Safe and sweet

Mao Chen's nougats are made with macadamia nuts. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Beijing Country Fair is the platform that gathers people who care about healthy and safe food. I think running an online shop is another connection point."

She says that, during her research into online shops, she found a group of people who are not farmers or artisans but still endeavor to look for traditional food producers in the villages, write stories about their food and craft, repackage their produce and promote it to the outside world.

"I'm greatly encouraged because now I know there are people out there who care about good food. It's no use complaining about the food safety issues all the time really. Doing what we can to help is more important."

Online shoppers also gave Mao other insights. One told her she bought the nougats as gifts for an American professor who was leaving Beijing. It occurred to Mao that people might remember a place by its food, "just like the souvenirs we usually bring back from holidays as presents".

Mao wraps her nougats with recyclable parchment paper and puts them into glass jars or paper containers with specially designed logos. Every gift box, tied up with ribbons, is sent out with a card on which she writes a greeting to each customer.

"I heard that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert. I'm not there yet, but I'm on my way."