Celebrating the Year of the Ox | The Tourism Development Bureau launches online New Year Market, Gongli Cane Juice and Handmade Candies

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Written by: Lin Yingxian

2021-02-04 08:00

Last update date: 2021-02-04 08:00

As the new crown pneumonia epidemic is raging, the Tourism Board announced the suspension of the "New Year International Parade" at the beginning of the Lunar New Year and will move the New Year’s activities to be held online, including next Monday (8th) to 26th, to hold an "online" New Year Fair and invite 6 Local time-honored brands and young new-style brands have combined to design new New Year foods so that citizens fighting the epidemic at home can be surrounded by a festive atmosphere and enjoy their food. The authorities also hope to help businesses hit hard by the epidemic.

The well-known sugarcane juice shop Gongli, which was invited to participate in the event, collaborated with the handmade sugar shop to launch 4 herbal tea-flavored "pillow candies" with herbal tea raw materials added to it, limited to 300 boxes.

Gong Li hopes to use candy to get rid of the old-fashioned image of herbal tea "black mosquitoes", and to extend its shelf life, make herbal tea into Hong Kong souvenirs, and promote Chinese herbal tea culture overseas.

Gongli's real bamboo cane water has been standing on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan for more than 70 years. It has been open in the ground shop of the pre-war tenement. Whether it is herbal tea counters, paper skin stone walls, or even posters and plaques, the shop layout has stayed before the war. The juicer inside has been used since its opening in 1948. Drinking refreshing sugar cane juice or herbal tea in the store is like going back in time to the 1950s.

The nostalgic pattern of public interest has become a hot spot in recent years, especially for young people and tourists who love childcare. However, the epidemic has caused their business to plummet by 80% and it is difficult to operate. Therefore, they accepted the invitation of the Tourism Board in hopes of breaking new blood.

Cui Wenbin, the fourth-generation heir of Gongli Real Bamboo Cane Water, said, “I think it’s interesting to hear that it’s making sugar. You can give it a try.” He bluntly said that traditional herbal teas face big problems, the shelf life is too short, and this kind of old style The age group of shop customers is too narrow to enter the young people’s market. "Don’t think everyone can drink herbal tea, black mosquitoes, it smells like medicinal materials." And drinking herbal tea should not be silly. Concept.

In the 9 years since he took over Gongli, he has been thinking about changing the herbal tea model, rejuvenating the brand, and at the same time transforming it into a souvenir that travelers can bring home, and promoting herbal tea culture overseas. Cui has collaborated with local craft beer and ice bar brands, but the latter The shelf life is shorter than that of herbal tea itself, and it is more difficult for tourists to take away. But this time making sugar coincides with its philosophy, so I decided to accept the invitation of the Tourism Board to cooperate with the Spanish hand-made sugar brand Papabubble to launch hand-drawn sugar.

This is the first time that Gong Li has cooperated with a candy store.

Papabubble shop owner He Yongxin smiled bitterly. The most difficult thing is that the time for research and development and conception is very hasty. It only takes 3 days. "I will go back in a short period of time, study and make some samples to bring out a taste, and try it now. ".

In order to bring out the original flavor of herbal tea, she was petite and moved to Gongli from time to time to bring a large number of herbal teas back to the store, emphasizing that all candies are free of coloring and preservatives, but the shelf life of herbal tea can be extended by two or three days To 3 to 6 months.

The "pillow candy" this time has four flavors, including cane juice, hemp seed, sour plum soup and five-flower tea. Cui Wenbin said with a smile that he only planned to launch two flavors, but his wife likes to drink plum soup, so he lobbied Papabubble to add it. For other flavors, my wife was also satisfied with the results.

He continued, "You may not have come into contact with any raw material when drinking herbal tea." The pillow candy introduced this time can add herbal tea raw materials as fillings to enhance the aroma of herbal tea. For example, adding dried chrysanthemum and hemp kernels to the five-flower tea flavor. Hemp and fried white sesame seeds, while the sour plum soup is added with hawthorn cakes, etc., describe the taste very close to traditional herbal tea. "The reduction degree is nearly 80%." He likes the five-flower tea flavor the most.

Cui Wenbin revealed that his father did not approve of innovation in the past, and the two quarreled more often, but the handmade candy introduced this time even liked the parents!

(Provided by the Tourism Board)

He revealed that his father did not approve of innovation in the past, and the two had more disputes, but after taking over the herbal tea shop for many years, they gradually learned how to balance tradition and innovation. The handmade candy introduced this time is even appreciated by parents!

Cui Wenbin and He Yongxin both hope that this joint ride will "break new blood". They are very confident of this. They have planned to continue concocting herbal tea candies after the Lunar New Year holiday to create a new trend in herbal tea drinking.

(Provided by the Tourism Board)

Gongli is located in a tourist hotspot. In the past, tourists accounted for 30% of its business. Papabubble also relied heavily on weddings and other events, and both stores were hit hard by the epidemic.

Cui Wenbin said that he lamented "there are no people in the street." At its worst, the business plummeted by 80%. Even if there were customers ordering through the takeaway platform, the market could not be saved. Both of them hoped that the joint ride could "break new blood" and absorb. More new customers, they are very confident about this, and they have planned to continue to make herbal tea candies after the New Year's Eve.

Another co-branded brand is the special paper-made New Year's Jujube full box launched by the traditional Liangguo shop Mefenghe paper company Papery, with 5 types of jujube, jiaozi, sugar lotus seeds, red melon seeds, sugar melons, etc. A limited edition of 300 boxes of New Year's fruits produced by Feng.

Papery's creative director Ren Jia Hang Seng Index, the design concept of the whole box revolves around "inheritance", with horns, sugar lotus seeds, red melon seeds and other patterns on the cover, hoping to incorporate 60-year traditional elements of Mofeng into the hexagonal New Year box.

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There is also a paper three-dimensional mechanism in the whole box, which will transform into a solid orange tree when pulled up, which means good luck. Renjia Hengzhi’s mechanism is based on children’s books. It took about 2 months from design concept to formation. It requires manual folding and pasting when making, which is very thought-provoking.

Situ Yongxin, the third-generation successor of Mofeng, pointed out that this is the first time that Mofeng has launched a new year couplet product. He hopes that the cooperation between old brands and young brands can create new sparks. He praised the beautiful design of the box, and the orange in the middle is a gimmick. , To describe the product inheritance of the custom of sending tangerines as gifts during the past New Year.

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