Want Want facts for kids
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| Industry | Food and drink; media |
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| Founder | Jonathan Shuai Qiang Ng |
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Key people
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Tan Swee Ling (Board member) |
| Subsidiaries | Want Want China, China Times |
Want Want Holdings Limited (often called Want Want) is a big company from Taiwan. It makes many popular foods and drinks. Want Want is also involved in media, owning some TV channels and newspapers.
This company is one of the largest makers of rice cakes and flavored drinks in Taiwan. They make and sell many different kinds of snacks and drinks. These include rice crackers, milk products, other drinks, and snack foods like candies, jellies, and nuts. Want Want has over 100 factories in mainland China and two in Taiwan. More than 60,000 people work for the company.
How Want Want Started
Want Want began its journey in 1962. Back then, it was called I Lan Foods Industrial Company Limited. It was located in Yilan County, Taiwan. The company first made canned farm products. Jonathan Shuai Qiang Ng, the father of Tsai Eng-meng, started the company.
Later, Tsai Eng-meng took over the family food business when he was just 19 years old. He came up with a new idea: crackers made from rice flour. These rice crackers became very popular.
In 1983, Want Want worked with Iwatsuka Confectionery Company Limited. This Japanese company was one of the top rice cracker makers. Together, they helped grow the rice cracker market in Taiwan. In return, Iwatsuka received a small part of Want Want's ownership.
Growing the Business
In 1987, Want Want was the first Taiwanese company to register its "Want Want" brand name in China. They started doing business in Mainland China in 1992. Two years later, in 1994, they opened their first factory in Changsha, Hunan.
By 1996, Want Want Holdings Pte Ltd started selling its shares on the Singapore Stock Exchange. This meant people could buy a small part of the company.
In 2007, Want Want Holdings Pte Ltd stopped selling shares on the Singapore Stock Exchange. The next year, in 2008, a company they owned, Want Want China Holdings Limited, started selling shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This company became a top choice for investors on the Hang Seng index in 2011.
Want Want also expanded into media. In 2009, they bought the China Times newspaper. They also bought TV channels like China Television (CTV) and CtiTV.
Want Want's Logo
The logo for Want Want is a cartoon boy. He wears blue and yellow overalls. Sometimes, he has red cheeks. You can find this boy on almost all Want Want products, usually in a small size. Most of the time, his eyes are looking up.
See also
- List of companies of Taiwan
- Want Want China
- I-Mei Foods
