New Generation Milk Tea Master Training Programme 2017
FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited
FCHK is committed and confident to keep on organizing The Programme in the future to preserve Hong Kong-style milk tea making techniques, attract new blood to the industry to inherit the craftsmanship.
INTRODUCTION
In 2017, the Hong Kong-style milk tea making technique was chosen to be part of The Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong down from a list of 480 items. However, as many senior milk tea masters are retiring, the local tea shop industry is facing talent shortage and needs to attract new blood to preserve the craftsmanship. FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited (‘FCHK’) and its brand BLACK & WHITE® have been leading the development of the Hong Kong-style milk tea for since 1940s; and is committed to promoting and preserving the Hong Kong-style milk tea making techniques. In 2017, FCHK partnered with local social service organizations, and renowned chain restaurant groups, to form a public-private partnership and mobilized cross-sector resources to host the second New Generation Milk Tea Master Training Programme (“The Programme”), a unique community empowerment and cultural sustainability project. FCHK also partnered with local Youth Career Development Service Organization and extend The Programme to secondary school students to ensure the preservation of the cultural heritage will get passed on to the next generation.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
The Programme contained 3 components, vocational training, education and publicity. In 2017, FCHK partnered with four social service organizations, namely the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions Training Centre, Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service, Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong (“ELCHK”)and Hong Kong Women Development Association, as well as Star Chef Management School, and renowned chain restaurant groups including Tai Hing Catering Group, Capital Café and Swiss Café, to provide training for about 30 unemployed individuals with basic cha chaan teng (local tea shops in Hong Kong) bartending skills, to pass on the Hong Kong-style milk tea making techniques, equip trainees with vocational skills that enable them to re-enter the workforce and introduce new blood into the industry. In addition, FCHK extended The Programme to youngsters and trained secondary school students to become Junior Milk Tea Masters through the Career Mentorship Programme organized by ELCHK, Youth Career Development Service. Subsequently, FCHK sponsored students to run a Hong Kong-style milk tea kiosk over the weekend at a high-traffic shopping mall. All the proceeds from the Hong Kong-style milk tea sales were donated to charity.ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
FCHK successfully developed a highly effective Programme and established ‘milk tea master training’ as an annual industry event that is growing in depth, scale and reach. 27 trainees, aged 18-59, successfully passed the exam and graduated from The Programme; accumulating a total of over 125 milk tea masters trained since 2013. Five shortlisted trainees completed 750 hours of internship training in total. Meanwhile, 20 secondary school students served 580 orders and donated their proceeds to ELCHK for elderly service development. Moreover, The Programme generated positive broadcast, print and online media stories and promoted Hong Kong-style milk tea making techniques, with a PR value of over HK$11 million, raising awareness to mass public.FUTURE DIRECTION
BLACK & WHITE® evaporated milk, as the key ingredient of Hong Kong-style milk tea, recognizes the responsibility to continue enabling the sustainability of the cultural heritage of Hong Kong-style making technique. Building on the strong experience and proven track record of ‘milk tea master training’, as well as the long-term and strategic partnership with social service organizations and renowned chained restaurant groups, FCHK is committed and confident to keep on organizing The Programme in the future to preserve Hong Kong-style milk tea making techniques, attract new blood to the industry to inherit the craftsmanship.
FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited, a subsidiary of Royal FrieslandCampina, has maintained a long presence in Hong Kong since 1938, providing high quality and nutritious dairy products for consumers, customers and food service business partners in Hong Kong and Macau, nourishing the life of Hong Kong people across all ages in the past 80 years.
