【JAPAN’s Deeptech #5】“Special freezer” That Does Not Lose Its Taste ──DayBreak
Foods usually lose their flavor when frozen. This is because when passing through the temperature range (0°C to -5°C) where the water in the cells turns to ice, the ice crystals become large and distorted, damaging the cells.
DayBreak overcame such challenges. They offers the “ARTLOCK FREEZER” a special freezer that minimizes damage to foodstuffs and prevents drying, oxidation, and discoloration, and sells special frozen foodstuffs “ARTLOCK FOOD” through EC sales. Prices for the ARTLOCK FREEZER start at 3 million yen（$20000）, and the company has sold approximately 700 units in total.
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Founded：2013
Origin：Independent R&D
Location：Tokyo, Japan
Funding：2.1 billion yen (about $14 million) (Source: STARTUP DB)
Exit target：IPO
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🧊Below freezing all three months.
DayBreak's technology is as follows. Rapid and uniform cooling produces smaller ice crystals. Therefore, cell damage can be minimized, and “umami”（savory flavor in English） ingredients are less likely to leak out. DayBreak has developed a unique method of applying humidity and cold air. It enables quick freezing and shape maintenance of warm, pre-cooked foods. ARTLOCK FREEZER can also be set for optimal freezing for each food product.
In March of this year, DayBreak successfully shipped frozen sushi by sea from Japan to the United States. Marinetime transport to the U.S. takes one to two months. Each transfer process creates an opportunity for exposure to the outside air, so there is a risk of temperature rise inside the box.
But because DayBreak has its own refrigeration technology and insulation materials, it kept the temperature below freezing for about three months. The store manager said that he appreciates the good quality in terms of both appearance and taste.
As a side note, DayBreak once sold frozen box lunches at a department store. I tried the eel bowl, my favorite dish, and it certainly tasted better than expected and satisfied me.
🍓Strawberries, eels and fish are frozen
Art Rock Food, developed and marketed by DayBreak, sells cut fruits such as strawberries and pineapple, smoothie kits, sushi, broiled eel, and other frozen foods through its own e-commerce site.
In addition, the “4 Kinds of Japanese Fruit Mix (frozen)” was adopted as an in-flight service on Japan Airlines flights from Haneda to New York in 2023. A company called POPLAB, which is involved in the production and sale of fruit and vegetables and the planning and development of food products, and DayBreak jointly developed this product.
🥭The trigger was the mangosteen
Masayuki Kinoshita, the president of the company, joined his father's company that manufactured refrigeration equipment. As the company grew, he visited Thailand in search of himself. There, he tasted fresh mangosteen for the first time and wondered if it would be possible to have the same quality in Japan, which led to the founding of DayBreak.
Over the next nine years, he continued his research on special freezers. Now, the freezers and food sales are about to become a product that can be expanded from Japan to other countries.
Thank you for reading! In this newsletter, I introduce you to some unique and noteworthy deep-tech startups in Japan.
