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Bringing Japanese Food Home with YO!

BRITS LOVE ASIAN FOOD. IN 2019, A QUARTER OF THE DISHES FEATURED IN THE DELIVEROO TOP 100 WERE TRADITIONAL ASIAN DISHES.

Indian. Chinese. They’re both well established and well catered for. So what’s next? We went searching.

SPOTTING THE OPPORTUNITY

Over the last few years Asian cuisines have been increasing in popularity in the UK. We knew that. But one was standing out. One was growing faster than all the others, with a massive 44% annual increase in specialist restaurants.

Japanese.

Exciting, innovative and packed with flavour, Japanese food delights diners and offers something totally different to Indian and Chinese kitchen staples. But how to capture that experience at home?

A MASSIVE 44% ANNUAL INCREASE

Freshly prepared sushi. Sizzling teriyaki grills. Deep fried tempura. All delicious in restaurants, directly from street food stalls or delivered to the door. But seemingly too daunting to cook at home for many consumers.

That challenge was our opportunity. There was a definite rising trend towards Japanese food, and a significant gap in the market.

Cuisine explored. Trend spotted.

Japanese style food

Yakitori Skewers

Chicken Katsu

Yakitori Noodles

CONNECTING WITH MARKET LEADERS

We needed to change perceptions of cooking Japanese food at home. The interest was there, we just had to capitalise on it. To showcase our expertise. To excite taste buds. To deliver a simple, delicious, home-cooking experience.

To do that, we turned to the market leaders. A trusted, respected and successful name in mainstream Japanese cuisine. YO!

YO! had been instrumental in making sushi accessible to everyone. They’d played an integral role in the rising popularity of Japanese food in the UK. And they were the perfect partners to take this unique Japanese food experience from the high street to the home.

They’d recently been introducing new hot dishes and street food staples into their menu, including Katsu curry, Yakisoba noodles and Yakitori skewers. They were on the same page as us, pushing boundaries and trying new flavours.

A SENSATIONAL RANGE OF NEW PRODUCTS

Combining our flavour expertise and specialist production knowledge with the insight and experience of YO!’s Head Chef and team, we developed a sensational range of new products. Multiple formats. Multiple flavour profiles. All uniquely Japanese.

All designed to smash the barriers to cooking delicious Japanese food at home.

Flavours crafted. Production specialised.

SHARING THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE

We spotted a rising trend in Japanese cuisine. We pinpointed the gaps in the market. We explored the flavours and the dishes.

And we found the perfect brand partners to change the home cooking experience.

       Yo Sushi logo

The result?

12

12 EASY-TO-USE PRODUCTS LAUNCHED IN TESCO & WAITROSE STORES

NEW

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW CUSTOMERS INTRODUCED TO NEW FLAVOURS

DOZENS

YO! PRODUCTS ROLLED OUT TO DOZENS OF ADDITIONAL RETAILERS

YO

YO! BRAND AWARENESS & BRAND EQUITY THROUGH THE ROOF WITH OVER 15,000 RETAIL FACINGS

And it doesn’t stop there. We’re continuing to develop an impressive new range of meal kits and snacking options, all centred around Japanese flavours. A sensational Japanese cuisine experience – straight into the British home and impossible to ignore.

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