There’s more to the bakwa business than most people realise

Lighting the way: Lee purchased some 10,000 lanterns to decorate streets and the company’s 260 outlets this year.

It IS estimated the bakwa business in Malaysia is worth some RM50mil to RM55mil a year.

Among the bigger companies in the business, Loong Kee Dried Meat Sdn Bhd normally utilises about 30,000 tonnes of pork belly slices just during the Chinese New Year season alone. In terms of marketshare, Syarikat Kiew Brothers (the company behind the Oloiya brand) says it controls about 43% of the local market.