HeySong Corporation


HeySong Corporation is a well-known beverage producer in Taiwan. It was founded in 1925 as a family business, and later on grew into a large corporation.
WWW Official Site

History

The first chairman of the corporation, Chang Wen-chi, founded Jian Hsin Corporation Limited in 1925 with six of his cousins, when Taiwan was still under Japanese rule|Japanese rule], by buying a Japanese beverage producer in Taiwan named "Nikoniko". Under the Japanese industrial classification scheme Taiwanese businesses owned by Taiwanese were classified as third tier and were limited in their ability to charge higher prices or compete with Japanese companies. The company at first engaged in production of soda under the brands of "Fuji" and ramune under the brands of "Sanshou". The name "Fuji" is a Japanese word and meant the quality their products were as good as the Japanese ones. The name "Sanshou" literally meant "three hands" and signified the co-operation between the three families under the same clan within the company. It used the "HeySong" trademark to produce the "HeySong Soda" in 1931. HeySong's bottles and labeling were based on those used by high end sake. The most popular drink produced under the HeySong brand at the time was called “No-Beer.” In 1936 the company acquired a 3,500m2 plot in Taipei as the site for a new factory. In 1938 the government took control of the bottling business under Japanese wartime regulations. Until the end of the war HeySong's beverage production was controlled by the government mandated Taiwan Cold Beverage Controlled Trade Association which received most of the profits from the business. Near the end of the war the government attempted to force a sale of the factory and production was negatively impacted by a successful American airstrike on a carbonic acid factory in Kaohsiung. Postwar production resumed in 1946.
One of their most well-known product, HeySong Sarsaparilla Drink, a kind of Sarsi, was put into market in 1950. HeySong captured the majority of the Taiwanese beverage market in the 1950s and 60s. In 1968 Coca-Cola entered the market, Coke believed that it could dominate HeySong within five years but underestimated how deeply integrated HeySong had become in Taiwan's culture. Later on, HeySong started to produce various kinds of beverage including sports drinks, teas, coffees, fruit drinks, and even alcohol. The Headquarters of the company moved from the Taipei plant into the HeySong Commercial Building on Xinyi Road, Taipei City in 1987.
The name of the company was changed from Chien Hsin Co. Ltd. to HeySong Beverages Co., Ltd. in 1970, and later on changed to the present name "HeySong Corporation" in 1981. The original English name of the company and the drinks change from "HeSung" to "HeySong" in 1974.

Products

  • HeySong Soda
  • HeySong Sarsaparilla
  • FIN Healthy-Support Drink
  • Wincafe Coffee
  • Biedermeier Coffee
  • Ocean Coffee
  • Hey-Song Justea
  • CHERICO Juice Drink
  • Oasis Juice Drink
  • Barley Barony classic whisky
  • Barley Barony scotch whisky

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