“Welle” is a bakery brand founded by Macao businesswoman Suki Iao in 2010. With her experience in joining foreign bakery franchise in the early years, and her participation in the Macao Franchise Exhibition (MFE) organised by the IPIM, she noticed customers’ recognition of “Macao Brand” and became determined to create the mid-to-high-end bakery brand “Welle”, with the mainland market, in particular, Zhuhai, as the entry point. At present, it has its own central factory to produce a variety of creative and high-quality bakery products.

Chick-shaped cake 

On-site production of bakers

Suki Iao, Chairwoman and CEO of Welle Bakery

Innovative combination of ingredients

        According to Chairwoman and CEO of Welle Bakery Suki Iao, competition in the industry is increasingly fierce due to information transparency nowadays. To excel as a bakery brand, she must do a good job in production, research and development, store environment, distribution and after-sales services, feedback management and even human resources training. The investment in marketing resources is of great help to form a profit cycle.

        In 2018, “Welle” expanded the central factory from an area of 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet. In addition to more production lines, two product research and development rooms, training space and staff canteen and other facilities were set up to make the factory more functional. In meantime, “Welle” is also constantly trying to integrate new techniques, ingredients, ideas and elements into its products to adapt to the ever-changing market trend in the mainland. Its best-selling product, low-calorie cake, uses low-calorie sugar or erythrose instead of traditional sugar, creating a light taste that caters to young people's pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. After the cake was launched, the market response was overwhelming. Currently, more than 40% of the products in the store have switched to low-calorie sugar.

Zero-calorie cake

(Photo courtesy by the company)

Independent food factory

(Photo courtesy by the company)

Research and development room

(Photo courtesy by the company)

Creating attractive store environment

        In 2020, “Welle” collaborated with a well-known art and gift brand in the mainland to integrate baking and art by building a "Baking, Life and Art Museum". The museum is located in Xiangshan Lake Park, Zhuhai. In the museum, visitors can enjoy food, appreciate artworks, read, meet with their friends, learn baking and hold parties, creating a diverse consumption experience for customers.

Inside the "Baking Life and Art Museum" located in Xiangshan Lake Park

Crossover with strong brands to create a phenomenon

        In recent years, the trend "China-Chic" has risen. Taking advantage of this trend, “Welle” has a crossover with the Cantonese cuisine brand "Kam Yeut Hin" to launch butterfly cakes and walnut cakes; with Chinese traditional herbal tea brand “Koo Chun Tong” to roll out a wide variety of special Chinese herbal tea and beverage products, bringing Chinese cuisine and Western bakery together to craft a new style.

Crossover products with Chinese herbal tea brand 

(Photo courtesy by the company)

Crossover products with Cantonese cuisine brand

(Photo provided by the company)

Constantly optimising the entire production chain

        In 2021, eager to make a breakthrough, “Welle” has started to use the online community to attract customers, and tried to start its own delivery service. Suki Iao admitted that this is a new challenge in terms of human resources costs. Although it is achieved a certain initial result, providing this service with quality in the long run is another test to the enterprise’s capability.

        Talking about the next step of development plan, Suki Iao revealed that the brand is preparing for the co-operation with local designers in Macao to launch cakes whose form incorporates the characteristics of Macao’s Chinese and Portuguese culture elements, telling the story of the “Macao brand” through sweet taste.

“Welle” Store in Guangdong-Macao In-depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin

(Photo courtesy by the company)

Contact Welle

If you are interested in discussing co-operation with the above-mentioned company, please contact the staff of “Macao Ideas” during office hours.

Tel.: 

Ms Cheang +853 8798 9707

Ms Chong +853 8798 9739

Email: 

fionacheang@ipim.gov.mo 

elizachong@ipim.gov.mo