Chia Te Bakery (), founded in 1975, is a Taiwanese bakery best known for its pineapple cakes. Based in Taipei's Songshan District, it has earned a reputation for its artisanal pastries and become a popular option for Chinese New Year gifts and souvenir culture. Its pineapple cakes are also available at select convenience stores and airport gift shops.
Chia Te was established in 1975 by Chen Tang-peng, who trained for four years in Changhua before opening his first shop in Taipei at age 26. The bakery initially focused on pineapple cakes, a local specialty, and rapidly gained recognition. In 2006, it won the inaugural Taipei Pineapple Cake Festival's top prize for its original variety, and in 2007, its cranberry pineapple cake also claimed first place.
In 2022, Chiaâ¯Te faced increased scrutiny from Chinese customs authorities seeking detailed supplementary information as a condition for renewing its import registration. Requirements reportedly included technical details such as factory layout, employee counts, and exact ingredient ratios, prompting owner Lin YuehâÂÂying to describe the process as feeling intentionally burdensome and suggestive of political obstruction. In response, the bakery announced it would halt further exports to China, citing concerns over revealing proprietary formulas and factory secrets, while reaffirming its commitment to the domestic Taiwanese market.
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare later confirmed that Taiwanese exporters to China faced significantly stricter requirements than foreign counterparts. While international registrants could submit online, Taiwanese companies were instructed to file hard-copy documents with mandatory completion of all fieldsâÂÂa stiff standard where omitting data could be interpreted as nonâÂÂcompliance. The ministry noted that these provisions appeared to place trade secrets at risk and pledged to assist companies in responding to evolving Chinese regulations.
Chiaâ¯Te's decision sparked a wave of public support across Taiwan, replacing negative online ratings from some Chinese users with overwhelmingly positive reviewsâÂÂmany reaffirming their support for the company's stance on protecting its Taiwanese identity and intellectual property.