan will shine like the sun.