Rose cakes of the time-honored Chinese pastry maker Daoxiangcun. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Quality ingredients are key to the popularity of the brand in China.

Walnuts are generally chosen from Fenyang, Shanxi province, because of their thin skin and lack of bitterness. Rose petals mostly from Miaofeng Mountain in Beijing are favored because of their rich aromatic flavor and high rose oil content.

The stuffing, made of black sesame, sweet-scented osmanthus, hawthorn, and nuts and cream are all from well-known factories and are inspected twice manually, a spokesman for Beijing Daoxiangcun says.

Any eggs used must be no more than three days old, and traditional production techniques have been retained.

The company's sweet dumpling yuanxiao, a traditional snack usually consumed during Lantern Festival, is made in accordance with time-worn traditions, and the yuanxiao powder is ground by stone mills to ensure the mixture is fine and smooth.

The recipe for the brand's honey cake is said to strictly follow the original, featuring chewy flour powder, fresh eggs and pure honey, with artificial ingredients as emulsifier.

However, in addition to traditional preservation, Daoxiangcun says it has moved with the times and introduced standard modern design, strict hygiene and highly developed automation to ensure quality.

The company says it had turnover of 2.5 billion yuan last year, and that its sales have grown 30 percent for each of the past three years.

Daoxiangcun now has its eyes on overseas markets and has set up a foreign trade department for Canada.

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(China Daily 04/15/2017 page13)