The Silicon Review ^Asia

Japan is boosting with confidence as its food technology sector has seen a humungous growth amidst Covid. A small shop near Kajiwara Station along Tokyo's only streetcar line sells about 20 different kinds of bread, including milk bread, bean-jam buns, curry buns, and baguettes. All of its products are frozen, supplied by local bakeries from across Japan. Pan operates the store for You, a frozen bread startup based in Gunma Prefecture. "Pan" is Japanese for bread, a derivative of the French "pain."

Pan for You has done much to burnish the oft-tarnished image of frozen bread. Far from the limp offerings of frozen pizzas found in supermarkets, its croissant, for example, exhibits crispy outer layers and soft, buttery inner layers when allowed to thaw at room temperature. The company's bread comes from its special packaging, which was developed in partnership with a packaging manufacturer specifically to enclose frozen bread.

"We have no competition in the home-delivery market for frozen bread, even overseas," Pan for You President Kenta Yano told Nikkei. The frozen food business has a century-long history in Japan, giving it a solid foundation to prosper from the pandemic exigencies. A raft of frozen food services and related products has emerged to cater to their needs, ranging from home delivery to machines that freeze food more efficiently.