Workers produce tangyuan at the plant of Gang Ya Gou, a famous food producer in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

As traditional Chinese festive food is popular in cities around the globe during the Spring Festival, Gang Ya Gou, a food producer in Ningbo, Zhejiang province is working to meet surging demand overseas.

Gang Ya Gou is a time-honored food brand in Ningbo, whose flagship product is tangyuan (glutinous rice balls). Tangyuan is a famous traditional holiday snack in China. The eating of tangyuan symbolizes family bliss and unity in the new year. For overseas Chinese communities, tangyuan is also an essential Spring-Festival food.  

During this year's Spring Festival, which started on Jan 22, tangyuan products are popular in cities such as Los Angeles and Vancouver. The festival is also the peak sales period for Gang Ya Gou.

To meet the surge in demand, nearly 200 workers are working overtime to produce tangyuan before the festival. More than 100 workers have returned to work since Jan 24.

"We can currently produce 3,000 boxes of tangyuan a day," said a higher-up at the company.

In 2022, the company achieved more than 60 million yuan ($8 million) in production and exported 3 million yuan in traditional Chinese food products to countries such as the United States, Australia and Canada.