Erwin from Germany sees Taicang as his second home. From building a small bakery from scratch to selling German bread all over China, he accomplished his dream little by little.
· A childhood dream ·
Why did Erwin choose to open a German bakery in a Jiangnan water town? The idea grew out of his childhood experience. In his hometown, there was a bakery run by an old couple where he liked to drop by after school. The tantalizing aroma of bread became one of his best memories, and the idea of opening his own bakery began to grow.
In 2009, Erwin met Tao Shaoying when working in Dubai, who later became his wife. Since then they have been to a great many cities across China, but only Shaxi Ancient Town (沙溪古镇) in Taicang truly expressed him. "It would be great if it had a traditional German bakery." Erwin and Tao decided to quit their jobs, and in 2015, they opened the first traditional German bakery in Taicang.
Shaxi Ancient Town @WeChat ID: tcfbgw
· Gain a foothold ·
Surprisingly, after two years the shop went viral on the internet. In 2018, the local market regulation authorities knew that Erwin planned to expand operations. After on-site instructions and communications, Erwin finally found the perfect measures that could not only meet the requirements of China's food security, but also keep the features of traditional workshops unique to Germany.
In August of that year, the bakery successfully passed the acceptance check and obtained the registration certificate for food workshop.
· From Germany to China ·
Erwin sells his bread all over China via his online shop. First, he was reluctant to open a shop on the internet. But after careful consideration he decided to keep up with the trend. He soon acquired the qualification and started his online business.
Erwin brought traditional German bread to Taicang and now to everywhere in China. To him, Taicang is no longer "an alien land", but his "hometown".
