Selling tens of millions of mooncakes a year, Shanghai Fresh Meat Mooncake dominates? Unexpected! There is also an invisible champion, Jingsu | Mooncake | Champion

More than a month before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the "Mooncake Battle" in Shanghai started quietly. Even the steaming fresh meat mooncakes were fresh without fear of the heat. What many people don't know is that besides freshly baked mooncakes, represented by fresh meat mooncakes, which are the specialty products of Shanghai mooncakes, there is another "hidden champion" in the market, with a single brand selling tens of millions of units per year.

Gongdelin Vegetarian has already put in full force to produce pure vegetarian mooncakes. Based on past experience, a mooncake season requires the production of over 10 million pure vegetarian mooncakes

That's the pure vegetarian mooncake. In Shanghai, the pure vegetarian mooncakes produced by Gongdelin, Yufosi Suzhai, Longhua Suzhai, and others not only have a large number of repeat customers, but also have new ideas every year, attracting many consumers to try them out.

"Pure vegetarian mooncakes have many flavors and are not expensive. They are sold in bulk, which is very down-to-earth, so they are very popular among consumers." Liu Guoqiang, Deputy Factory Director of Gongdelin Vegetarian Company, said that based on market feedback over the years, consumers particularly prefer products with high cost-effectiveness. Taking Gongdelin as an example, a single mooncake is priced around 10 yuan, and its annual sales volume reaches hundreds of tons, which is equivalent to over 10 million pieces.

The pure vegetarian mooncake with multiple flavors and a starting price is very popular among consumers. In addition to the room temperature version, there is also a freshly baked version available

I saw the real material in one fell swoop

The distinction between "Five Benevolences" and "Hundred Fruits" is clear

So, what's the difference between pure vegetarian mooncakes and regular mooncakes?

The biggest difference naturally lies in the raw materials.

Liu Guoqiang introduced that the common vegetarian mooncakes belong to the Soviet style mooncake process, and the pastry skin is also crispy, except that soybean oil, peanut oil, and other vegetable oils are used to mix the noodles. They use large brands of non genetically modified soybean oil or peanut oil, and the final product has clear layers and is crispy and delicious.

In terms of filling, although the taste of pure vegetarian mooncakes is mostly traditional, in recent years, adjustments have been made according to consumer preferences. "For example, the sweet filling has been reduced in sugar, and current products can reduce sugar by more than 50% compared to the earliest formula. There are also products that do not add sucrose, which can meet the needs of different consumer groups. For example, some consumers like new flavors, especially those who want more salty mooncakes. We have adjusted the traditional filling formula and added new flavors such as pepper, salt, passion fruit, green mushroom, and fragrant moss."

Each family's pure vegetarian mooncakes have many flavors

He also said that pure vegetarian mooncakes value "authentic ingredients" the most, and many experienced customers can judge the quality of pure vegetarian mooncakes from the filling. "For example, the peach kernels in peach kernels and sesame seeds must be large or even whole grains, and the five kernels in the top five kernels must live up to the name, with at least five varieties. Overall, high-quality pure vegetarian mooncakes can make consumers bite down and know which ingredients are used."

Interestingly, pure vegetarian mooncakes can showcase the true essence of some traditional flavors. For example, some young consumers are confused about the difference between five kernel filling and hundred fruit filling, thinking that both flavors are mixed with multiple ingredients. But when it comes to vegetarian mooncake production enterprises, "Wuren" and "Baiguo" are very different: the former takes "ren" as the main character, peach kernels, almonds, olive kernels, melon seeds, sesame kernels, etc. are all related to "ren", and the top grade is filled with complete fruit kernels, which is truly the name; "Baiguo" emphasizes "fruit". Dried fruit preserves such as pineapple, apple, strawberry, peach can be filled with filling, and nuts can also be added, but they will be crushed and mixed, regardless of the quantity, emphasizing the number of "hundred" characters.

Cantonese and desktop can also be "pure"

Mooncakes with stories appear simultaneously

Due to the strong appeal of pure vegetarian mooncakes in the Shanghai market, there are still many new products on the market every year. Taking Yufo Temple vegetarian food as an example, this year we have launched three major categories of products: freshly baked, loose, and boxed, which are further divided into different types such as Su style, Cantonese style, and desktop style.

The staff of the vegetarian department introduced that Cantonese and Taiwanese mooncakes can also be made with pure vegetarian ingredients. Moreover, in terms of market appeal, fruit and flower themed fillings have gained popularity among young people in recent years. Therefore, in addition to classic fillings such as bean paste, five kernels, seaweed, and jujube paste, newly launched products also include flavors such as lychee, raspberry, jasmine tea, and taro puree chia seeds, combined with desktop peach husks, giving pure vegetarian mooncakes a new form.

Yufo Temple has launched pure vegetarian tabletop mooncakes

In addition to bulk products and regular gift boxes, pure vegetarian mooncakes with stories have also made their debut in the market. The name of the gift box is "Dian Dian Xing Yi", which is the result of the collaboration between the "Dian Dian Xing Yi" employment practice public welfare project for individuals with autism and the Yufo Temple vegetarian studio. In order to improve the ability of individuals with autism to integrate into society, the "Diandian Xingyi" project has offered different vocational skills training courses based on their characteristics. Currently, more than 100 older autistic students have received over 6000 hours of employment training. Among them, those who have mastered the Dim sum technique have participated in the production of this year's Pure Moon Cake; For those who enjoy painting, their works have become gift box packaging. "This product gives students a sense of achievement and hopes to help the public better understand, support, and encourage 'Star Children'," said the staff.

Pure vegetarian mooncake gift box made by students with autism