DayBreak
DayBreak is a Tokyo-based food technology company that develops and sells the proprietary Art Lock Freezer rapid-freezing machine, serving over 700 food manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, and fisheries in Japan with an integrated hardware, consulting, and food-distribution model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What DayBreak does
DayBreak Co., Ltd. (デイブレイク株式会社) is a Tokyo-based food technology company founded in July 2013 by Masayuki Kinoshita that has built a specialized rapid-freezing business around its proprietary Micro Wind System, a unique airflow architecture that produces small, uniform ice crystals to minimize cellular damage in food during freezing, thereby preserving flavor, texture, and nutritional quality. The company's flagship product is the Art Lock Freezer, a commercial rapid-freezing machine launched in October 2021 that has been adopted by more than 700 companies in Japan, supported by the complementary Art Lock Box low-temperature storage unit and packaged under the registered Art Lock® and FaaS® (Freezing as a Service) trademarks.
DayBreak operates an integrated three-pillar business model: a Maker function that sells Art Lock Freezer hardware to food manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, and fisheries; a Consulting function that delivers the "Five Consciousness Reforms" methodology (recipe, pre-processing, freezing, storage, thawing) plus recipe development and operational support; and a Food Distribution function staffed by a food-agent team that helps customers bring branded menu items and signature products to market as frozen SKUs through retail and foodservice channels. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and the company sells primarily via direct enterprise sales supplemented by showrooms in Tokyo and Itami (Hyogo), a dealer/distributor network (e.g., Koyo Shoji), joint seminars with Rational Japan, and industry exhibitions including FOOMA JAPAN.
The company is private, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo with a Kansai showroom in Itami and a newly established US subsidiary (DayBreak USA Inc.) in California, employs 11-50 people, and raised approximately 2 billion yen in Series B funding in July 2023 led by Panasonic through its Kurashi Visionary Fund alongside Energy & Environment Investment, Mobile Internet Capital, and SMBC Venture Capital, with debt facilities from Resona Bank and SMBC. Revenue streams combine hardware sales, professional services (consulting), and transaction-based distribution fees.
DayBreak firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DayBreak
- Legal name
- デイブレイク株式会社
- Website
- https://d-break.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DayBreak is a Tokyo-based food technology company that develops and sells the proprietary Art Lock Freezer rapid-freezing machine, serving over 700 food manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, and fisheries in Japan with an integrated hardware, consulting, and food-distribution model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DayBreak industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Freezing Equipment
- NAICS
- Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wrapping & Bundling Equipment (Shrink/Stretch) (IMAHAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Frozen Food Warehousing & Blast Freezing (AFAOAFAC)
Keywords
Where DayBreak is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
DayBreak business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Special Freezing Machine Sales (メーカー機能): Sale of Art Lock Freezer machines to food manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, and other businesses. The company offers multiple models including residential and industrial units, providing complete freezing solutions from machine selection to post-delivery quality optimization.
- Special Freezing Consulting (コンサル機能): Consulting services for implementing frozen food business operations based on the '5 Awareness Reforms' framework (Recipe, Pre-processing, Freezing, Storage, Thawing). The company provides extensive frozen food recipe data and success case studies to support customers.
- Special Frozen Food Ingredient Sales (食品流通機能): Sales agent services for frozen food products, including supporting customers in bringing their branded or signature menu items to market as frozen products. The company assists with pricing, packaging, distribution routes, and connecting with retail and food service buyers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Art Lock Freezer product line - various models for different business scales |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
DayBreak product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DayBreak develops and sells the Art Lock Freezer, a proprietary rapid freezing machine that uses a Micro Wind System to freeze food with minimal cellular damage, preserving flavor, texture, and nutrition. The company complements the hardware with Special Freezing Consulting (recipe, pre-processing, freezing, storage, and thawing guidance) and a Food Distribution function that acts as a sales agent to help customers bring branded frozen products to retail and foodservice markets.
Product overview
DayBreak operates a 'Special Freezing Total Solution Business' comprising three integrated business models: (1) the Art Lock Freezer (アートロックフリーザー) — the core proprietary rapid freezing machine using a Micro Wind System that preserves food quality at the cellular level — alongside the FaaS (Freezing as a Service®) service model; (2) a consulting function providing recipe development, operational support, and implementation guidance based on the Five Consciousness Reforms methodology; and (3) a food distribution function with a food agent team that helps customers bring branded frozen food products to market through retail and foodservice channels. The company also offers the Art Lock Box (アートロックボックス) as a complementary low-temperature freezer storage unit.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- アートロックフリーザー (Art Lock Freezer): The company's flagship special freezing machine that rapidly and uniformly freezes food while preserving quality, flavor, and texture.
- アートロックボックス (Art Lock Box)
- Freezing as a Service® / FaaS®
- 特殊冷凍™ (Special Freezing™)
- HenoHeno
Products and services
- Art Lock Freezer (アートロックフリーザー) A proprietary rapid freezing machine developed from DayBreak's food research data that uses the Micro Wind System to rapidly and uniformly freeze food while minimizing ice crystal damage, preserving cell structure, flavor, texture, and aroma. Sold to food manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, and fisheries with multiple model variants including the CART-IN type ART-20RW for different business scales.
- Art Lock Box (アートロックボックス)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 700 companies have adopted Art Lock Freezer since October 2021 launch
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DayBreak
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DayBreak technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
DayBreak partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sojitz Foods (双日食品)coreStrategic partnership for expanding frozen sushi distribution in the US market. DayBreak USA Inc. established in California with support from Sojitz Foods for market penetration.
- Rational Japan (ラショナル・ジャパン株式会社)coreStrategic partnership for joint seminars combining Rational's steam convection ovens (iCombi/iVario) with DayBreak's Art Lock Freezer. Co-developing cooking-freezing operational models and hosting 'Steam Conv oven × Rapid Freezing Seminars' across Japan.
- Techno Research (株式会社テクノリサーチ)corePartnership for packaging solutions supporting the 'Special Freezing × Top Seal' frozen prepared food operations demonstrated at FOOMA JAPAN 2026.
- Shellpa Japan (シェルパ株式会社)minorCo-participation in KOYO Machinery Exhibition 2026 at Shellpa Itami Kitchen Lab, hosting DayBreak's Kansai showroom and seminar venue.
- Mitsuwa Marketplace (ミツワマーケットプレイス)coreUS retail chain partner for DayBreak's frozen sushi products. Frozen sushi sold at Mitsuwa stores in California (Del Amo, Northridge, San Gabriel), Hawaii (Waikiki), Chicago, and New Jersey, with refrigerated thawing and sale at store.
- 不二製油株式会社minorDevelopment of plant-based soup using MIRACORE technology for frozen ramen products aimed at overseas export, combining with Manraiken's noodles and DayBreak's freezing technology.
- 萬来軒 (Manraiken)minorCollaboration on frozen ramen development for overseas export. Manraiken developed noodles that become firmer when frozen using Art Lock Freezer, combined with不二製油's plant-based soup.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DayBreak competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GEA Group: German global supplier of food processing equipment including freezing, chilling, and separation technologies. Comparable to DayBreak as a much larger incumbent offering overlapping industrial freezing solutions to food manufacturers.
- Marel hf: Iceland-based global supplier of food processing equipment and solutions across meat, poultry, fish, and prepared foods. Comparable to DayBreak as a larger incumbent offering freezing and value-added processing systems to food manufacturers.
- JBT Corporation: US-listed global supplier of food processing and air transport equipment, including freezing, chilling, and cooking systems for protein and prepared foods. Comparable to DayBreak as a broader industrial food-tech incumbent with freezing equipment.
- Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation: Japanese industrial and specialty gas supplier whose cryogenic freezing solutions (LIN/N₂) compete in rapid food freezing alongside DayBreak's mechanical Art Lock Freezer. Relevant as an adjacent incumbent in industrial food-freezing technology.
Direct peers
- Nakano Refrigerators Co., Ltd. Japanese maker of commercial refrigeration and freezing equipment with deep penetration in food retail and food processing. Comparable to DayBreak in serving similar end markets with comparable freezer technology.
- Starfrost (UK): UK-based specialist in industrial IQF (individually quick frozen) and blast freezing equipment for the food industry. Closely comparable to DayBreak's Art Lock Freezer in offering rapid freezing solutions to food processors.
- Octofrost AB: Swedish manufacturer of IQF freezing tunnels and equipment for seafood, meat, fruit, and prepared foods. Directly comparable to DayBreak as a specialist rapid-freezing equipment vendor for food processors and restaurant suppliers.
- Hoshizaki Corporation: Japan-listed global leader in commercial ice machines, refrigerators, and freezers for foodservice and food retail. Directly comparable to DayBreak as a manufacturer of commercial refrigeration/freezing equipment serving overlapping restaurant and food retail customers.
- Fukushima Galilei Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of commercial refrigerators, freezers, and cold storage equipment for food retail and foodservice. Comparable product portfolio and target customer segments to DayBreak's Art Lock Freezer.
- Mayekawa Manufacturing (MYCOM): Japanese industrial refrigeration and freezing equipment maker serving food processing, cold storage, and fisheries. Overlaps DayBreak's industrial rapid-freezing use cases and seafood/food processor customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DayBreak social profiles
Digital presenceDayBreak financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DayBreak leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
DayBreak subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
DayBreak funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DayBreak M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DayBreak
What does DayBreak do?
DayBreak develops and sells the Art Lock Freezer, a proprietary rapid freezing machine that uses a Micro Wind System to freeze food with minimal cellular damage, preserving flavor, texture, and nutrition. The company complements the hardware with Special Freezing Consulting (recipe, pre-processing, freezing, storage, and thawing guidance) and a Food Distribution function that acts as a sales agent to help customers bring branded frozen products to retail and foodservice markets.
Is DayBreak a public or private company?
DayBreak is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was DayBreak founded?
DayBreak was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DayBreak based?
DayBreak is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does DayBreak make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Special Freezing Machine Sales (メーカー機能) is the primary driver. The others are special Freezing Consulting (コンサル機能) and special Frozen Food Ingredient Sales (食品流通機能).
Who are DayBreak's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GEA Group, Marel hf, JBT Corporation and Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation. Direct peers are Nakano Refrigerators Co., Ltd., Starfrost (UK), Octofrost AB, Hoshizaki Corporation, Fukushima Galilei Co., Ltd. and Mayekawa Manufacturing (MYCOM).
Does DayBreak have an API?
No public API is recorded for DayBreak.
What industry is DayBreak in?
DayBreak's product category is Commercial Freezing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAOAD, Wrapping & Bundling Equipment (Shrink/Stretch), with a secondary code of AFAOAFAC, Frozen Food Warehousing & Blast Freezing. Its NAICS code is 33341 and its SIC code is 3585.