The annual baking extravaganza "Taipei International Baking & Equipment Show" will take place from March 15 to March 18 at the Nangang Exhibition Center. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je and Gao Chui-tsung, Chairman of the Taipei Pastry & Cakes Business Association, attended the pre-show press conference today (the 12th) to cheer on this year’s Taipei International Baking & Equipment Show and the inaugural "Chinese Pastry Innovation Competition," hoping that Taipei-based shops will deliver outstanding performances and have the chance to become the city’s top tourist souvenirs.
The automatic pour-over coffee machine launched by Premium Estate Coffee can brew at least three cups of coffee simultaneously. (Photo / MOOK Traveler Zhang Yingying, the same below)
The featured shops at the pre-show press event all highlight "innovative fashion" and "home baking." The innovative Chinese pastry section includes Francois Bakery, which unveiled its entry for the Chinese Pastry Innovation Competition — the "Red Date and Longan Cantonese-Style Mini Mooncake." The filling combines smoked longan from Taiwan, cured with distinctive walnut wood, and red date paste from the baker’s hometown — Miaoli. These two local flavors complement and enhance each other, paired with Cantonese-style pastry dough, and finally shaped using a wooden mold over half a century old.
Juncheng Benjia’s classic mung bean crisp has a layered cake-like crust and a silky homemade mung bean paste filling that melts in your mouth. Its not-too-sweet taste fits modern health trends; La Palette’s "white jade bitter melon-shaped" Chinese pastry combines French patisserie techniques inspired by Breton shortbread to create a multi-textured experience — crispy, hard, soft, and flaky. The bitterness of the bitter melon and the sweetness of the pastry create an amusing flavor contrast; Erhe Zhen Traditional Pastry Shop’s "Dark Knight" Chinese pastry features charcoal powder in the crust and uses the facial makeup of the Eight Generals to showcase Wanhua’s festive culture, while the filling combines black sesame with malt for a rich taste. Other shops such as Youjun, Taisan Bakery, and Liancheng Cake... also showcased unique new products or creative Chinese pastries.
SMEG Italian-style retro small appliances represented by PinYan Company.
The "Chinese Pastry Innovation Competition" is a highlight of this baking show. The finals will be held from March 15 to 17 in the competition area of the baking show, where 15 teams of distinctive pastry shops from across Taiwan will compete fiercely. Taiwanese Chinese pastries have a long history and are a significant cultural asset. To revitalize the Chinese pastry industry and develop a fashionable "Chinese pastry" culture, the Chinese Pastry Innovation Competition was organized. The innovative Chinese pastry industry is estimated to generate an annual output value of up to 30 billion NTD, making it a star sector of the baking economy. In addition to this competition, an "Asian Chinese Pastry Innovation and Market Opportunities" forum will be held on the afternoon of March 15, inviting heavyweight industry leaders from various Asian cities to participate in discussions.
Erhe Zhen Pastry Shop.
In his speech, Mayor Ko Wen-je said that Taiwan’s baking industry is renowned worldwide. Since 2008, many world baking competition champions have come from Taiwan, and Taiwan’s baking ingredients and machinery equipment have also entered the international market in large numbers due to their precise quality and excellent maintenance technology. The Taipei International Baking & Equipment Show plays a very strong role in Taiwan’s baking economy. The show started with just 100 booths and has grown to over 1,000 booths in recent years — more than tenfold. Taiwan’s baking industry is now internationally recognized, with a complete industrial chain from ingredients to equipment.
Mayor Ko took a photo with the organizers and also signed a commemorative board to promote the event.
Businesses in the equipment and ingredients section combined fashion trends with eye-catching designs. For example, major brand Demarle introduced "RUBY CHOCOLATE" made from pink cocoa, an Oscar dinner designated dessert, unveiled for the first time in Taiwan; Heyang International presented a classic shell-shaped madeleine mold that can make XXL-sized madeleines "bigger than your face"; and ultra-realistic dessert silicone molds in collaboration with world-renowned pastry chef Cédric Grolet, who has over 1.11 million followers on Instagram, allowing you to make lemon and hazelnut-shaped cakes; Premium Estate Coffee launched the "Five Baristas Automatic Pour-Over Coffee Machine," the first multi-hole automatic pour-over coffee machine designed and developed in Taiwan, which can make 50 types of specialty coffee without needing a barista. In addition, home "stay-at-home" baking is also a feature of this year’s baking show. Henglong Trading introduced the "Magimix Food Processor," the world’s first home food processor.
The pre-show press conference had many distinguished guests in attendance, including Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, Taipei City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau Director Liu Yiting, Taipei Pastry & Cakes Business Association Chairman Gao Chui-tsung, Vice Chairmen Zhou Zhengxun and Chen Yiwen, Baking Show Committee Chairman Guo Jianwei, Standing Supervisor Wang Zhide, Standing Director Xie Jielun, and Lin Maoting, General Manager of Zhanzhao International Enterprise Co., Ltd., all attending together to cheer for this annual event.