Employees are busy in their work at the packaging production line of Lonely God, puffed food made of sweet potatoes, in the Longchang Head Factory of Want Want Group in Longchang, Sichuan province, China, Aug 2, 2022. (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A food manufacturing giant from China’s Taiwan region is expanding its mainland investment, eyeing for a bigger share in the southwestern China market for leisure food.

Want Want Group invested $3 million in a factory in Longchang, Sichuan province this year. This is the first venture with investment from Taiwan in the city of Neijiang, where Longchang is located.

The Longchang factory will have six new production lines in the second half of 2022 to produce black and white sandwich biscuits and crunchy rice balls, according to Luo Xingguang, head of the factory.

An industrial output value of 150 million yuan ($22 million) each year is expected from the production lines, Luo said.

Founded in 2001, the factory had fewer than 100 employees and its industrial output value was 7.5 million. Now it has 1,200 employees, and its industrial output value is nearly 800 million yuan, according to the officials.

Luo attributed his factory’s rapid expansion to the rising market demand in southwest China.

The Longchang Head Factory of Want Want Group in Longchang, Sichuan province honors its retired employees on Aug 2, 2022 to mark its 21st anniversary. (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

The Longchang municipal government has always remained supportive to help the factory overcome its difficulties, he said.

Natural gas is very important to the factory’s production. To ensure consumers’ huge demand for leisure food during the Spring Festival, the factory ushers in the peak production period from November to December every year.

To mark its 21st anniversary, the factory granted certificates of honor to its retired employees, excellent employees and model workers on Tuesday.

Workers play the drums at the Longchang Head Factory of Want Want Group in Longchang on Aug 2, 2022 to mark its 21st anniversary. (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

The Want Want Group has always attached importance to its business layout in Sichuan as the province can radiate its influence on the southwestern and northwestern parts of the country, said Luo.

While the group used to have only one factory in Sichuan earlier, it made a strategic plan to launch a new factory there thanks to the continuous opening-up and growing local market potential in the province.