While some mooncake businesses enjoyed growth this year, others suffered in the depressed economy and in the wake of two typhoons in as many weeks.
Kuo Yuan Ye Foods (郭元益食品), one of the nation's oldest food chains, claimed to see 10 percent growth in mooncake sales this year over last year.
"Fortunately, the typhoons and economic recession didn't have a negative impact on our sales thanks to our marketing strategy," said Hsu Lu-chung (許盧仲), chief of the company's marketing department.
"Our 133 years in the food business has told us that consumers nowadays are more interested in unique, diversified and smaller mooncakes," he said.
Take the store's "Q" mooncakes for example, Hsu said. They have a special gum-like feeling because of the sticky rice inside.
Their signature green bean paste mooncakes have to be baked with home-made pork oil to make them smell good, he said.
The company's 33 chain stores sell mooncake gift boxes for between NT$300 and NT$1,200.
The company has reported sales of between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000 a day over the past five days, he said, with the largest single order being placed by Acer Inc for 1,000 boxes.
"In addition to keeping our old customers, we've aggressively sought new customers, especially those from high-profit industries such as electronics or communications," he said.
A leading local wedding cake and foodstuffs chain, Isabelle Taiwan Co (
"To make purchasing more accessible to consumers, we've teamed up with banks and Internet companies as well as convenience stores, department stores and other retail outlets," said Jen Liang-jung (
Discounts ranging between 55 percent and 75 percent were offered for large or advance orders. Low-fat, low-cholesterol and low-sugar preparations were in great demand this year, Jen said.
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