Cello Teacher Turns Handmade Buns into Booming Business

A 26-year-old cello teacher in Wuhan has turned handmade steamed buns into a fast-growing food business, with daily orders reaching thousands and shipments now backed up for nearly half a month, Jiupai News reported.

Chen Jiayu, 28, graduated from Wuhan Conservatory of Music and has taught cello for eight years. She also runs an arts training center, a job that once gave her a stable monthly income of 30,000 to 40,000 yuan (US$4,100 to US$5,500).

But last April, Chen opened a small “new Chinese-style” steamed bun shop near her residential community after noticing that many students and parents wanted healthier, better-looking snacks. She said she had long enjoyed making food, and students who tried her homemade pastries often asked whether they could buy them. Some parents even encouraged her to open a store.

The shop is less than 20 square meters, but its handmade buns have gone viral online. Chen and her staff now make more than 3,000 buns a day, with some reports putting the figure close to 4,000. Daily revenue has reached about 6,000 yuan, and orders have been sent to cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

“Orders after August 10 haven’t even been made yet,” Chen told reporters, saying demand had grown faster than the shop could handle. Because of the backlog, she often starts work at 3 or 4am, and on busy days works more than 20 hours.

Chen’s buns come in more than 50 flavors and designs, from milk, purple sweet potato and matcha to cartoon-shaped buns such as butter bears and My Melody figures. Prices range from 2 yuan to 8 yuan, with the most expensive item selling for 18 yuan. One of the most popular products is a 3-yuan milk-flavored sliced bun.

Chen said she insists on making everything by hand, with no freezing and no overnight stock. Same-city orders are shipped in the morning, while out-of-town orders are sent before 9pm so customers can receive freshly made buns within 12 hours.

She said the store uses selected flour, handmade fillings and premium ingredients, including matcha powder costing more than 500 yuan per jin, or half a kilogram.

Asked whether it was a waste for a music school graduate to sell steamed buns, Chen said she did not see a conflict.

“Art and food are both ways of passing on beauty,” she said.

Chen now plans to build a small production facility and supply chain to expand output while keeping the handmade quality that made the buns popular.