Food & Beverage

Starbucks spent two years renovating a forgotten movie house that showed its last film in 1992. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Food & Beverage

Starbucks in Seoul: An abandoned theater enjoys a caffeine buzz

Running out of location options, U.S. chain goes creative in historic market

4 March 2023
The Uuuo app connects supermarkets and other businesses with fishing companies selling freshly caught seafood. (Photo courtesy of Uuuo)
Fisheries

Japanese fish market app reels in Thailand, Cambodia with fresh catch

Hiroshima startup Uuuo takes on-demand seafood delivery service global

3 March 2023
Snack food maker Calbee seeks to boost its name recognition as a Japanese brand. (Photo by Cliff Venzon)
Food & Beverage

Japanese snack maker Calbee to spend $1bn on M&A deals, automation

Potato chip company to focus on China and North America

1 March 2023
Minamoto Kitchoan's renovated Fifth Avenue building, center, will house the confectioner's flagship store in the future. (Photo courtesy of Minamoto Kitchoan)
Food & Beverage

Sweet digs: Japanese confectioner bets big on Fifth Avenue return

Minamoto Kitchoan plans seasonal cultural displays in new New York flagship store

1 March 2023
The Tim Hortons coffeeshop chain, based in Canada, has over 5,600 locations worldwide.
Food & Beverage

Tim Hortons coffee chain expands to Singapore, Malaysia in Marubeni pact

Japan trading house to open hundreds of shops in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia

28 February 2023
Lotte's Choco Pie snack is highly popular in Southeast Asia. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Food & Beverage

Snack maker Lotte boosts Choco Pie production in Indonesia

Growing Southeast Asia market targeted as demand in Japan slows

25 February 2023
Stream article image
Life

Five of Hong Kong's best sustainable restaurants

City's leading chefs put a delicious spin on environmental friendliness

25 February 2023
Consumers in Japan are paying more for eggs and foods that use them. (Photo by Nozomu Ogawa) 
Food & Beverage

Japan egg prices surge on bird flu, costs of feed and labor

Beef bowls, mayonnaise get more expensive; Taiwan, Philippines also affected

23 February 2023
An assortment of dishes from Archana Pidathala's cookbook "Why Cook," which she describes as "a 315-page ode with raw candid images, heartwarmingly personal stories and rare recipes." (All photos courtesy of Archana Pidathala)
Books

South Asian author explores why and how women cook

Archana Pidathala's latest book uncovers deeply personal stories and rare recipes

22 February 2023
Founded in 2015, FreshToHome sells seafood and meat online. Additional funding will increase the size of its Series D round to about $80 million. (Screenshot from FreshToHome website)
DealStreetAsia

Indian meat retailer FreshToHome close to raising another $30m

Company runs e-commerce platform but also has physical stores

21 February 2023
A Muji store in Shanghai will become the first in China to offer locally grown vegetables. (Photo Tomoko Wakasugi)
Food & Beverage

Muji shows off green thumb in China with locally grown veggies

Japanese retailer to offer food with farm-to-table dining at new Shanghai outlet

17 February 2023
The Lotteria burger chain will soon come under Zensho's umbrella of restaurants.
Business deals

Japan's Sukiya beef bowl chain owner buys Lotteria burger shops

Top restaurant operator Zensho hopes to expand the Lotte chain

16 February 2023
A shabu-shabu hot pot restaurant in the U.S. operated by Skylark. (Photo courtesy of Skylark)
Food & Beverage

Japan's Skylark aims for 170 restaurants overseas in U.S., Asia

Shabu-shabu chain and other eateries planned in Taiwan, Malaysia, elsewhere

14 February 2023
A Leoc facility in the Philippines where kitchen skills needed for working in Japan are taught. (Photo courtesy of Leoc)
Food & Beverage

Japan food service firm expands worker training in Southeast Asia

Leoc seeks to bring in kitchen staff under visa program amid labor shortage

13 February 2023
Sushi on a conveyor belt perhaps gives consumers too much freedom. 
Comment

How sushi was ruined by the separation of supply and demand

Conveyor-belt restaurants breed bad behavior by keeping chefs from diners

12 February 2023
Tofurky is the No. 3 retail brand for plant-based meats in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Turtle Island Foods Holdings)
Business deals

Japan's Morinaga buys Tofurky maker and Vietnam baby milk importer

Plant-based foods and infant formula to help power overseas push

11 February 2023
Japanese chain Kura Sushi previously expanded into the U.S. and Taiwan. (Photo by Atsushi Ooka)
Food & Beverage

Kura Sushi to open first China store in Shanghai, eyes Chinese IPO

Japan chain wants to become 'a local company' following moves into U.S., Taiwan

9 February 2023
Yum China, which runs KFC, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells and other restaurants, said Feb. 8 that same-store sales during the Lunar New Year were up by "mid-single digits" on the year.
Consumer

China's top fast-food chain operator cautious on recovery outlook

Yum China says sales grew during Lunar New Year, but 'challenges' await

8 February 2023
Yakult Honsha's relative lack of home delivery in China could pose problems in a changing retail landscape. (Photo courtesy of Yakult Honsha)
Food & Beverage

Yakult hopes for Chinese sales rebound of its probiotic drinks

End of zero-COVID opens opportunity, but outlook for core market remains unclear

8 February 2023
Covered sushi plates revolving around a conveyor belt at a Kura Sushi location. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Food & Beverage

Japan's sushi chains rush to ensure food safety after viral stunts

AI-equipped cameras to monitor revolving sushi plates at Kura Sushi

8 February 2023
eFishery controls feeding routines via smartphone at the company's lab in Bandung, Indonesia. (File photo by Shinya Sawai)
DealStreetAsia

Indonesia's eFishery to increase focus on U.S. in exports push

Startup seeks to expand operation to overseas as Vietnam, Thailand and India

6 February 2023
A worker takes a sample from a spirit still at Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery.
Food & Beverage

Suntory invests $77m in distillery upgrades for whisky centenary

Additions to Yamazaki and Hakushu sites focus on quality over capacity

2 February 2023
Torikizoku is known for its cheap Yakitori. (Photo by Ryosuke Eguchi) 
Food & Beverage

Japan's Torikizoku picks Los Angeles for its first U.S. yakitori shop

Izakaya pub chain will set up subsidiary as first foothold in American market

1 February 2023
CP Foods sent its first shipment of chicken products to Saudi Arabia in 18 years last March. (Photo courtesy of CP Foods)
Food & Beverage

Thailand's CP Foods eyes $30m foray into Mideast

Shrimp and chicken farming proposed as new investments in the region

29 January 2023
Chen Weijen exports his sake to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and is about to make his first shipment to Singapore. (Photo by Toshihiro Naganuma)
Food & Beverage

Taiwan-born brewer adds prewar twist to Japanese sake

New tipple uses rare strain of japonica rice modified to grow in Taiwan

28 January 2023