Q：When did you start bartending? Please share your start-up experience.
When I was in high school, I obsessed with bartending. Therefore, I decided to join the bartending club in college. Unexpectedly, there was no fancy bartending but regular bartending. "Take things as they come", I thought. While I accidentally entered the bartending world, I didn't consider it an interest. Then, I started to study bartending earnestly. I've worked in different bars since I was in college. I cooperated with Local Teahouse and mixed drinks at Golden Horse Awards which was our first project. After served in the army Kinmen, I also cooperated with the guesthouse.
My girlfriend and I run Vent bar. We never thought we would be homecoming even run a bar. I'm in charge of internal work and my girlfriend is in charge of public relations. If we don't operate Vent bar well, we will face the difficulties together. It reminds me of encouragement.
Q：As a barkeeper, you hold a lot of activities, and most of them are related to music. What do you think about the relationship between music and liquor? And what motivates you to hold these events?
When I lived in Taipei, I had a job in music industry. I worked at a recording studio, and my girlfriend was an activities PR personnel of concert at that time. Both of us have learned a lot from music industry. "Maybe we can do something for our hometown", we thought. We wanted to provide people a rest area between "company" and "home".
"Both of alcohol and music are the universal language around the world", I think. Therefore, we combine music and alcohol, hold events, and share our experiences on the way of enjoying life with Kinmen's residents.
Q：Kaoliang liqour is considered a selling point of Kinmen. Have you ever suffered from intense market competition?
It's beneficial to run a bar in Kinmen because there are a few bars here. Each store's style is different, so does the customer base. That is, it's not quite competitive. Assume that there are 1,000 bars in the city and 6 in the village. In the city, even if there are guests who like my bar's style, they could hardly notice us. On the other hand, it's easier for customers to find us. Luckily, we could befriend with each other.
I'm looking forward to design a new drink list like a picture book which is basically a series of stories of Kinmen, moreover, the theme would be the Kaoliang liquor.
Q：As we know, the bartending Reborn and No. 16 are well-knowned. What do the they mean? What is the inspiration?
Let's talk about Reborn first. I created it during college. It traced back to the bartending competition and the ranking was decided by vote. The inspiration originated from the story of Adam and Eve. In the Bible, Adam and Eve against God's will and ate the forbidden fruit. In my opinion, they didn't know what gratification was before they ate the fruit. However, they had desire. They knew what they are eager for, and what live meant. It was just like "reborn" when I studied in Taipei, which was a city completely unfamiliar with me. After experienced a lot, I found what I really loved.
No. 16 was my another entry. It was the first and favorite bartending created by me. During the last month, the days were filled with practice and bartending. My wish came true and I finally won the championship. After I ran the bar, it was named after No. 16. It meant 16 Art and Culture Zone as well.
Q：What is your blueprint for future?
If we earn more money, we will hold more music festivals or other entertaining activities. I hope the tourists could be more interested in them, when they come to Kinmen. One day, if you visit Kinmen after graduation, maybe you will find out the differences.
We are also planning a "one-stop" service. We may rent the whole building in the future. The bar will be on the first floor, the guesthouse will be on the second floor and the basement will be a recording studio!
Q：Do you have any advice for the junior who intend start-up?
Yu Ting(partner) said, "The couples may have more frictions than the ordinary partners, when they want to start up together. What you need to learn is how to adapt, break in, and change your status between partners and lovers."
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