Taiwan’s Boba Empire named a SIAL For Change 2026 finalist

Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd., parent of Boba Empire, has been selected as one of 20 finalists in SIAL For Change 2026, the sustainability award tied to SIAL Paris. The recognition highlights a Taiwanese bubble tea supply chain built around organic black rice farming, biodiversity recovery and lower-impact packaging.

Why it matters: - Empire Eagle Food’s finalist spot puts a Taiwan bubble tea maker into a global sustainability competition judged on supply chain impact, not product taste. - The company’s Chishang farming model links commercial growth to biodiversity gains, local farm income and export demand. - The result gives the bubble tea industry a concrete example of how sustainability can be built into sourcing, processing and packaging.

What happened: - Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Boba Empire brand, was named a finalist in the SIAL For Change 2026 award. - The company was the only finalist from Taiwan’s bubble tea industry among 20 finalists selected from 226 entries worldwide. - SIAL For Change is SIAL Paris’s first corporate sustainability award. - The finalist field came from 122 shortlisted projects before the final 20 were chosen. - The entries were evaluated by the independent Hyssop CSR consulting team. - Empire Eagle Food is based in Taichung, Taiwan.

The details: - Empire Eagle Food sources organic black rice from a local Indigenous social enterprise in Chishang, Taitung. - The supply chain includes 50 hectares of certified-organic contract farmland. - Ten local farming households have raised incomes by more than 10%. - Four protected species have returned over five years of farming: the crested serpent eagle, pangolin, Formosan serow and Swinhoe’s frog. - The company exports through a network spanning 40+ countries. - Its flagship product is Black GABA Rice Matcha Amazake. - The drink combines organic black rice powder with matcha amazake powder from Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture. - The product is zero-additive and non-alcoholic. - The product holds an A.A. Taste Award rating of 2 Stars. - Empire Eagle Food’s fruit tea pouch range won 3rd place in the Packaging category at Italy’s Better Future Award 2026. - The packaging is a stand-up aluminium pouch designed to weigh less, ship in less volume and use less manufacturing energy than conventional cans and PET bottles. - The company links that packaging approach to the direction of the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. - Empire Eagle Food holds FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, HACCP and HALAL certifications. - The company also has an AA1000-assured governance framework and a Dun & Bradstreet ESG rating. - Empire Eagle Food was founded in 2002 and operates its own factory in Taichung. - The company says its range spans six categories: tea, brewed tea concentrate, powder, dessert premix, toppings, syrup, and equipment and packaging. - The company says it serves 200+ partners across 40+ countries with OEM/ODM solutions. - Empire Eagle Food is also the only Taiwanese brand to have swept four major global taste-evaluation awards: iTQi Superior Taste Award, UK Great Taste, Monde Selection and A.A. Taste Award. - As a finalist, Empire Eagle Food will appear on SIAL Paris’s official sustainability trail and can use the “Selection SIAL For Change 2026” mark.

Between the lines: - The award suggests buyers and judges are scrutinizing how products are sourced and made, not just how they sell. - Bubble tea faces ongoing criticism over single-use packaging, sugar and plastic waste, so supply-chain proof carries added weight. - Empire Eagle Food is positioning sustainability as a business system tied to agriculture, biodiversity and packaging efficiency rather than a marketing claim.

What’s next: - Empire Eagle Food will continue as an official SIAL For Change 2026 finalist ahead of the Paris event. - The company can now display the “Selection SIAL For Change 2026” mark. - Its sustainability and export model will likely receive broader visibility through SIAL Paris and related industry channels.

The bottom line: - Empire Eagle Food is turning a bubble tea brand into a sustainability case study, with proof points running from a Taiwanese rice field to international distribution.