50-year-old Shenkeng mooncake shop mechanizes for Mid-Autumn demand
As the Mid-Autumn Festival gift-giving season arrives, a 50-year-old cake shop in Shenkeng, New Taipei, is flooded with gift boxes. The shop has received a massive influx of orders from department stores, tech companies, and financial institutions. Despite having 20 employees working overtime every day, they are still struggling to keep up. They have not only increased their workforce but also added mechanized production lines. On average, they need to produce at least 130,000 mooncakes each day.
The pineapple cakes are pressed into square shapes, dipped in crushed almond, and then set to harden.
The cakes are placed in the oven, baked at 150°C for 20 minutes.
A delicious smell bursts out of the oven the moment the cakes are taken out. Pineapple cakes aren’t the only hot sellers.
Tang Shih-ching
FTV Reporter
During the Mid-Autumn Festival rush, the daily production of green bean cakes has surged from 5,000 to over 10,000. At times like this, handing over the complex packaging tasks to machines makes a difference. In just one minute, a machine can package 30 individual green bean cakes.
One employee places green bean cakes into the machine, while another is in charge of packing them into boxes. They work against the clock, making sure the boxes are filled quickly and efficiently.
In the shipping area, the staff sorts the cakes into categories and swiftly packs them into boxes. With 20 employees in the factory already stretched thin during the busy season, they’ve had to bring in five additional workers to help. The surge in orders from department stores and tech companies means they’re processing hundreds of orders.
Chen Hui-ping
Cake shop owner
This year, many corporate orders are picked up directly from our store. This is likely because companies want to collect and deliver the gifts themselves. As a result, our store’s order volume has surged, with growth of at least 10% to 20% compared to previous years. The key challenge this year is the pressure on our workforce. We’ve added more mechanized equipment to help compensate for the shortage of manpower.
Regular customer
I started buying from them when I first entered the workforce because my family lived near their Muzha store. We would buy their products for holidays and special occasions, and sometimes we’d also use them as gifts.
Despite the doubling of costs for egg yolks and imported butter, the business is committed to keeping prices frozen, aiming to ensure that consumers can enjoy the festivities without added costs.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
2024-09-09
