Founder of Koi Kei Bakery. He started selling peanut and ginger candy from a street cart, opened his first shop in 1997, and rode the post-handover mainland tourism boom to build Koi Kei into Macau’s leading souvenir brand, with roughly 70% market share.
One hand-cart and a pot of peanut candy — Leung Chan Kwong pushed a Macau street stall into the suitcases of millions of tourists.
Leung Chan Kwong is the founder of Koi Kei Bakery. Starting from selling candy on the street, he seized the post-handover tourism wave to build Koi Kei into Macau’s leading souvenir brand.
Profile
- Chinese Name: 梁燦光
- English Name: Leung Chan Kwong
- Birth year: c. 1969 (estimated from being ~28 when the first shop opened in 1997; approximate)
- Region: Macao
- Domains: Business · Everyday life
- Industry: Souvenir food · Confectionery retail
- Subject type: Entrepreneur · Founder
Principal Roles
- Founder of Koi Kei Bakery
- Principal of the Koi Kei group
Background
Leung moved to Macau with his father around the age of ten, into a household of modest means. As a youth he hawked peanut and ginger candy from a hand-cart near Rua do Tercena, learning the tastes of both tourists and locals from the ground up.
Career
I. The street stall (beginnings)
Starting from a single hand-cart, Leung sold traditional snacks such as peanut and ginger candy, slowly building capital and reputation.
II. The first shop (1997)
In 1997, against his father’s objections, he opened the first Koi Kei shop on Rua do Tercena, upgrading a mobile stall into a fixed storefront.
III. Rising with the visitor scheme
The handover and the subsequent Individual Visit Scheme sent tourism surging. Koi Kei seized souvenir demand, opened shops rapidly, and grew into the leader of Macau’s souvenir trade with roughly a 70% share.
Defining Moments
- 2006 Tourism Merit Medal: Chief Executive Edmund Ho awarded Leung a Tourism Merit Medal, recognising his contribution to Macau tourism.
- 2007 Chua Lam endorsement: Hong Kong food writer Chua Lam fronted the almond-cake campaign, and the line “Koi Kei almond cakes — biscuits that actually taste of biscuit” entered popular memory.