Legend has it that Merida's founder, Ike Tseng, originally set up the Merida bike factory with a goal to change the perception that Taiwan produced poor quality bicycles. The business grew making bikes for other people; many millions of bikes for many well-known brands, building a strong reputation for quality. In 1988 Merida branched out and created their own tiny range of bikes, and the rest is history. The global Merida brand was born.