Hey Song
Product brand
UnclaimedA long-established Taiwanese beverage producer best known for HeySong Soda and HeySong Sarsaparilla.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
HeySong Corporation is a Taiwanese beverage manufacturer whose history extends from the Japanese colonial period to the modern consumer-goods market. The business began in 1925, when Chang Wen-chi and six cousins established Jian Hsin Corporation Limited by acquiring a Japanese beverage producer operating in Taiwan. The company initially made carbonated drinks and ramune under the Fuji and Sanshou names. In 1931 it introduced the HeySong trademark, which became the foundation of the company’s identity and later corporate name. During its early years, HeySong competed in a market shaped by Japanese industrial policy and unequal treatment of Taiwanese-owned businesses. Its packaging drew on the visual language of premium sake bottles, and one of its notable drinks was marketed as “No-Beer.” In 1936 the company acquired land in Taipei for a larger factory. The site was later redeveloped as the Breeze Center. Wartime regulation subsequently placed Taiwan’s bottling industry under government control. Production was managed through the Taiwan Cold Beverage Controlled Trade Association, while wartime disruption and an airstrike on a carbonic-acid facility in Kaohsiung further affected operations. Production resumed after the war in 1946. HeySong’s most important postwar product introduction came in 1950 with the launch of HeySong Sarsaparilla, a sweet carbonated drink in the sarsaparilla or sarsi tradition. The product, together with HeySong Soda, helped the company establish a deeply familiar presence in Taiwan. HeySong captured a large share of the domestic beverage market during the 1950s and 1960s, when its products became associated with everyday Taiwanese consumption and local commercial culture. The company faced a significant competitive test in 1968 when Coca-Cola entered Taiwan. Coca-Cola reportedly expected to overcome HeySong’s position within several years, but HeySong’s established distribution, consumer familiarity, and cultural embeddedness made the domestic market more difficult to displace than anticipated. Rather than remaining solely a carbonated-soft-drink producer, HeySong expanded into additional beverage categories, including sports drinks, tea, coffee, fruit drinks, and alcoholic beverages. The corporate identity also evolved. Jian Hsin Co. Ltd. changed its name to HeySong Beverages Co., Ltd. in 1970 and adopted the present name, HeySong Corporation, in 1981. The English spelling used for the company and its products changed from “HeSung” to “HeySong” in 1974. In 1987 the headquarters moved from the original Taipei plant site to the HeySong Commercial Building on Xinyi Road. The company’s portfolio includes legacy carbonated drinks, tea and juice products, coffee, functional beverages, and whisky. HeySong also operates or is associated with the HeySong Beverage Museum, linking its corporate history with Taiwan’s beverage heritage. Today, HeySong is primarily understood as a Taiwan-focused beverage company with a portfolio spanning traditional soft drinks and newer categories. Its strongest brand associations remain HeySong Soda and HeySong Sarsaparilla, while products such as Hey-Song Justea, FIN Healthy-Support Drink, Wincafe, Biedermeier Coffee, Ocean Coffee, CHERICO, Oasis, and Barley Barony represent the company’s broader product strategy.
History
HeySong Corporation traces its origins to 1925, when Chang Wen-chi and six cousins founded Jian Hsin Corporation Limited in Taiwan under Japanese rule. The founders acquired a Japanese beverage producer known as Nikoniko and began making soda and ramune. Their early products were sold under the Fuji and Sanshou names. Fuji expressed an ambition to match Japanese product quality, while Sanshou referred to cooperation among related family groups involved in the business. The HeySong trademark was introduced in 1931 for soda. Early packaging drew inspiration from premium sake bottles, and the company developed a reputation for distinctive carbonated drinks, including a product known as “No-Beer.” In 1936 it purchased a 3,500-square-meter site in Taipei for a new factory. That property later became the site of the Breeze Center. Wartime conditions interrupted the company’s development. In 1938, Japanese authorities took control of Taiwan’s bottling business under wartime regulations. Beverage production was administered through the Taiwan Cold Beverage Controlled Trade Association, which received most of the industry’s profits. The company’s operations were also affected by wartime shortages, attempted pressure to sell the factory, and damage to the regional supply infrastructure after an American airstrike destroyed a carbonic-acid facility in Kaohsiung. HeySong resumed production in 1946. In 1950 it launched HeySong Sarsaparilla, a sarsaparilla-style carbonated beverage that became one of its signature products. Together with HeySong Soda, the drink helped the company build a dominant or near-dominant position in Taiwan’s beverage market during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1968, Coca-Cola entered Taiwan and sought to challenge the incumbent. HeySong’s local distribution and strong cultural familiarity enabled it to remain an important domestic brand despite the arrival of the international competitor. The company subsequently broadened its product range beyond carbonated drinks. Its categories came to include tea, coffee, fruit beverages, sports and functional drinks, and alcoholic products. Corporate naming also changed over time: Jian Hsin Co. Ltd. became HeySong Beverages Co., Ltd. in 1970, and the present corporate name was adopted in 1981. The English spelling changed from “HeSung” to “HeySong” in 1974. In 1987 the headquarters moved from the original Taipei factory location to the HeySong Commercial Building on Xinyi Road. The original factory site later became associated with the Breeze Center redevelopment. HeySong’s historical identity is closely tied to Taiwan’s beverage culture. Its portfolio includes legacy soda brands as well as tea, coffee, juice, functional beverages, and whisky. The HeySong Beverage Museum further preserves and presents the company’s role in the development of Taiwan’s packaged-drink industry.
- 1987
Headquarters relocated
[1]HeySong moved its headquarters from the original Taipei plant to the HeySong Commercial Building on Xinyi Road.
- 1981
Present corporate name adopted
[1]The company changed its name to HeySong Corporation.
- 1974
English spelling standardized as HeySong
[1]The company and its drinks shifted from the earlier “HeSung” spelling to “HeySong.”
- 1970
Corporate name changes to HeySong Beverages
[1]Jian Hsin Co. Ltd. adopted the name HeySong Beverages Co., Ltd.
- 1950
HeySong Sarsaparilla launches
[1]The company introduced its sarsaparilla drink, which became a signature product in Taiwan.
- 1946
Postwar production resumes
[1]HeySong restarted beverage production after the end of the war.
- 1938
Bottling operations placed under wartime control
[1]Japanese wartime regulations transferred control of Taiwan’s bottling business to a government-mandated trade association.
- 1936
New Taipei factory site acquired
[1]HeySong acquired a 3,500-square-meter plot in Taipei for a factory; the site was later redeveloped as the Breeze Center.
- 1931
HeySong trademark introduced
[1]The company began producing soda under the HeySong trademark, which later became the basis of its corporate identity.
- 1925
Jian Hsin Corporation is founded
[1]Chang Wen-chi and six cousins established Jian Hsin Corporation Limited after acquiring the Taiwanese operations of the Japanese beverage producer Nikoniko.
Products and positioning
A mass-market Taiwanese beverage company combining highly recognizable heritage soft drinks with tea, coffee, juice, functional beverages, and selected alcoholic products.
Carbonated soft drink · 1931
HeySong Soda
HeySong Soda is one of the company’s foundational carbonated-drink products. It developed from the company’s early soda business and remains a central expression of the HeySong name. The product belongs to the company’s long-standing domestic soft-drink portfolio and is closely associated with the brand’s historical presence in Taiwan.
Sarsaparilla soft drink · 1950
HeySong Sarsaparilla
Introduced in 1950, HeySong Sarsaparilla is a sweet, sarsaparilla-style carbonated beverage and one of the company’s best-known offerings. Its launch helped expand HeySong’s postwar market position and made the drink a durable part of Taiwan’s beverage culture.
Functional beverage
FIN Healthy-Support Drink
FIN Healthy-Support Drink represents HeySong’s expansion beyond traditional soda into functional and health-positioned beverages. It is listed among the company’s product lines, although the available reference material does not specify its formulation, launch campaign, or current distribution.
Coffee beverage
Wincafe Coffee
Wincafe is one of HeySong’s coffee brands. Its inclusion reflects the company’s strategy of extending its beverage portfolio into ready-to-drink or packaged coffee alongside its established soft-drink, tea, and juice businesses.
Coffee beverage
Biedermeier Coffee
Biedermeier Coffee is a HeySong coffee offering identified in the company’s product portfolio. Specific product formats, flavor variants, launch date, and current availability are not established by the supplied references.
Coffee beverage
Ocean Coffee
Ocean Coffee is another coffee line associated with HeySong’s diversification into coffee beverages. The available material confirms the product name but does not provide further details about its positioning or lifecycle.
Tea beverage
Hey-Song Justea
Hey-Song Justea is part of HeySong’s tea portfolio. It illustrates the company’s move into packaged tea as Taiwanese beverage consumption broadened beyond carbonated drinks. Detailed flavor, packaging, and launch information is not available in the supplied sources.
Fruit beverage
CHERICO Juice Drink
CHERICO is a HeySong fruit-drink line. It belongs to the company’s broader juice and fruit-beverage offering, which complements its carbonated drinks and tea products. The supplied references do not specify its launch year or current market status.
Fruit beverage
Oasis Juice Drink
Oasis is a juice-drink brand in HeySong’s portfolio. It reflects the company’s participation in the fruit-beverage category, although detailed information on its ingredients, positioning, distribution, and present availability is not provided.
Whisky
Barley Barony Classic Whisky
Barley Barony Classic Whisky is one of the alcoholic-beverage products associated with HeySong. Its inclusion demonstrates that the company’s diversification extended beyond non-alcoholic drinks into whisky. The available sources do not establish its launch date, production arrangements, or current status.
Whisky
Barley Barony Scotch Whisky
Barley Barony Scotch Whisky is another whisky offering listed within HeySong’s wider portfolio. Specific information about sourcing, maturation, brand positioning, and availability is not stated in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
1981
Adoption of the HeySong Corporation nameStrategyBackground
The company had expanded beyond its original business structure and had already adopted the HeySong name for corporate use.
Action taken
The company adopted the present name, HeySong Corporation.
Aftermath
The name established the modern corporate identity used by the business.
1970
Corporate rebranding as HeySong BeveragesStrategyBackground
The original Jian Hsin corporate identity no longer fully represented the company’s increasingly prominent consumer brand.
Action taken
The company changed its legal name to HeySong Beverages Co., Ltd.
Aftermath
The change aligned the corporate identity more closely with the HeySong trademark.
1968
Response to Coca-Cola’s entry into TaiwanStrategyBackground
Coca-Cola entered Taiwan and challenged HeySong’s established position in carbonated beverages.
Action taken
HeySong continued competing through its established local brand presence and distribution while later broadening into tea, coffee, juice, sports drinks, and alcohol.
Aftermath
The international entrant did not quickly displace HeySong, whose products remained deeply familiar to Taiwanese consumers.
- The Coca-Cola Company — Coca-Cola entered Taiwan expecting to challenge HeySong within several years, but underestimated the incumbent’s local integration.
1950
Launch of HeySong SarsaparillaProduct launchBackground
After resuming operations in the postwar period, HeySong sought to strengthen its position in Taiwan’s expanding packaged-beverage market.
Action taken
The company introduced a sarsaparilla-style carbonated drink.
Aftermath
The product became one of HeySong’s signature offerings and supported its strong domestic market position during the 1950s and 1960s.
1931
Establishment of the HeySong trademarkProduct launchBackground
The company was already producing soda and ramune under earlier brand names when it sought a distinctive trademark for its own beverage identity.
Action taken
HeySong began producing soda under the HeySong name, using packaging influenced by premium sake presentation.
Aftermath
The trademark became the basis for the company’s best-known products and later corporate names.
Sources2 sources
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