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OUR STORY

The story of Want-Want could best be described as a story of "patience".

Once upon a time, Want-Want was known as I Lan Foods, a Taiwanese canned food manufacturer founded in the 1960s. When Tsai Eng-Meng, the son of the founder, took over the company in the 1970s, I Lan Foods began to take on a new direction.

One day, Tsai Eng-Meng came up with a great idea that would change I Lan Foods forever – "Senbei", a word that means Japanese Rice Cracker. Tsai knew exactly who had the perfect formula to create the ultimate Senbei snack - Iwatsuka Confectionery Company.

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PERSISTENT EFFORTS

A Special letter

Tsai started off by sending out 50 letters to Iwatsuka Confectionery. Unfortunately, none of the replies were positive. However Tsai didn't give up so easily. He later decided to personally visit the Iwatsuka office. After stopping by the office many times, Tsai finally impressed Keisaku Maki, the president of Iwatsuka Confectionery. Thus began dialogue between I Lan Foods and Iwatsuka.

In 1983, I Lan food and Iwatsuka officially began their collaboration in creating the ultimate Senbei. Wan-Want’s signature Senbei Rice Cracker, and Shelly Senbei Rice Cracker was born and the rest was history.

BRAND ORIGIN

Origin of Want Want

As for the name “旺旺” (Want-Want), it came to Tsai one morning as he thought the name was easy to remember. He felt there's a connection between “旺旺” and the English phrase ”one by one”. From that piece of thought, he envisioned his customer will munch on pieces of Want-Want Senbei one after another non stop.

Tsai then went to the Temple of the Eighteen Lords to predict fortune. He discovered a dog worshipping inside. As if he received a divine message from heaven, Tsai proclaimed with great excitement that the barking of the dog was “Want Want”. In  mandarin, the sound of dog barks are very similar to the pronunciation of “Wan-旺”, a Chinese character that represents prosperity.With such inspiration, Tsai evolved I Land Foods into one of the world's most renowned brands know as Want-Want.

meet the founder

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introduction

The Want Want Group was founded in 1962
under the name I Lan Foods Industrial Co., Ltd. We introduced the Want Want
Brand in Taiwan in 1983, and soon after, we expanded into mainland China by
investing in factories.

Our famous snacks, including Senbei Rice
Crackers, Milk Flavored Drink, QQ Gummy, Ball Cakes, and more, are some of our
signature products.

As we continue to expand, the Want Want
Group is actively seeking opportunities for diversified industry cooperation in
the Southeast Asia market. Our ultimate goal is to become a comprehensive food
and beverage kingdom, offering our customers the best products and services
possible.

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1962 I Lan Factory in Taiwan

Your slideshow

Brand Story

The story of Want-Want is a tale of
patience and persistence. Originally known as I Lan Foods, a Taiwanese canned
food manufacturer founded in the 1960s, the company took on a new direction
when Tsai Eng-Meng, the son of the founder, took over in the 1970s.

It was during this time that Tsai Eng-Meng
had a brilliant idea that would change I Lan Foods forever: "Senbei,"
a Japanese Rice Cracker. Tsai knew that the perfect formula to create the
ultimate Senbei snack could be found at Iwatsuka Confectionery Company.

Tsai's first attempt at contacting Iwatsuka
Confectionery with 50 letters unfortunately did not yield any positive
responses. However, he was not deterred and decided to take matters into his
own hands by personally visiting their office. Despite several unsuccessful
attempts, Tsai's persistence eventually paid off and he impressed Keisaku Maki,
the president of Iwatsuka Confectionery.

This marked the beginning of a dialogue
between I Lan Foods and Iwatsuka, which eventually led to their collaboration
in creating the ultimate Senbei. Finally, in 1983, the famous Senbei Rice
Cracker and Shelly Senbei Rice Cracker were born, forever changing the course
of Want-Want's history.

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Your slideshow

The story of how the name "旺旺" (Want-Want)
came about is quite fascinating. One morning, Tsai had an idea for a name that
would be easy to remember. He also wanted it to have a connection to the English
phrase "one by one" because he envisioned customers munching on
Want-Want Senbei one after another, non-stop.

To seek divine inspiration, Tsai visited
the Temple of the Eighteen Lords to predict his fortune. Inside the temple, he
saw a dog worshipping, and he felt as though he had received a message from
heaven. He proclaimed with great excitement that the barking of the dog was the
sound of "Want Want". In Mandarin, the sound of dog barks is very
similar to the pronunciation of "Wan-旺," a Chinese character that represents prosperity.

With this inspiration, Tsai transformed I
Lan Foods into one of the world's most renowned brands, known as Want-Want.