Kahiki Foods, Inc., the Columbus, Ohio, USA-based producer of frozen Asian ready meals and side dishes, announced on June 13 that it has completed a significant round of investments in its manufacturing facility to enhance production capacity and capabilities.
“Over the last year, our company has increased the flexibility and capacity of the packaging line for our award winning Crispy Tempura and StirFresh bagged meal lines,” said CFO Matt Szerencsits. “In addition, we have dramatically enhanced the capabilities of the Kahiki Kitchen, tripling the size of our refrigerated storage for fresh ingredients, upgrading and increasing cooking capabilities and creating additional flexibility and capacity for our custom sauce makers.”
“These investments are indicative of confidence in our brand and the strength of the Asian frozen food market. While total frozen food sales have been lackluster, the sales of Asian frozen food brands have been very strong, and sales of the Kahiki brand have been nothing short of outstanding,” said President Martin Kelly.
According to a number of data sources, the Asian frozen food category in the United States is growing seven times faster than the frozen food category in general.
“We believe the consumer interest and market trends are there for sustained long term growth in the frozen Asian category, and we are confident in our ability to help retailers capitalize on this growth opportunity with the Kahiki brand,” stated Kelly.
Kahiki Foods has been engaged in the Asian food market since the opening of the original Kahiki Supper Club in 1961. It entered the frozen food business in 1995, and in 2014 converted recipes to feature minimally processed, natural ingredients devoid of artificial flavoring and MSG.
During the past 18 months, Kahiki has been proactive in preparing for the future. In addition to making major investments in expanding output and further developing its team, the company has launched several new products that are positioned as “firsts in the Asian frozen food category.” Among them: Steam & Serve multi-serve meals, Bowl & Roll single-serve entrees and Yum Yum Stix, an innovative rendition of traditional spring rolls.
“We are passionate about creating excitement for our consumers and committed to leading the Asian frozen food category through focus, products, passion and speed,” said Kelly.
