Hong Kong’s 90-Year-Old Kuei Lee Soy Sauce Brewery Closes After Factory Land Resumed

The Kuei Lee soy sauce closure marks the end of one of Hong Kong’s most recognisable heritage food brands. The nearly 90-year-old soy sauce maker has stopped production at its Kwu Tung factory and will close its Wanchai shop once remaining stock sells out, after its land was resumed under the Northern Metropolis development plan. Customers have been rushing to buy the last bottles of its handmade sun-brewed soy sauce.

What Happened: The Kuei Lee Soy Sauce Closure

Shop staff at the brand’s Wanchai store confirmed that the closure news is real, as reported by Sing Tao Headline. The factory in Sheung Shui’s Kwu Tung area formally ceased production on 23 October 2026, and the storefront will shut its doors once the current stock is gone, with staff saying it depends entirely on how quickly the remaining bottles sell. Long-time customers and partner restaurants have been posting tributes to the brand, as covered by the Hong Kong Economic Times.

The company is run by third-generation head Chan Wing-chiu. A factory worker dismissed the shutdown as simply a small factory closing, telling HK01 there was no plan to relocate or reopen elsewhere. The reaction among customers has been anything but small: crowds have been queuing to secure a final bottle of a sauce that many Hong Kong households grew up with.

A 90-Year History of Handmade Soy Sauce

Kuei Lee’s history stretches back to 1936, when founder Chan Hon-yung started in Hong Kong with the Kuei Lung grocery and grain business. In the late 1940s he established the Kuei Lee soy sauce brand in Kowloon City. When that factory was also resumed by the government in the early 1960s, the second generation bought farmland in Kwu Tung and rebuilt a factory of nearly 30,000 square feet, alongside a Wanchai store that has served customers for more than 40 years.

The brand built its reputation on old methods: natural sun-brewed soy sauce, made by hand with straw-rope-tied bottle packaging, and its signature red Zhejiang vinegar, which requires steamed glutinous rice and about two months of sealed urn fermentation. Its dark soy sauce has even been exported to Taiwan, where it supplies Michelin-recognised restaurants.

Why the Factory Is Closing: Land Resumption and the Northern Metropolis

The decisive cause of the Kuei Lee soy sauce closure is planning, not demand. The Kwu Tung site falls inside the Northern Metropolis development zone, and the land has been resumed by the government. History is repeating itself: it is the second time in the company’s life that a government land resumption has forced it to move or shut a factory.

This time, however, there will be no relocation. The company says that finding a suitable new drying yard and rebuilding traditional brewing facilities would require enormous capital, and the brand has chosen to close instead.

The Economics Working Against Traditional Brewers

Traditional slow production is the brand’s pride and its problem. Sun-brewing takes months and yields limited output, which makes it hard to compete on cost with large industrial producers that dominate Hong Kong’s shelves. With wages, rent and now land costs all rising, the margin for small artisan producers has thinned to almost nothing.

The pattern is familiar to anyone watching Hong Kong retail: heritage brands with strong followings can still be priced out by property and development economics. The Kuei Lee soy sauce closure is the latest in a series of well-known local closures this year, and it shows how development plans can reshape even the most established consumer businesses.

What the Kuei Lee Soy Sauce Closure Means for Investors

For investors, the lesson is about land risk. Businesses that sit on land earmarked for redevelopment carry a built-in expiry date, and compensation does not always make relocation viable for niche manufacturers. Listed Hong Kong food and consumer companies face the same structural pressures, from rising rents to industrial land rezoning.

Investors tracking Hong Kong consumer names can use Meyka’s Hong Kong stock screener to filter the market, check the Hong Kong earnings calendar for upcoming results from the sector, or scan Hong Kong top gainers to see where money is rotating after each market session.

Heritage value does not always translate into equity value. Kuei Lee leaves with its reputation intact and its recipe unwritten into any listed company’s accounts — a reminder that brand strength and business durability are not the same thing.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.