Moon cake producers have unveiled many traditional and new varieties for this year’s Full Moon Festival. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - With around a month to go for the Mid-Autumn festival, moon cake producers have unveiled many traditional and new varieties.
Big names like ABC Bakery, Kinh Do Mondelez, Dong Khanh, Bibica, Thanh Long, and Givral have started selling early this year.
The Asia Bakery and Confectionery Pte. Ent, known as ABC Bakery, has begun the season by exporting 60,000 cakes to the US for distribution through supermarkets.
At home it makes cakes for 22 five-star hotels and large bakeries with their names and logos, Kao Sieu Luc, the company’s general director, said.
It would supply at least 2.5 million cakes (500 tonnes) for the Mid-Autumn Festival, including new varieties made with fillings like imported Singaporean barbecued meats, lotus and chia seeds and dried apricots, lotus seeds and cranberries, and lava-custard, he said, adding that the company sold two million last year.
The Bibica Corporation will launch over 600 tonnes of cakes, an increase of 10 percent from last year.
There would be 60 products in three lines - luxury, nutrition and tradition – besides fruit moon cakes for online customers, it said.
Many amateurs too are offering handmade moon cakes on Facebook and other social media, with unique designs and materials.
Moon cakes imported from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are also available.
The prices of locally-made moon cakes this year range from 38,000 to 500,000 VND and 150,000-2 million VND for a box of four.
According to businesses, cake prices are up 3-7 percent this year due to higher costs of labour and imported paper for packaging.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy, owner of Thanh Long Cake and Sweet Establishment, said the price of the packaging paper has increased by 30 percent.
The appreciation of the dollar has pushed up the prices of imported inputs, she said.
Her establishment has managed to cut costs and also lowered profit margins to hike prices by only 5 percent, she said.
Many of the confectionary firms expect demand for the cakes for gifting to relatives and business partners to increase this year, with supply 10-20 percent higher than last year.
Luc said this year the number of five-star hotels and big restaurants buying from his company has been much higher.
With a few more weeks to go for the peak sales season, producers continue to study the market to launch more products.-VNS/VNA
VNA
