Dongling’s Tea Ball Cake: In Pursuit of Perfection in Taste and Principle

2020-08-14

        Nowadays, with continuous improvement of life quality, urban people are paying more and more attention to their health. Therefore, healthy food products made with natural and additive-free ingredients are increasingly popular. Dongling’s throat-nourishing preserved fruit is one of them. Dongling Group Co., Ltd. was established in 2011. Aiming at sharing high-quality healthy food, its tea ball cakes  were well-received right after being launched the market and became Dongling’s bestseller, which was surprising to the company.


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Dongling’s tea ball cakes strictly use only bergamot from Taiwan


Excellence made by time

        The quality of ingredient is decisive to the success of food product. Dongling Group Co., Ltd. holds strict principles in choosing ingredients, which mainly come from Taiwan. The main ingredients of their iconic tea ball cake include bergamot, hawthorn, lemongrass, honey, liquorice, grapefruit and cinnamon. The tea concentrate ball cake has nice texture and aroma, and feel cool in mouth when chewing. This product can resolve phlegm and relieve inflammation. It is also good for digestion, and helps screen out the fat and grease of a rich meal, suitable for elderly and children. U Chi Leng, President of Dongling Group said, “If you feel uncomfortable with your throat in an air-conditioned room, you can take a small piece of it. You can immediately feel your throat moisturised; or if you have symptoms of getting a cold, swallow a few pieces before going to sleep. You will feel refreshed after you wake up on the next day.”


        The production process of Dongling tea ball cake is strict and meticulous. After the bergamot is harvested, it takes 5 years from refining to producing the final product. During the production, product examinations (SGS) are conducted by Taiwan regional inspection agencies every 2 years to ensure the quality and safety of food. Finished products will be sent back to Macao directly for packaging and sale.


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U Chi Leng, President of Dongling Group


Facing constant changes by adhering to principles

        Over the years, in order to meet the needs of the market and customers, Dongling Group has made continuous changes in packaging design. Yet the strict selection of ingredient is an unchanging principle for Ms. U. The key to the popularity of Dongling’s tea ball cake is pure natural, pesticide-free and chemical fertiliser-free raw ingredients. She said that because the water, soil, climate and environment of Taiwan are more suitable for growing bergamot than Hong Kong and Macao, she decided to set up the plantation in Taiwan. Until today, she still insists on choosing the high-quality bergamot grown in Hualien tea farm in Taiwan for producing Dongling’s products.


        Ms. U mentioned that at present, the bergamot plantation area in tea farms is limited since the production of bergamot depends majorly on the weather. It can be said as "weather determines all". As the annual harvest of bergamot fluctuates, the production is often in short supply. Even so, Ms. U is not willing to use bergamot from other areas to increase production. She said frankly that the tea ball cake made from bergamot from other areas taste simply different from those from her tea farm. Compromising quality for merely increasing the output is contrary to the principle she has always adhered to.


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Dongling chooses the high-quality bergamot grown in Taiwan tea farm 

(photo courtesy by Dongling)


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Natural, pesticide-free, and chemical fertiliser-free raw ingredients are key to the popularity of Dongling’s tea ball cakes 

(photo courtesy by Dongling)


        Since following the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) to join the Canton Fair in 2011, Dongling’s tea ball cakes have established good reputation in Mainland China’s market and gained a stable customer base. The demand on the mainland is gradually increasing. In order to further explore the market in Macao, with the support of IPIM again, Dongling Group was able to promote their preserved fruit products in “Macao Ideas” Exhibition Centre in 2019. After that, Dongling Group has also joined various MICE events outside Macao as well as business matching meetings, which helped them successfully connect with buyers from Macao and Mainland China and continuously enhance brand awareness. Ms. U said her company is planning to expand the bergamot plantation area to increase production while ensuring quality, so as to meet the market demand and strike a balance between the two. In the future, she also hopes to use the promotion platform of “Macao Ideas” to expand business opportunities, promoting their tea ball cakes to Portuguese-speaking countries.


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The company increases brand awareness by joining MICE events

(photo courtesy by Dongling)


Contact Dong Ling Group



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