Food & Beverage

Japanese 7-Eleven stores feature machines that make fresh coffee. smoothies and now tea. (Photo by Nikkei)
Retail

Japan's 7-Eleven adds fresh-brewed tea, following coffee playbook

Exclusive: New feature targeted for 1,000 locations in 3 years

18 November 2023
Hokkaido scallops are offered up at the APEC summit in San Francisco on Nov. 16. Japan is pushing for a recovery in its seafood exports. (Photo by Yifan Yu)
APEC

Japanese seafood makes splash at APEC summit amid safety concerns

Tokyo is keen for China to lift import bans imposed after release of treated water

17 November 2023
Hong Kong startup Kamakura Foods’ founding CEO, Jason Chen (center), executive chef Manabu Oikawa (left) and head of engineering Stephen Chan are making a foray into the bento market in Japan. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)
Startups

Hong Kong food tech startup challenges Japanese bento market

Former Sony chip designer tries to make changes in lunch via tech

16 November 2023
A sugar cane juice vendor in Mumbai: Restraining sugar prices can incentivize domestic overuse of sugar and carry costly health consequences.
Opinion

India has no good reason to hoard sugar

Even if prices rise, ending export restrictions will have positive effects

13 November 2023
Tsingtao, China's second-largest beer by sales, is known worldwide. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
Food & Beverage

Viral video at China's Tsingtao rocks venerable beer brand

Company apologizes to consumers for lax brewery oversight

13 November 2023
Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami said that geopolitical risks associated with China require careful analysis of investment in production facilities. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura) 
Global Management Dialogue 2023

Suntory sees China as a strong market despite geopolitical risks

Japanese beverage maker's CEO says usefulness of new technologies will rise

11 November 2023
A rendering of Asahi Group Holdings' planned Tosu brewery, touted as an energy-saving facility with carbon capture technology. (Photo courtesy of Asahi Group Holdings)
Food & Beverage

Super Dry brewer Asahi delays new plant by 3 years as costs double

Company will keep operating older facility beyond its slated shutdown date

11 November 2023
Marubeni sees big potential in Vietnam's food sector and the overall economy. (Source photos by Reuters and Marubeni)
DealStreetAsia

Marubeni Growth Capital Asia invests in Vietnam food firm AIG

Move comes amid expanding Southeast Asian food sector

8 November 2023
Kameda's signature snack Kakinotane, left, and factory of Vietnam: Japan's top rice cracker maker is stepping up efforts to boost its overseas sales, especially in the rest of Asia. (Source photos by Miho Saito and Yuji Nitta)
Food & Beverage

Japan's Kameda aims to be Starbucks of rice crackers, says CEO

India-born executive tailors his strategy to the strengths of each market

6 November 2023
A technician works on culturing fish cells at Umami Bioworks. (Photo by Rei Araki)
Food & Beverage

Japan-Singapore team aims to bring lab-cultured fish to tables in 2027

Maruha Nichiro and Umami Bioworks look to develop more sustainable seafood

6 November 2023
Cattle and breeders take part in a competition at the National Japanese Beef Ability Expo, commonly known as the Wagyu Olympics, in 2017. Japan aims to expand its wagyu beef exports.
Trade

Japan's wagyu beef exports to Cambodia tumble, bucking overall trend

Exporters ship more to other markets amid smuggling crackdown

5 November 2023
Sapporo Breweries aims to double the amount of beer it sells in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong by 2026 compared to its 2023 estimate.
Food & Beverage

Sapporo and Carlsberg team up in Singapore and Malaysia

The Japanese beer brand is eager to grow its presence in Southeast Asia

1 November 2023
Carabao's CEO said the time was right to enter the market as consumers are now looking for "diverse tastes." (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Food & Beverage

Thai energy drink maker Carabao takes on beer giants Singha, Chang

Challenger aims to grab 10% market share next year as tastes change, CEO says

31 October 2023
A new factory building in Thailand is expected to go into operation in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Kewpie)
Companies

Thailand to become bigger export base for Japan's Kewpie mayo

Company will double production capacity at Thai plant as Oceania sales spread

30 October 2023
This 7-Eleven location stocks hundreds of craft beers from around the world, and is aiming for 1,000 varieties. (Photo by Natsuko Nakamura)
Food & Beverage

7-Eleven in Japan's Yokohama goes viral as craft beer destination

Untapped demand discovered by ducking convenience-store uniformity norms

29 October 2023
Customers visit an outpost of Chinese chain Mixue in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Food & Beverage

China's Mixue, Cotti Coffee test mettle in Japan's cafe scene

Chains ramp up global expansion with ultralow prices and compact stores

29 October 2023
Asahi Group Holdings released a beer called Asahi Super Dry Dry Crystal with an alcohol content of 3.5%, lower than the usual 5%. (Photo by Yusuke Yagi)
Food & Beverage

Japan brewers expect to ride high from beer tax change

Asahi's faith in standard brews pays off; craft brewers have 'high hopes'

28 October 2023
The investment by San Miguel's CEO was done on his own and did not involve the company, it said. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Companies

Philippines' San Miguel CEO invests in rival Metro Pacific

'Personal' investment sparks speculation over possible infrastructure alliance

25 October 2023
Brooklyn Kura in New York offers several types of Japanese sake. The brewer thinks educating people about sake is crucial to making it a global beverage.
Food & Beverage

Japanese sake brewer Hakkaisan opens New York taproom with partner

Company aims to 'make sake a global beverage' with Brooklyn Kura

24 October 2023
Godiva Japan President and CEO Jerome Chouchan says that the group intends to add more food companies to its portfolio through mergers and acquisitions. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Food & Beverage

Godiva Japan's parent aims to build a global luxury food group

Chocolatier says Tokyo is the place to be for a high-end culinary pursuit

22 October 2023
Vietnam is such a big beer market that swings in demand there can drive the quarterly results of international brewers like Heineken. The country also nurtured homegrown players in recent years. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Food & Beverage

Vietnam's beer brewers get creative as economy loses fizz

Drinkers shift to cheaper lagers as spending woes cloud Asia's No. 3 market

20 October 2023
Want Want opened a pineapple cake pop-up stall in Tokyo's Yurakucho subway station. (Photo by Miho Saito)
Food & Beverage

Taiwanese snack maker Want Want offers authentic tastes in Japan

Company sees demand for sweet flavors from Taiwan, China as largely untapped

16 October 2023
Chicken rendang with white rice served at a restaurant in Selangor: The Malaysian government has taken new initiatives to support restaurants in the face of rising rice prices.
Inflation

Malaysia lets restaurants buy imported rice at wholesale prices

Government seeks to stabilize supply of staple in move against inflation

11 October 2023
After tourists see Sheridan Beaumont's Broken Bay aquaculture farm north of Sydney, they can eat the oysters she grows. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
Travel & Leisure

Australian oyster farmer bets on tourism amid climate risks

Post-COVID tourism recovery offers hope to anxious farmer

11 October 2023
An employee of U.S. agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland's plant-based innovation lab in Singapore prepares faux-chicken satay.
Business trends

Asian appetite grows for fishless fish balls, meat-free rendang

Test for plant-based food comes as top market, U.S., loses taste for veggie burgers

8 October 2023