To Improve the Local Environment, a Princess from the Daren Tribe Builds a Coffee Brand

Reported by You T-Ru / Comprehensive Report




▲ Jiang Meihua has created the Princess Coffee brand, hoping to boost the development of the community’s coffee industry. (Photo / Provided by Pingtung County Government)

The coffee grown in Daren Village, Sandimen Township, is mostly of the “Arabica” variety. During the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese extensively planted Arabica coffee trees, which were then considered a premium tribute to the Japanese emperor. Later, due to limitations in roasting technology, the coffee industry gradually declined. Twelve years ago, Jiang Meihua returned to the Daren Tribe from elsewhere and saw the high-value coffee left behind by the Japanese on Damaumu Mountain. She discussed with the tribal members the idea of utilizing this environment bestowed by nature, hoping to improve the living conditions of the tribe through the coffee industry. Thus, she gave up her more than 20-year career in hairdressing, rolled up her sleeves, put on a straw hat, and stepped into the land to work hard for her and her tribe’s future.


▲ Coffee shop scene. (Photo / Provided by Pingtung County Government)

The efforts of Jiang Meihua and the tribal members began to bear fruit. They established a cooperative to promote coffee. As the Noble Princess chose to devote herself to coffee cultivation, she immersed herself in learning every step—from selecting seeds, planting, managing, to harvesting—without leaving anything to others. To ensure that the coffee beans produced in Daren could brew the most aromatic and mellow quality, she involved her sons in the learning process. Through continuous learning and experimentation, she abandoned the conventional washed processing method and instead used honey processing to preserve the unique characteristics of the coffee beans, helping “Daren Coffee” secure a place in the market.

“As long as you persevere and have the heart, the ancestral spirits and the deities of Damaumu Mountain will surely lead everyone out of the darkness and into the sunlight,” said Jiang Meihua. Choosing to work together with her tribe, she built the Princess Coffee brand, hoping to drive the development of the Daren coffee industry in the future.