Bakeries in bun fight for hearts and mouths of souvenir buyers

Peanut brittle candies or panda cookies? The battle to produce the ultimate 'made in Hong Kong' edible souvenir is pitting the old against the new in the city.

In one corner is Kee Wah Bakery, a 71-year-old producer of cookies and egg rolls, against Macau's peanut brittle-making newcomer Koi Kei Bakery, which has literally brought the competitive fight to the incumbent's door.

At stake is the custom of hordes of sweet-toothed visitors who leave Hong Kong weighed down by souvenir goodies for friends at home, or locals who just like the tasty snacks.

Koi Kei, which has grown over the past 12 years from a street stall into a bakery chain with nine outlets selling signature Macau snacks such as peanut and ginger candies, almond cookies and egg rolls, is planning its second shop in Hong Kong after opening its first two months ago in Causeway Bay.

Koi Kei founder and managing director Leong Chan-kuong is keen to break into the Hong Kong and mainland markets with the aim of taking Kee Wah's crown.

'Souvenirs do not have to be very expensive, but they have to be something meaningful for your loved ones,' said Leong, who fended off triad gangsters when he started his business in Macau. 'I want to make Koi Kei snacks the souvenir of Hong Kong.'