Bakeries report mooncake sellout

Foo

KOTA KINABALU: For the first time in history, two of the largest mooncake producers in Sabah reported that their festive products were completely sold out.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and weak market, the two major local bakeries had taken a more cautious approach by producing slightly less mooncakes.

What they did not expect was the Sabah snap polls held prior to the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was celebrated yesterday (Oct 1), had boosted the demand for mooncakes.

Sabah Confectionery and Bakery Association chairman Peter Khoo Po Min, who is also a director of Multi-Bake Sdn Bhd, said the mooncakes they produced were sold out three days ago, whereas Port View Euro Bakery managing director Foo Hoe Wing said his bakeries had run out of mooncakes a week ago.

Foo said his company has taken a more cautious approach in planning for the production of mooncakes this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and weak market.

“We have adjusted our mooncake production based on market demand for retail and purchase orders from our regular customers.”

He said soon after the mooncakes were available in the market, a snap election was called in Sabah, which led to a spike in mooncake demand during the campaign period where some customers bought the mooncakes in bulk.

“Our mooncakes were sold out a week before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“Many customers who came to buy mooncakes at our bakeries have left empty-handed,” he said.

On why he did not increase production a week ago, Foo explained that most of the raw ingredients, including lotus paste and salted egg yolks, were imported.

“There is insufficient time to place another order for the raw ingredients, therefore we were unable to produce more mooncakes.”

Foo said Port View Euro Bakery have maintained the sale of mooncakes as compared to the year before, the only difference was that the mooncakes were completely sold out a week before Mid-Autumn Festival.

On another note, he said the sale of large mooncakes has dropped by 50 percent as many associations were not celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival this year due to the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) restrictions.

“We have only received orders from custom-made large mooncakes from temples.”

Meanwhile, Khoo said Multi-Bake has reduced its mooncake production by about 30 percent because of the RMCO and Covid-19 pandemic.

“Many associations and corporations have bought a lot less mooncakes this year, but retail sales has increased.”

He said hypermarkets, supermarkets and mooncake distributors have also imported less mooncakes from West Malaysia this year as well.

“Due to less supply, mooncakes are quickly sold out in the market.”

He said the more popular varieties such as lotus mooncakes with double egg yolks were sold out a week ago, whereas other flavours such as matcha, milk tea and bamboo charcoal were sold out three days ago.

Khoo said a customer had wished to purchase 1,000 mooncakes but he had run out of raw ingredients and thus could not fulfil the order, given that the ingredients required to make mooncakes were all imported.

“Mooncake sales this year is quite unusual. We normally still had stock left on Mid-Autumn Festival in the past.

“The surge in demand for mooncake this year is unexpected,” he said.

Khoo also thanked his customers for their support.

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