Watch the full video and hear Vic tell Favorland’s story!
About the Brand: How Favorland Got Started
Favorland was founded by Wen-Wei Cheng, who built it from the ground up. Using local ingredients like Taiwanese rice and Yunlin sugarcane, it makes Taiwanese spirits such as rice whisky and rum. But back then, most people preferred imported drinks like red wine and brandy, so making Taiwanese spirits was not easy. Spirits also take time to age, which meant a lot of money upfront and slow returns. Research and development alone took ten years. Even so, Favorland stayed true to one goal: making spirits that truly belong to Taiwan.
The spirits were great, but few people knew about them. Vic, a former local reporter, felt that was a shame and came home to take over. She started by building the brand and opening the distillery to visitors, with hands-on gin and fruit wine workshops that bring guests to Huwei to discover local spirits. She also brought in a booking system to move everything online, from booking and payment to check-in. Step by step, the long-running distillery became a place travelers make a special trip to visit.
What Is a Local Spirit? Favorland’s Taste of Taiwanese Rice
It all goes back to Favorland’s commitment to local spirits. It sounds technical, but Vic explains it simply: “France has wine, Scotland has whisky, Japan has sake. Look closer, and each one is made from whatever grows most in that place.”
So what about Taiwan? “I could make wine or sorghum liquor. But if I want this distillery to last 100 years, which ingredient really represents this place? The answer was all around us: Taiwanese rice.” Starting with rice, Favorland then added other local ingredients like Yunlin sugarcane, Gukeng pineapples and Meishan plums, creating flavors that belong only to this land.
More Than Selling Spirits
When Vic took over, her first move was building the brand. “A brand is about earning customers’ trust,” she says. With spirits, people need to trust a name before they’ll try it.
But on a crowded store shelf, shoppers can only judge a bottle by its label. Favorland has something most brands don’t: a distillery where guests can visit and experience local culture in person.
“We’ve never been just about selling spirits. How do you really get to know a local culture? You have to come and experience it for yourself.”
Vic also wants more people to visit her hometown. “On domestic trips, people go to Taichung, Nantou and Changhua, then head to Chiayi for chicken rice. Yunlin always gets skipped.”
Why Go Digital?
For Vic, going digital is a must: “How I shop is how my customers shop. So everything has to be convenient, simple and intuitive.” She adds: “First digital, now AI. If you don’t keep up, you’ll get left behind.”
Favorland already worked closely with KKday, and after comparing booking systems, it chose rezio. “Getting set up was super smooth! I got what I needed quickly.” Using a well-known platform also helps when guests have problems: “It makes both me and my customers feel safe.”
“From day one, our goal has been to last 100 years,” Vic says. “When you’re not just after quick money, you think long term with every decision.”
Favorland now adds its rezio booking link to all its promotions, and it works: “70 to 80% of our guests book through rezio.”
What Changed with rezio
Before online payments, guests had to contact customer service and pay by bank transfer. Vic laughs: “I can’t even remember the last time I went to a bank. I use LINE Pay and Apple Pay every day. Why wouldn’t I give my guests the same convenience?”
Check-in went digital too. Whether guests book online or walk in, each one gets a QR code to scan at the door, and staff check them in with a phone. For older guests who aren’t used to phones, “we ask them to take a photo of the code and scan the photo.” Best of all, “you can see check-ins and final numbers at a glance.”
That data matters a lot to Vic. Does she use the back-end reports? “Absolutely!” Staffing costs, pricing, peak and off-peak seasons all come down to data. She reminds her team every day to pay attention to guests: “Tell me roughly how old they are, what they order and what feedback they give.” Without this, she says, the team would have no direction.
Not Sure About Going Digital? “It’s Not as Hard as You Think”
Many small business owners worry about going digital. They don’t know where to start, or think it costs too much. Vic gets it, but her experience was different: “It’s really not as hard as you think. These systems are well established now. I just reached out, learned how it works, and that was it.”
From a business owner’s point of view: “You hired this person, so you want the most out of them. Paperwork eats up so much time. With a system, they can focus on better service or data analysis, and you get twice the value.”
Vic sums it up in one line:
“Spend your time where it really pays off, not on boring tasks that don’t help.”
With rezio, Favorland brings online booking, payment and on-site check-in into one system. The team spends less time on admin and more time on every guest, and more people get to know Huwei through a glass of local spirit.
Want to free up time like Favorland? With a professional booking website and order management tools, rezio can help. Talk to us and see how rezio, the booking system built for tours and activities, can grow your business!