Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar) continues to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with its long-standing achievements in sustainability receiving widespread recognition. This year, Taisugar once again garnered honors at the 5th Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (TSAA), winning both a Gold Award for its Smallholder Coffee: Building Dreams through Education project and a Bronze Award for its Sustainable Taiwan Rum initiative. Taisugar Vice President Dong-Lin Tsai attended the award ceremony today (Sep. 11), expressing gratitude for the recognition and reaffirming the company's commitment to sustainability as its core management principle-creating positive impact while enhancing social and environmental value.
Taisugar explained that the award-winning smallholder coffee and sugarcane rum projects exemplify the company's dedication to fair trade, educational equity, and sustainable agriculture. Guided by the philosophy of "rooted in Taiwan, caring for allied nations' livelihoods, "Taisugar introduced Guatemalan smallholder coffee beans to Taiwan two years ago, with a portion of the proceeds reinvested in rural education in Guatemala. In late 2024, in collaboration with local NGO Guatemala Prospera and Taiwan's Embassy in Guatemala, Taisugar helped complete a new classroom in Sacatepequez Department, providing local children with a better learning environment and planting seeds of opportunity for the future. The Smallholder Coffee: Building Dreams through Education project enables Taiwanese consumers to enjoy premium coffee from an allied nation while supporting smallholder farmers and children abroad, delivering the message of "one cup of coffee, one blessing, one hope, "sending love across oceans and lighting the path for new possibilities.
In recent years, Taisugar has also actively promoted high-value applications of sugarcane, working through industry-academia collaborations to develop locally crafted sugarcane spirits. In 2022, the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute (TSRI) partnered with Professor Chien-Hao Chen of National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism to launch a subproject on diversified, high-value use of sugarcane. Using fresh local sugarcane juice, low-temperature fermentation, and oak barrel aging, they produced a terroir-driven pure cane rhum agricole, a French word for agricultural rum, that preserves tropical fruit aromas and cane molasses notes, showcasing the unique character of Taiwan's land. This agricultural rum went on to win Double Gold at the Vinalies Internationales 2025, marking a milestone in Taiwan's craft spirits culture and setting a benchmark for combining agriculture with artisanal distilling. TSRI has also developed prototypes for cane-based plum wine and cane beer, further expanding the scope of sugarcane innovation and driving the upgrade of Taiwan's sugar industry.
Taisugar added that from building classrooms for Guatemalan schoolchildren to pioneering high-value agricultural innovation in Taiwan through rum distilling, the company has turned "sustainability" into tangible results. With every sip of coffee or taste of rum, consumers are also sharing in hope and goodwill. Looking ahead, Taisugar will continue to advance innovation and green initiatives, deepening corporate responsibility and fostering a vision of shared prosperity and sustainable growth.
TSC News Contact Person:
Chang Mu-Jung
Public Relations, Department of Secretariat, TSC
Contact Number: 886-6-337-8819 / 886-920-636-951
Email:
[email protected]