Daiya facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail, food service, ingredient supply |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | 3100 Production Way, Burnaby, BC V5A 4R4 |
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Key people
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Andre Kroecher (co-founder) Greg Blake (co-founder), Hajime Fujita (CEO) |
| Products | Dairy alternatives |
| Parent | Otsuka Pharmaceutical |
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Daiya Foods Inc. is a company from Canada that makes plant-based foods. It is located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The company started in 2008. It was founded by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake.
Daiya is famous for its cheese alternatives. These products are made from ingredients like coconut oil and tapioca flour. They are known for looking and melting like real cheese. Daiya products do not contain animal products. They are also free from soy, lactose, wheat, gluten, and nuts.
You can find Daiya products in many stores around the world. These include Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, Mexico, and Hong Kong. Some restaurants use Daiya products on their menus. Other food companies, like Amy's Kitchen, also use Daiya ingredients. Daiya has won many awards for its food.
In July 2017, a company called Otsuka Pharmaceutical bought Daiya Foods. They paid $405 million for the company.
How Daiya Foods Started
Andre Kroecher began working on the idea for Daiya in 2005. Greg Blake joined him in 2007. For the next year, they worked together to create mozzarella and cheddar-style shredded cheese alternatives. These were based on Kroecher's early ideas.
In early 2008, a food scientist named Paul Wong joined the team. He helped them make the recipes better and produce them on a larger scale. Daiya Foods first showed its products at a big event called the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California, in 2009. They were very popular right away.
Later in 2009, Daiya Foods moved to its own special factory. This helped them make sure their food was very safe. After Otsuka Pharmaceutical bought Daiya, some stores stopped selling Daiya products. This happened because Otsuka uses animal testing for some of its other products.
In November 2019, Hajime Fujita became the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Daiya Foods. He came from Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, the parent company. His job is to manage the company's operations around the world. Melanie Domer was promoted to chief commercial officer. John Kelly became the chief marketing officer. These changes helped lead the company forward.
Awards and Recognition
Daiya has won many awards for its innovative products. In 2009, it won first place in a competition called the BC Innovation Council (BCIC) Commercialization of Agricultural Technology Competition. Also in 2009, Daiya received the PETA Libby Award for the best vegan cheese.
Daiya Foods won the VegNews Veggie Award at the Natural Products ExpoWest Show in Anaheim, California, in March 2009, 2011, and 2012. In 2010, it won the best vegan cheese award from VegNews magazine. It also won the 2010 Proggy Award for Company of the Year from PETA.
In 2012, Daiya received more awards in Canada. These included the British Columbia Food Processors award for Product of the Year. It also won the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Gordon Royal Maybee award. This award recognized Daiya's excellent work in food production and quality control.
See also
