85C Bakery Cafe
Encyclopedia
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese chain of coffee shop
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s run by Gourmet Master Co., Ltd. The company, with an estimated yearly revenue of $200 million, was founded in 2004 by tea shop owner Wu Cheng-hsueh and currently has over 325 branches located within Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
) and Australia. Known as the "Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
of Taiwan", in 2008, the company opened its first US location in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
. During the 2008 Chinese milk scandal
2008 Chinese milk scandal
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a food safety incident in the People's Republic of China, involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components, adulterated with melamine....
, 85C posted signs that read, "None of our dairy products were directly or indirectly made using China-made products" (see photo caption).
History
Wu Cheng-Hsueh, President and founder of 85℃ Bakery Cafe, opened the first shop in Bao-Ping, Taipei County, July 2004. Once opened, the shop was serving almost 2000 guests per day and selling over 2000 cups of coffee as well. This built a foundation to quickly open the second shop in Yuan Toun, TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
County, in August 2004. Following the success of the two stores, a third store was opened in Goun Yi, in Taichung
Taichung
-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
City, which marked the beginning of the franchising name 85℃ in November 2004. The name "85C" refers to Wu's belief that 85 °C (185 °F) is the optimal temperature to serve coffee.
It became listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange
Taiwan Stock Exchange
The Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation is a financial institution, located in Taipei 101, in Taipei, Taiwan. The TSEC was established in 1961 and began operating as a stock exchange on 9 February 1962...
in November 2010 with 3.85 million shares in its IPO
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
.
Products
85℃ Bakery Cafe sells a wide variety of goods including breads, cakes, and drinks. While most of the branches of the store are relatively successful, the IrvineIrvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
branch that opened on September 26, 2009 is the highest grossing store of the company. This store bases the majority of its sales on the pastries. The breads incorporate European, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Danish styled flavors and consist of over 80 varieties. A few of their top sellers include the Berrytale, Marble Taro,andBrioche. The Cakes department also has items ranging from the Italian Tiramisu
Tiramisu
Tiramisu, , , literally "pick me up", is an Italian cake and dessert.It is made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone, and flavored with liquor and cocoa...
to the German Black Forest to the Taiwanese Taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
Cake.
Another contributing factor for their success is the Sea Salt Coffee. The coffee is made by sweetening their iced Americano and adding a sea salt whipped cream on the top. This coffee has been featured in Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
. The concept of this drink supposedly came from the Taiwanese habit of sprinkling salt on fruit to bring out the sweetness. They are now selling over 400 cups a day. A large part of this success is due to the high quality coffee beans they use as well. They only use premium Guatemalan Dark Roast Arabica coffee beans. In 2004 Wu Cheng Hsueh went to the source of Starbucks’ most popular beans and persuaded the Guatemalan supplier to sell him all of his Arabica
Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...
beans. All of these factors contribute to the “Low Price Luxury” concept of the company.
Locations
478 stores-
- 225 Regular stores
- 74 Bakery
- 179 24-hrs stores 123 stores (63 in Shanghai) 4 stores 2 stores (IrvineIrvine, CaliforniaIrvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
and Hacienda HeightsHacienda Heights, CaliforniaHacienda Heights is an unincorporated census-designated place in and below the Puente Hills of the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
)