Our focus is on acquiring brands with authentic founder stories: DayDayCook CEO Norma Chu

DDC Enterprise, Ltd. (NYSEAM: DDC) (DayDayCook) is a leading consumer food brand focused on promoting Asian cuisines across the globe. Founded in 2012, the company recently listed on NYSE American and is pursuing M&A deals to expand its footprint in the US and Europe. DayDayCook builds brand recognition through culinary and lifestyle content across social media and e-commerce platforms.

In an email conversation with AlphaStreet, Norma Chu, founder and chief executive officer of DayDayCook, talked about the business model and growth plans.

Please give a brief overview of the company and its operations

DayDayCook is on a mission to share the joy of Asian cooking culture with the world, offering a suite of accessible and healthy ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-heat products that cater to the global palate. Since its inception in 2012, DayDayCook has evolved from a culinary content authority to a multi-brand powerhouse, curating a broad range of products that champion authenticity, nutrition, and convenience. The company’s growing portfolio includes DayDayCook, Nona Lim, Yai’s Thai, AsiaMama, MengWei, and Yujia Weng.

What differentiates DayDayCook from other food brands?

We aspire to be the General Mills of Asian food by expanding globally and growing our portfolio of consumer food products sold through retail stores and online. And our focus is on acquiring brands that have an authentic founder story, which is very important to me. Our products are also clean-label and are made with high-quality ingredients.

Can you talk a bit about your capital allocation plan, against the backdrop of your focus on acquisitions?

One of the reasons for listing our stock on NYSE American is that it enables us to use our stock as a currency to acquire more brands. Our acquisitions will be financed through a combination of our stock and cash, and they will typically have delayed payment structures to help us manage our cash and minimize share issuances. Importantly, by allocating a portion of our capital to the owners of new brands, we can align their incentives with ours to work together to build brand and shareholder value.

As the brand expands into new markets, would you consider including cuisines from other regions?

We believe that Asian cuisine is what we know best and where we can provide the best products in terms of authenticity, nutrition, deliciousness, and value for money to consumers. Asian cuisine is not singular, it’s extremely rich and diverse. There are still a lot of different facets of the Asian culinary tapestry that we haven’t tapped into – Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, etc. Hence, our focus will continue to be on the family of Asian cuisines.     

What has changed since going public; and what are your near-term growth plans?

Since going public, we have made two acquisitions: Yai’s Thai in the U.S. and G.L. Industry S.p.A in Italy, which we expect to complete in the next month. With the addition of G.L. Industry S.p.A, we are entering the European market – an exciting milestone for us. We are always on the lookout for quality, clean-label brands with a passionate founder and an authentic story to tell. Our near-term growth plans are focused on the U.S. and European markets.