The Moon Festival is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it is the most important holiday next to the Lunar New Year in the Chinese Culture. Mooncakes are sweet or savory pastries that are enjoyed on this holiday; they were originally made for offerings to the Gods and ancestors, but Mooncakes have become popular presents and souvenirs during the Mid-Autumn celebrations. Therefore, many bakeries and pastry manufacturers begin planning for their Mooncake production months in advance, so that they can be ready for the Mooncake high Season!

There are many different styles of Mooncakes that have been developed over the centuries, varying in ingredients from the dough, filling, textures that they are made from. When searching “Mooncake” on Wikipedia, there is a long list of different types and Chinese regional variations. According to iiMedia’s research in 2021, more than 56.5% of the consumers prefer the Cantonese style Mooncakes, making it the most popular type, while “Hong Kong”, “Beijing”, “Chaozhou” and “Suzhou” style Mooncakes that are also very common.

“Cantonese” style Mooncakes are made with a soft and thin pastry filled with silky sweet filling, which is very enjoyable with various types of teas. The most iconic feature of these Mooncakes are the ornate prints on these delicate pastries; the designs can range from Family names, auspicious patterns, flowers, brand logos to contemporary art forms, each is distinctive and unique.

A Chinese market survey company “iiMedia” found that fruit flavored and creamy sweet Mooncakes are what many local consumers prefer. However, an online shopping platform “Dingdong Maicai” based in Shanghai has sales records showing that the traditional “five nuts”, “bean paste” and “savory meat” Mooncakes are their best-sellers. These results show that there is great market demand for both traditional Mooncakes and innovative new flavors.

Moon Festival is considered a Chinese Tradition and eating Mooncakes is a custom and a festive celebration for many Chinese people including those who live in other countries. According to Market Reports World’s survey, the Global Mooncake market was valued at US$2.232 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$2.801 billion by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 3.3% during this period.

China has the predominant market for Mooncakes, followed by Japan and Southeast Asia.

Most Mooncakes are sold from independent retail stores, followed by the ever-increasing online shopping platforms, supermarkets, Hypermarkets, and convenient stores.

Additionally, according to “iiMedia”, the domestic revenue from Mooncake sales in 2015 was approximately 13.18 billion RMB (US$1.98 billion), and that number reached 21.81 billion RMB (US$3.27 billion) in 2021. The estimated Mooncake sales in 2022 is estimated at 24.38 billion RMB (US$3.66 billion)

Traditionally, Mooncakes were made into generous portions around 100g; but recently, many consumers who are 25 years or younger are health conscious, and they prefer Mooncakes that are low fat, low sugar, and have low calories. Hence smaller Mooncakes are commonly made into 80g, 50g and even 20g pieces that more resemble a snack or light dessert than a larger festival food.

Mooncakes are sold before and during Mid-Autumn Festival, and most people buy them as gifts for the Holidays. People are generally willing to spend money on fancy packaging and unique flavors, but there are also consumers that are seeking healthy and delicious Mooncakes that have minimal impact and environmentally friendly packaging, to better contribute toward our planet’s sustainability.

ANKO’s SD-97W Automatic Encrusting and Forming Machine with the addition of our STA-360 Stamping and Aligning Machine has a highly efficient production rate of 4,000 pieces of Mooncakes per hour. ANKO’s production line is the best equipment for manufacturing Mooncakes with great consistency and intricate customized prints.