Global Young Entrepreneur Star in Philippines, Ethan Chen, Diligently Carved Out His Path to Success

A young entrepreneur from Taiwan ventured into business in the Philippines, starting with a fried chicken shop, only to face an outbreak of avian influenza. After switching to selling pork chops, they encountered an outbreak of swine fever. As they prepared to transition to wholesaling ingredients for Taiwanese pearl milk tea, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. How did they overcome these challenges and carve out a new territory in a foreign land?

This young individual is Ethan Chen, the Vice President of the Taiwan Association Philippine Youth Chapter (TAPYC). With his hard working spirit, he carved out his own success in a foreign land, earning recognition as the 2023 Global Youth Entrepreneur Star by the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC). He is one of the 30 global awardees.

Ethan Chen, from Taipei, graduated from the Department of Information Management at Asia Eastern University of Science and Technology. In his third year of university, he got to know a Taiwanese business owner running a food and beverage business in Subic Bay, the Philippines. Consequently, during his winter and summer breaks, he worked at this Taiwanese-owned pearl milk tea and teppanyaki restaurants in Subic Bay. After graduating from university, he worked in the Philippines for a year, establishing a lasting connection with the country. During his military service, he served as an alternative military service personnel in the Philippines for one year, working for the Association of Chinese-Filipino School in the Philippines, responsible for computer information and news dissemination. In April 2017, upon completing his military service, he decided to return to the Manila Chinatown and open a "Taiwanese Fried Chicken" shop, selling hand-shaken drinks, fried chicken chops, dumplings, and beef noodles.

Fate played a trick on Ethan Chen when he encountered avian influenza at the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. At that time, many people were afraid to consume chicken. In the following year, he introduced new products such as braised pork rice and pork chops. Unfortunately, in the same year, swine fever broke out in the Philippines, causing pork prices to skyrocket. Due to high costs, it became challenging to sell the products. Just when Ethan Chen thought he had weathered these challenges and expected an improvement, the COVID-19 pandemic erupted. Manila went into lockdown, causing a drastic decline in restaurant business. Additionally, a container of imported ingredients for Taiwanese pearl milk tea, intended for wholesale distribution, went bad due to the lockdown, resulting in severe losses. Ethan Chen made an immediate decision with a heavy heart to close the "Taiwanese Fried Chicken" shop in the Manila Chinatown. Upon the advice of the local Mandarin compatriot, he switched to delivering fruits and vegetables.

Crisis can be an opportunity. The lockdown in Manila, where people could not go out freely, unexpectedly opened a door for Ethan Chen's delivery business. He not only took the initiative to explore the market but also focused on the quality of the fruits and vegetables he sourced. Providing customers with the service of returns and exchanges earned him a good reputation in the industry. Thus, from a small storefront in the Manila Chinatown, he has become the head of 'Freshking,' the primary supplier of fruits and vegetables as well as frozen foods in Makati, the financial district of the Philippines. 'Freshking' now imports on average one container of fruits, vegetables, and frozen foods each week. Most of the frozen foods come from Taiwan, while the fruits and vegetables are sourced from various places. Its main customers include Mandarin compatriot and supermarkets in nearby cities. 'Freshking' is scheduled to open its first branch in Muntinlupa, Alabang, south of Manila, in August of this year.

'Take from the society, give back to the society' – Currently, in addition to being the Vice President of the TAPYC, Ethan Chen is also a board member of the Taiwanese Compatriot Association in the Philippines (TCAP) and a member of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary. Every year, he actively participates in the donation of essential supplies to orphanages organized by the TAPYC, the blood donation event organised by the TCAP, and various poverty-alleviation activities supported by the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Ethan Chen suggests that there are still business opportunities in the Philippines. However, for young entrepreneurs who want to start a business in the country, he recommends seeking advice from experienced members or directly joining business associations to avoid unnecessary detours and financial losses. He uses his own experience as an example and said he had encountered various issues due to unclear terms in the lease agreement, including problems with renovations during the handover of the storefront and the landlord not returning the deposit as agreed in the contract when he vacated the premises. These details, causing additional costs, could have been avoided. "There's always a way forward," he concludes from his firsthand experience after dealing with avian influenza, swine fever, and COVID-19. He believes that with hard work, perseverance, and facing challenges head-on, success will always await.

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