Hong Kong chocolate maker for Hershey, Mars and Godiva finds sweet success with move into mooncake production
- Multizen Asia, a contract manufacturer for Hershey and Mars in mainland China, has started making mooncakes for 50 brands
- The company, which has a capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of chocolates a year, is making 1 million mooncakes this year
Multizen Asia, which produces chocolates for Mars and Hershey, has found unlikely success in a Chinese delicacy: mooncakes.
“This year, we will make about a million mooncakes for 50 brands” for clients from the city and mainland China, chief executive Tommy Lee said in an interview at its headquarters in Tsuen Wan, New Territories. “Some of the mooncakes that we make are for mainland Chinese brands as they like making them in Hong Kong.”
Mooncakes produced in the company’s 20,000 sq ft factory in Tsuen Wan carry the “Product of Hong Kong” label, lending them prestige, Lee said. He expects demand from mainland customers to continue to grow over the next few years, lifting its exports to the market to 80 per cent of production from 50 per cent at present.
Mooncakes have long been tied to the Chinese tradition of giving gifts to the elderly, relatives, friends and clients. While the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 21 this year, the traditional cakes have been available in many shops since last month.
A little over 100 million pieces of mooncakes worth some HK$5 billion (US$642 million) are sold annually in Hong Kong, according to the company’s estimates, making Multizen a small player against seasoned producers. Maxim’s and Wing Wah are among the most popular mooncake brands in Hong Kong, with the latter’s products sold in more than 100 countries.
