Taiwan's Top 100 Brand Stories

"DeFeng Biotechnology" is the authority on artificial breeding of seahorses

Seahorses have exquisite and colorful appearance and special male parenting behavior, and have gradually become the new darling of the aquarium market in recent years. In May 2004, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) included seahorses in the conservation list of Appendix II, making the seahorse trade more stringent and giving rise to a promising market for artificially farmed seahorses. After an unexpected encounter with seahorses, Liu Qiwang, the founder of Defeng Biotech, was deeply attracted to them. He traveled around to consult many scholars and experts, and gradually built a seahorse kingdom that mainly focused on artificial breeding and peripheral products, making this group of marine The little cavalry can be seen by more people.

Interest, first encounter with seahorse

Starting from the printing industry, Liu Qiwang is keen on raising freshwater fish and is a true amateur. After coming into contact with saltwater fish by chance, he traveled all over Taichung but could not find anyone who could provide him with correct information. This also made him deeply understand that the general public in Taiwan is so unfamiliar with saltwater fish. Later, he finally found a business owner he could trust. When discussing marine fish matters with the person in charge, he noticed that there were live seahorses in the museum, which were rarely seen in normal times. This aroused his strong interest in seahorses.

There are more than 60 species of seahorses discovered in the world. Although they have a wide range of habitats, they are scattered in coastal waters. However, there are still more than 70 countries that frequently trade in seahorses, most of which are used for traditional medicine. need. Due to the high demand, the illegal harvesting of wild seahorses has increased significantly, affecting the natural habitat of the seahorses. Therefore, when Chairman Liu decided to invest in seahorse breeding, he insisted on using artificial indoor breeding, despite the high cost of the professional equipment required. In addition to avoiding the instability caused by marine pollution, it can also reduce human impact on the ocean. Ecological destruction.

The early stages of research and development were full of hardships. Although seahorses are fish, due to differences in biological habits and other factors, the conditions required for breeding are more rigorous. Originally, the partner who was convinced that he had professional knowledge was unable to effectively break through the bottleneck in the process and just wasted money. Chairman Liu resolutely ended the cooperation. However, from the perspective of biotechnology, he was still interested in Haima. Economic value has high expectations. As a religious person, he decided to continue research and development with the guidance of God and the support of his team members! Because of the dream...the only way is to persist!

Turnaround, the help of noble people

Although I have experience in breeding freshwater fish, breeding seahorses is another big project. Mr. Liu Qiwang sought out experts in the industry and suffered repeated setbacks. He was even advised to quit by marine fish professionals, which made him feel stressed and frustrated.

Regarding the bottlenecks that his Haima business has faced several times, he believes that there are only things in the world that have not yet been solved, and there is nothing that cannot be solved. His persistence and philosophy of life have helped him find more experts and scholars. I also unexpectedly made friends with a professor who had actual experience in breeding seahorses. Originally, this professor settled in New Zealand to specialize in breeding seahorses in order to meet the huge demand for seahorse traditional Chinese medicine in the Chinese market. However, the seahorses he bred were not used by manufacturers, and he happened to return to The two met while the expert was handling family affairs at the university, and they had a very pleasant conversation. The expert was happy to join the research and development, adding a lot of combat power to the breeding of seahorses.

Through the professor's introduction, he got to know an authority on algae research at the Academia Sinica, laying the foundation for the future launch of businesses such as juvenile seahorse nourishing solution, seawater element, and frozen feed. The presence of many noble people has turned his Haima business into a professional team. With the drive to pursue the dream, we gradually gained a firm foothold, and the breeding technology became mature and stable, gradually becoming the leader in domestic seahorse farming.

Outlook, moving forward in the market surrounding Haima

Speaking of the seahorse business, Mr. Liu Qiwang is very familiar with all kinds of knowledge about seahorses. In order to avoid the pollution caused by the use of natural seawater and other unstable factors that may cause harm to the cultivated seahorses, the entire farm currently uses natural seawater for breeding. Cultivation and breeding, we strictly track and control the salinity, temperature and other related conditions of the water every day. We have successfully bred Brazilian seahorses, Australian high-crowned seahorses, Taiwan spiny seahorses and Western Australian crowned seahorses. Several species of seahorses.

Seeing that the company's seahorse breeding technology was becoming increasingly mature, he began to propose complete and innovative plans in terms of production direction, production methods, product form and even the market for related disciplines. In the context of the difficult growth environment of wild seahorses, the continuous destruction and reduction of their habitats, and the relatively strict international trade in seahorses, he knew that if he could break through the existing business framework, this seahorse breeding technology might be able to promote production. The result is that the technology industry, marine resources and the ecological environment all benefit.

Looking back at the time when he was attracted by the unique shape and color of seahorses, and now has gone from being an amateur player to the head of an enterprise, Chairman Liu Qiwang constantly tells himself that he must take on more social responsibilities and promote the appreciation and breeding of seahorses in Taiwan. Culture contributes. In order to allow more like-minded owners to join the seahorse world, in addition to focusing on the research and breeding of various seahorses, he also led the team to strive to increase the popularity of indoor seawater aquarium farming, and then combined it with many peripheral products, such as seawater essence, frozen feed, etc. . Currently, there are plans to participate in exhibitions in various countries around the world to promote Taiwan's ornamental fish industry from breeding to export. Chairman Liu said: "I hope that in the future, whenever the aquarium industry around the world talks about seahorses, the first thing that comes to mind is 'Defeng'!"

Advice for entrepreneurs who want to start a business:

1. Whether the career you choose is in line with your interests.
2. Don’t be frustrated when you encounter something unpleasant. You can be discouraged for five minutes, but you cannot be discouraged for a lifetime.

Key elements of operation:

1. The right time, the right place and the right people.

Operator Quotes:
1. There is no problem that cannot be solved, it’s just that you haven’t found the solution yet.
2. Complaining never solves problems.

Business Projects

1. Import and export of various live seahorses
2. Various natural seawater elements - for aquaculture, for marine fish, for LPS, for SPS
3. Non-polluting frozen bait - mysid shrimp, brine shrimp, water flea, copepod, rotifer, bloodworm
4. MANTIS submersible motor Taiwan general agent