Lin Hung-jui, holding a signboard bearing the URL of his vegetarian-centric website, complete with the Chinese name, poses for a photo in his Taipei office. CNA

When he became a vegetarian 18 years ago, Lin Hung-jui never imagined his chosen lifestyle would eventually become his livelihood.

Then he founded the website Suiis (www.suiis.com) in 1997, and today, with the additions of a specialized online market, travel agency and local restaurant guidebook, it has evolved into Taiwan's most popular online source of information for vegetarians.

His latest project is the release of a new updated version of his pocket-sized Taiwan vegetarian restaurant guide, last published in 2006.

The 2006 (third) edition, which sold out all 15,000 copies printed online, was a remarkable success story, especially for a book that did not have a single picture. Volumes with sales of 10,000 copies in bookstores are generally considered best sellers in Taiwan.

It also clearly reflected the rapidly-growing number of vegetarians in Taiwan and the increasing demand for information on vegetarian restaurants around the world, trends that Lin believes will push sales of the updated version to 20,000 or more after it is launched exclusively on his website later this month.

According to the Almanac of Food Consumption Survey in Taiwan 2008, vegetarians - using the broadest definition that includes individuals who eat vegetarian only at specific times - accounted for almost 10 percent, or 2.3 million, of the 23 million people living in Taiwan.

This 10 percent will be the main target of the updated pocket-sized guide, which will sell for NT$150 ($4.6) apiece and offer information on nearly 6,000 vegetarian restaurants compared to 5,000 in the third edition published three years ago. Just don't expect any frills - or pictures.

"It has been rejected by bookstores because it looks like those travel guides that are provided for free," Lin says.

Although the information on vegetarian restaurants can also be found on the company's website, many vegetarians still like to get a hard copy of the 2-centimeter-thick, 300-page guidebook.

Lin, 40, started the Chinese vegetarian website in 1997 and came up with a name by combining the romanized spelling of two Chinese characters - su (vegetarian) and i (pronounced "yee" and meaning easy): Vegetarianism is easy.

The words are symbolic of his personal beliefs and also inspired the philosophy underlying the business - making a vegetarian's life easier is the key to persuading more people to adopt the lifestyle.

In its first six years, Suiis featured a free restaurant search service to fulfill that mission, but the model failed to generate revenues for the site.

That changed when Lin launched an online market for vegetarians and the guidebook in 2003, and a travel agency offering vegetarian tours in 2004.

As the company has evolved, so has interest. Page views have grown to over 3 million a month - nearly tripling the one million page views per month three years ago - and membership has grown to 120,000, double the 60,000 members in 2005 and 40 times the site's mere 3,000 members in 2003.

Another trend driving the soaring numbers is the growing interest among those who are not strict vegetarians.

Five years ago, 70 percent of the website's members were vegans (who, like many members of hugely influential PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - will not only eat no animal products of any kind, but also any foods and condiments prepared with animal products or byproducts, or foods the preparation of which somehow involves the death and suffering of an animal), in contrast with lacto-vegetarians (who will ingest dairy products), ovo-vegetarians (who consume eggs) and pisci/pisca-vegetarians (who eat fish - and are still somehow "vegetarians").

Currently 70 percent of the site's members are less strict in their habits, a change that Lin is happy about.

"Just a few years ago, some people would just flee when they heard the word 'vegetarian.' But now people have started to feel that being a vegetarian can benefit both their health and the environment," Lin says.

Of his main business lines, starting the first online travel agency dedicated to vegetarians may have been his boldest move, but one well grounded on the psychology of vegetarian travelers.

Lin says vegetarians usually feel uncomfortable or less respected in regular tour groups, as they usually sit separately during meals and have less variety to choose from.

"That's why most vegetarians would rather pay more for better service," he explained.

To provide quality vegetarian food, the price of a table set for local vegetarian tourists ranges from NT$2,000 to NT$3,000, double that of a regular table costing NT$1,000 to NT$1,500, Lin said.

The pricey niche has helped the company grow by building customer loyalty. More than 70 percent of those who have gone on Suiis tours have opted to take a second tour offered by the company.

Lin acknowledges, however, that it can be extremely challenging to organize overseas vegetarian tours, especially to Japan and South Korea, which are among the most popular destinations for Taiwanese tourists.

"Some chefs in Japan have their own views on cooking and do not compromise easily," he said. Those chefs may insist, for example, on using certain ingredients that strict vegetarians do not eat, such as dried fish flakes.

To prevent his customers from being exposed to non-vegan ingredients, Lin sends vegetarian recipes to restaurants in Japan.

For tours in South Korea, Lin has even asked his partner there to visit local restaurants in advance to make sure their food was acceptable before signing any contracts.

Though the vegetarian travel services and guidebook have helped build the Suiis brand name, the company's main revenue source continues to be its online market, which sells mostly food and beverages, but also dabbles in personal care products and fashion accessories.

Again, Lin said, most of the online market's customers are not strict vegetarians, and its best online sellers are snacks, like cookies and sweets.

The company's success has forced it to expand from a one-man operation to a seven-man enterprise, but Lin remains reluctant to grow his business too quickly.

He has turned down several domestic investment trusts and banks that have expressed interest in buying a stake in his company to provide funding for growth.

"I don't want to worry about how to make a balance sheet look better for shareholders. I just want to focus on doing my current job well," he said.

To get people to support the concept of a vegetarian diet, Lin said, the food industry should improve itself first.

One of his suggestions would be to require all restaurants to specify the ingredients in each dish and prepare a separate menu for vegetarian customers.

"Once the industry improves, consumer spending should skyrocket," Lin confidently predicted.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 11/14/2009 page4)