This Cyberfair project taught me a lot. From interviews, webpage making, to writing scripts, we put forth all efforts into the project and engaged in energetic teamwork. Although this was not my first-time entering the Cyberfair, it was still a valuable learning experience of me.  

Our theme was local fruits grown in Taiwan, and we chose Red on Tree as the case. The core of this project was Red on Tree, and the braches extended to various local fruits. Taiwan is renowned for a wide variety of fruits, and is called “Kingdom of Fruits”. With Taiwan’s unique geographic and climate condition, as well as farmers’ diligent works, the fruits are of great quality and manifest the vigor of Taiwan. I did not know much about fruits at first, and only knew several kinds of fruits. After working on this project, I began to realize the reasons for the fame of Taiwanese fruits, quality and variety. Red on Tree has made significant contribution to let the international communities know about Taiwan’s fruit.

For this Cyberfair project, we interviewed the founder of Red on Tree, knowing he only used best-quality, toxin-free fruits for the jams. To our delight and surprise, the jam-making process is so simple with only a few steps, yet the flavors are so heavenly delicious. As they select fresh fruits to make jams, without any additives or other artificial substances, and disinfect the bottles. I feel safe when I eat their jams.

We visited many orchards, where the farmers work hard to grow and harvest their fruits. They sweat in their farms and harvest with happiness. They let us try their fruits, and explained to us about the plantation. We were very touched by their dedication.

Mr. Lin showed us what it is to pursue one’s dream without ever giving up. He insists on doing the right thing and making safe, good-quality food. He deliberated over the future direction and path for Red on Tree, and strived to produce the authentic Taiwanese flavor. He shows the vigor of Taiwanese agriculture. 

When we stepped into the headquarters of Red on Tree, the bright, clean working environment attracted our attention immediately. They were meticulous about choosing the raw materials, washing, cooking and bottling. Also they devoted to R&D, so as to bring out the best flavors from fruits grown in different seasons. Mr. Lin brought us to orchards and showed us the laborious efforts made by the farmers. We were very much impressed by the distinct flavors of guavas, figs, strawberries and star fruits, and will always remember the sweetness of these toxin-free fruits. We also learned that it is a challenge to grow toxin-free fruits; some use bamboo shells and sugarcane peels to cover the soil and offers nutrients for the fruit trees; some invest on building greenhouses to prevent natural disasters and pests. Without their effort, we could not have a variety of excellent fruits all year round.

We worked on this Cyberfair project for an entire year. This is the first time for me to engage in a long-time project like this, not to mention how much time I have put into this work. I have learned a lot from interviews and visits, and have come to a better understanding on the agricultural products in Taiwan. All the knowledge leads to a fuller picture of the Taiwanese farming products and keeps us alert about the current food crises.

We visited some orchards and interviewed professors and officials in the field of food safety. We also visited the factory of Red on Tree, and talked with the staffs and the owner. What impressed me most was how to choose good, safe food. If we are equipped with basic knowledge about safe food, we may well stay away from adulterated food. I also realized that the tasty fruits in Taiwan are resulted from the hard work of farmers and the geographic condition. All the fruits, fruit jams, and fruit-flavored ice creams represent the best flavor of Taiwan.

I still remember the refreshing and delicious fruits, tasty jams, warm-hearted interviews, and interesting activities at school. Those memories are intertwined with sweetness and tears. We talked to the founder of Red on Tree, who is far-sighted and ambitious, and also interviewed many farmers, government officials. We visited institutes for food inspection and organic shops. From the interviews, I came to realize how they displayed doggedness and perseverance in the process of doing the right thing and making their ideals come true. 

All the farmers we interviewed are friendly. They taught us about knowledge on fruit cultivation, and shared with us their thoughts. Extending from the core topic of Red on Tree, we also studied organic and toxin-free fruits, as well as food safety certification labels. We interviewed many people, including officials at the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Health, and columnist Ms. Yi-lan Yeh. We asked many questions about food safety, organic produce and toxin-free products, and got satisfactory answers from these professionals. Farmers work hard, but a typhoon could easily destroy one year of work, so we should what we have at the dinner table.

After a lengthy process of tears and sweat, we have finally completed the work— from the initial outlining to the last completion of webpages, and got the most beautiful harvest through intensive cooperation. 

Apart from visiting the factory of Red on Tree to experience jam making, we also visited the orchards and farms that cooperate with Red on Tree. We saw how they persisted in farming. They made organic fertilizers by themselves and grafted foreign varieties in order to produce better fruits that can grow well in the climate of Taiwan. We also interviewed officials from government units and professors from university, getting to know more about food inspection. After this, I have gained a better idea of choosing common food in marketplaces and known what details to pay close attention.

After a whole year of efforts, the project was finally coming to an end. Our webpage was finished. Red on Tree comes from Taiwanese dialect, which means a fruit grown mature in trees. It is the manifestation of Taiwanese vigor.

Over the course of this project, we have tasted sweet and bitter along the way, and gain many precious memories. To have a more complete framework of our webpages, we modified our mind maps several times. To give a better introduction of Red on Tree, we searched the information online and organized the information. We learned about the relevance of organic and toxin-free plantation. We also designed interesting activities at school, and talked with farmers, officials and professionals. Meanwhile, we designed the questions for survey, and analyzed the results. We also made fruit jams by ourselves, and held charity sale to contribute to the non-profit organization. We were so moved by our committed efforts during this period of time.