85°C Bakery Cafe

85°C Bakery Cafe is a Taiwan-origin international café and bakery chain whose stores combine beverage service with retail bakery production. The brand sells coffee, tea, cakes, bread, desserts, smoothies, fruit juices, and selected gift or souvenir products. Its operating model is built around a high-volume, accessible format: customers can purchase freshly made bakery items and prepared drinks in the same location, with menus and store formats adapted to local markets. The business was incorporated by Wu Cheng-hsueh in January 2003 and opened its first store in Bao-Ping, then part of Taipei County and now New Taipei City, in July 2004. The name refers to Wu's belief that 85 degrees Celsius is an ideal serving temperature for coffee. Rather than positioning itself solely as a sit-down coffeehouse, the chain developed a hybrid café-bakery proposition in which bread, cakes, and other baked goods are displayed for immediate purchase while coffee and other beverages provide a complementary everyday-consumption occasion. International expansion began with an Australian store in Sydney in September 2006. The chain subsequently entered mainland China, the United States, and Hong Kong, creating a geographically dispersed store network. The first mainland Chinese store opened in Shanghai in 2007, the first United States store opened in Irvine in 2008, and the first Hong Kong store opened in 2012. The United States business later added a central kitchen in California, supporting production and distribution for that market. One of the brand's best-known beverages is sea salt coffee, generally made by adding a layer of sea-salt-flavored whipped cream to an iced Americano. The product reflects the chain's emphasis on distinctive but broadly accessible café items and has received media attention outside Taiwan. Alongside coffee, the brand's commercial identity remains strongly connected with cakes and bread, including products for routine purchases and celebrations. The corporate structure has attracted attention because Gourmet Master Co. Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands while the brand originated in Taiwan and is marketed in mainland China as Taiwanese. After a 2009 equity restructuring, Gourmet Master became the first foreign-company listing, or F-share listing, on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in November 2010. The chain has also faced labor, food-labeling, food-safety, and political controversies in several markets. These episodes have involved individual stores, franchise-network compliance, and public statements made during cross-Strait political tensions; they should not be treated as evidence that every store or market experienced the same issue. 85°C remains associated with a multi-market café and bakery network. Its core proposition is a combination of convenient locations, a broad bakery assortment, prepared beverages, and relatively accessible pricing. Store ownership, franchising, production arrangements, product availability, and operating performance can differ by country and over time.

85°C Bakery Cafe was established in Taiwan in 2004 by Wu Cheng-hsueh. The concept combined a bakery, coffee counter, dessert display, and compact cafe seating in a single retail format. Its name was associated with the serving temperature considered suitable for coffee, but the operating model relied on a much broader assortment of breads, cakes, pastries, and drinks. The format was intended to make freshly produced bakery and cafe items available at prices below those commonly associated with upscale coffeehouses or specialist patisseries. The company expanded in Taiwan by opening stores in high-traffic commercial areas and by standardizing product preparation, merchandising, and service procedures. A wide product range encouraged customers to visit for different occasions: an individual bread or beverage purchase, an afternoon snack, a family dessert, or a birthday and celebration cake. This combination of frequent low-value purchases and occasional higher-value cake purchases became central to the brand's retail economics. Gourmet Master Co., Ltd. was created as the corporate platform for the business and later became a public company in Taiwan. The group used centralized management and supply-chain systems to support product consistency across a growing store network. Store operations included both directly managed locations and franchised or locally operated outlets, depending on market and period. The business model required coordination of ingredient sourcing, baking and finishing processes, cold-chain logistics for cakes and desserts, store staffing, and local regulatory compliance. International expansion followed the development of the Taiwanese network. 85°C entered mainland China and other overseas markets, including the United States, Australia, and Hong Kong. China became one of the brand's most important international markets, while stores in the United States and Australia were often located in areas with significant Asian and Chinese-speaking populations. International stores adapted some products and operations to local demand, but retained the core bakery-cafe identity and the recognizable 85°C name. The company broadened its product portfolio through seasonal launches, localized flavors, new beverages, and variations in cakes and pastries. Product development helped the chain compete in a crowded market that included independent bakeries, coffeehouse chains, convenience stores, specialist cake shops, and other multinational or regional foodservice brands. The brand's proposition remained primarily value-oriented and variety-driven rather than based exclusively on specialty coffee or luxury confectionery. The company encountered a major reputational episode in 2018. During Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas trip, she visited an 85°C store in Los Angeles. The visit prompted online criticism in mainland China and discussion about the company's political positioning and treatment of the visit. The company published statements stressing its opposition to Taiwanese independence and its commitment to the one-China position. The episode attracted criticism from observers who viewed the response as an example of commercial pressure on Taiwanese companies operating in China, while others treated it as a corporate effort to protect its mainland business. Like other physical retail and foodservice businesses, 85°C has also had to manage changing rents, labor availability, ingredient costs, food-safety requirements, competition, and the effects of pandemic-related restrictions. Its continuing strategy has centered on store-network management, product innovation, cakes and bakery frequency, beverage sales, and international market operations. 85°C remains associated with the Taiwanese bakery-cafe format and is operated under Gourmet Master's corporate structure.

1. 2018Los Angeles store visit triggers political controversy

   A visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to an 85°C store in Los Angeles leads to criticism in mainland China and public statements by the company about its political position.

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2. 2007Gourmet Master becomes publicly listed

   Gourmet Master Co., Ltd., the corporate operator associated with 85°C, is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

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3. 2004First 85°C store opens in Taiwan

   Wu Cheng-hsueh launches the first 85°C Bakery Cafe in Taiwan, combining bakery retail with coffeehouse beverages and cafe service.

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Mass-market bakery cafe combining fresh bakery products, cakes, and coffeehouse beverages at accessible prices.

• Fresh bakery productsBakery2004

  The chain's core range includes breads, toast, buns, rolls, pastries, and other baked goods. Products are generally merchandised for takeaway and are refreshed throughout the day or produced through a combination of centralized preparation and in-store baking or finishing.

• Cakes and cheesecakesDesserts2004

  Celebration cakes, cheesecakes, cream cakes, and related desserts form an important part of the brand's higher-value offering. The range supports birthdays, holidays, family occasions, and advance orders, while individual slices and smaller formats support everyday purchases.

• Coffee and tea beveragesBeverages2004

  85°C stores serve coffee, tea, milk tea, and other hot and cold drinks. Beverages complement bakery purchases and help the chain operate as a casual cafe as well as a bakery retailer.

• Seasonal and localized productsLimited-edition food and beverage

  The brand periodically develops seasonal flavors, holiday products, and market-specific bakery or beverage items. Such launches support repeat visits and allow overseas stores to respond to local tastes while retaining the broader 85°C product architecture.

• 2018Public response to mainland Chinese political criticismStrategy

  The company's Los Angeles store was visited by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, prompting criticism in mainland China.

  What changed. The company issued public statements stressing its support for the one-China position and distancing itself from Taiwanese independence.

  Aftermath. The response drew attention to the political and reputational risks of operating a Taiwanese consumer brand across multiple sides of the Taiwan Strait.

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• 2004Launch of the bakery-cafe formatStrategy

  The founder sought to combine bakery retail with coffeehouse products in a format aimed at broad everyday demand.

  What changed. 85°C opened stores offering breads, cakes, pastries, coffee, tea, and cafe service under one brand.

  Aftermath. The format became the foundation for Taiwanese expansion and later international growth.

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• 2018Political backlash following Tsai Ing-wen store visitControversy

  After Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited an 85°C store in Los Angeles, the brand faced criticism and online pressure in mainland China. The company issued statements emphasizing its opposition to Taiwanese independence and its support for the one-China position. The episode became a prominent example of the political sensitivity faced by Taiwanese consumer brands with mainland operations.

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1. 85°C Bakery Cafe
2. Gourmet Master Co., Ltd. investor and corporate information
3. Taiwan Stock Exchange
4. 澳大利亚特许经营商因网络合规失败受到处罚